Videogames and other entertainment, and atheists.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

and the gays and the evolutionists

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Sure videogames are blamed without any real proof but I do think fyrther research could link video games and such crimes. It's basic psychology of social modelling. I'm not saying all video games are bad and the cause for all the violence related problems but I think they affect the youth more than we once thought.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

You're basically the kind of person the people described in this post are. :P

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So you're saying video games play no part in increased violence? The fact that violence and war is a theme in most of them has to have some affect. Look I'm not saying it turns all pwople who play them into coldhearted killers but if anything it does desentize the youth to violence and therefore creating the idea that it isn't as severe as it really is.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

No, I didn't say that at all, seeing as how I didn't even vote I have no idea how that's the conclusion you came up with. All I said is you are the kind of person being described in the post.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

This post has just showed up on the home page and now I've voted after further consideration. So I'd like to say: Also, there's been studies with supporting evidence that those with already prevalent violent tendencies will naturally be drawn to violent video games, but for those with a erm, healthier psyche for want of a better term, violent video games are a way of relieving the anger and violent urges, which aids their control over not actually doing those things to people in real life.

by Anonymous 11 years ago

There is a study by the FBI that found the most common violent entertainment shared among shooters/killers is written violence. Even for the younger ones.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

People have been blaming violent media for violent people since violent media and violent people began to coexist. Are you familiar with dime novels? They were basically the comic books of the old west, depicting violent scenes usually involving cowboys and indians or outlaws. They used to blame dime novels for corrupting America's youth and promoting these violent actions. That right there should be proof enough that video games don't influence people to be violent, and neither did dime novels. People are afraid of what they can't explain and don't want to accept responsibility for anything, so they find some bullshit party line to adopt; in this case, the assertion that violent video games make violent people. That's just a stupid thing to say.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

In those days the violence wasn't as severe because what was modelled wasn't. And comic books are nothing compared to the interactive violence of today's games. Seriously it's basic psychology that teens are influential and they will copy what media portrays. Like I said in my previous comment videogames also desensitize the youth. They are no longer hesitant to use violence simply gore and war aren't anything they haven't seen. Since such games have been widely accessible violence in adolescence has increased. It's not a stupid thing to say if there is a correlation.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

I'll refute that with an example: My friends and I play some of the most violent games around, along with watching violent films. In games like Grand Theft Auto, we shoot, stab, crush, burn, and beat people, gore included, and it's all for fun. But when we watched a video (three men and a hammer) which features a man being tortured and killed, we were all deeply disturbed by it and found it disgusting. You can't compare fantasy violence and real violence; they aren't even close to the same and seeing fantasy violence does not desensitize us to or steer us toward real world violence.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

See the problem is that people disagree with these things because they look at it from an extreme perspective. People seem to think that video games will male everyone who plays them ruthless, violent psychopaths. Just as your example, simply because you don't "feel" any effects and you claim to still be disturbed. Desentsitization is not really devatable because as a society we've come from being horrified of the smallest things in movies to literally being able to watch anything on TV. For example, if you watch old horror movies,(like Psycho I think it's called) it's nowhere near as gory as Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is because people need more gore and violence to be stimulated because we are exposed to more violence so it's not something that shocks or scares. Now I'm not saying that video games did that at all. It is simply similar. The actual violence that we act out in video games will become more normal and less shocking especially considering you kill people in a fantasy world simply as a leisure activity.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Again, gore on a screen isn't comparable to the real thing. Sure, we're desensitized to people getting slaughtered in an imaginary, 2-dimensional world, but that's not even in the same realm as real world violence and gore.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

If it's not comparable and completely something else then why does it provoke the same response as if you were watching the real thing? Why are you disturbed when you see torture on a screen just as you previously admitted? That's my point, it's all too real. Eventually watching it many times and taking part in video games will desensitize the person and they see it as entertainment rather than violence just as they see the game.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Because the video I mentioned earlier was real. It was filmed by one of the murderers.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

So if you watched that same thhing but with special effects and actors you would be just fine and not disgusted knowing it wasn't "real" then?

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Right.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Alright I can see you have run out of things to say and I'm not going to debate this further if you make such claims. This was however a nice discussion that remained respectful throughout and I appreciate that.

by Anonymous 12 years ago

Oh, and don't forget the fact that schools don't teach religion! Those heathens don't know that the REAL reason for ALL violence in good old 'Merica is because they need to become decent, god-loving citizensohpleasejustkillmenowwww....

by Anonymous 12 years ago

it is true, violence was nonexistent until grand theft auto came out (derp)

by Anonymous 11 years ago

WELLLLLLL.... what about the kid who thought that headshot was pretty cool? Then, "Mom can you buy me a BB gun? It doesn't hurt anyone..."

by Anonymous 11 years ago