Video games don't contribute to violence? Nonsense!

treeguy64

Hari Om, y'all!
Location
Austin, TX.
OK. I have long held that it is incredibly naive to assert that video games don't contribute to the violence we are seeing, these days, all around us. I don't care what the "experts" conclude in their ivory tower institutions. The Video Game Industry has billions of dollars, literally, to hire all of the experts they need to reach conclusions that are favorable to their industry.

As an experiment, I downloaded two violent video games for my cell phone, within the last hour. Both feature a gunman who shoots the bad guys, including ones labeled "Boss." In one game, very realistically animated, you are a sniper who kills men walking down the street, a guy who snatched a backpack from a student, an enemy sniper who is positioned at the top of a building, etc. You use your scope to line up your shot, fire, see the bullet close in on your human target, see the impact, see the blood, see the target go down. "Great job! You have neutralized your target!"

These games disgusted me to the point where I felt like my phone was rotting away. I couldn't wait to delete both of them!

Come on, folks! See these games for what they are: If kids and young adults are, daily, eagerly "killing" hundreds of bad guys, and others, during depictions of graphic violence, in the quiet of their living rooms and/or sitting in class or on the bus, they are being desensitized to violence, no two ways about it!

These games should be banned, for everyone! It won't happen, because of those aforementioned billions of dollars, but we should all do our part to keep them out of the hands of those we care about.

I won't reveal what games I dl'd, so please don't ask. They are no longer on my phone.
 

I can't say for sure if violent video games contribute to violent behavior. I do think they can - IF someone is already mentally ill to begin with.

However, I'll ruffle a few feathers & state my opinion on what is a BIGGER contributing factor to desensitizing young people to violence - because it is REAL, as opposed to a video, AND because the violence is rewarded. "Sports" where brain damage and blood are the whole idea & how the winner is decided: And, yes, it's legal. (Sorry, boxing fans, but boxing is just as bad - winning is accomplished the same way - brain damage)
 

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I can't say for sure if violent video games contribute to violent behavior. I do think they can - IF someone is already mentally ill to begin with.

However, I'll ruffle a few feathers & state my opinion on what is a BIGGER contributing factor to desensitizing young people to violence - because it is REAL, as opposed to a video, AND because the violence is rewarded. "Sports" where brain damage and blood are the whole idea & how the winner is decided: And, yes, it's legal.
I agree with you, 100%! It is a modern obscenity that so-called cage fighting is not only allowed, but actually televised, these days. It has rankings and legitimacy in the sports world. Unbelievable!
 
It seems to me that much of our "entertainment" industry is thriving on violence and destructive behavior, in recent years. Video games, movies, and even some TV shows seem to dwell on the flaws in human behavior. This Has to exert some mental influence on those who engage in these activities regularly....especially the young, who are more easily influenced. Eventually, some of these people begin to think that what they are seeing is acceptable behavior, and quite probably contributes to the increased levels of crime and violence that our society is experiencing.
 
It seems to me that much of our "entertainment" industry is thriving on violence and destructive behavior, in recent years. Video games, movies, and even some TV shows seem to dwell on the flaws in human behavior. This Has to exert some mental influence on those who engage in these activities regularly....especially the young, who are more easily influenced. Eventually, some of these people begin to think that what they are seeing is acceptable behavior, and quite probably contributes to the increased levels of crime and violence that our society is experiencing.

I agree. It's all around, in everything anymore. Those violent video games are disgusting, but TV and movies all feed into the violent atmosphere too.

I wish at some point things would just get a little 'lighter' and change direction.
 
Violent video games are an ingredient to mass murder stew. By themselves not a problem. In combination with mental health issues, life events and experiences, economic status, political beliefs they are a key ingredient.

One of the issues with video games in general is that when one plays them they get instant gratification. The player wins, loses, gets points, bonus points etc. they get rewarded immediately. This could lead to frustration in real life because one needs a lot more patience. They won't get the instant gratification they get with a video game. This could lead to frustration and eventually anger.
 
Violence is routinely modeled in modern society as a solution to problems, and as a way to get ahead in life; waste your opposition, and even those who get in your way. The top dog is the toughest one, and is rewarded and so envied and modeled by some. Awash in violence, people become desensitized to it, and can devolve to see others as dehumanized targets in a grooming process. The instruments of violence are readily available, and defended with cult-like fervor by adherents. Those who do not directly participate in violence become numb to it, and come to accept it as the new normal. Violence is a multi-faceted and corrosive poison which can masquerade as entertainment, and whose influence is spreading.
 
If this is correct (video games cause mass shootings) then I have to assume that they are banned or not available in Australia? Can anyone verify is this is true? If so, then we need to search no further for a solution to our problems and we can stop making them (the video games) available to the general public and for those still wishing to have them, require background checks regarding their mental stability before allowing there purchase.

It sounds like there are any number of ways to eliminate the slaughter of innocents in this country without even mentioning guns.
 
I would say yes they do contribute to a lot of young violence.. when they first started they where not that bad '
but as the money came rolling in and made them super rich the vids got more violent -
and there is plenty of people who cant wait to see and buy them , lot is to do with guns =snipers - and kidnapping ..,they wont stop
marketing them as to much money involved in the biz ………..
 
I have never tried to catch and kill a roadrunner.
The cartoons we saw growing up were all pretty violent, kids like slapstick comedy.
Hmm. ... Perhaps you have yet to actually view a violent video game. I assure you, wholeheartedly, that they are, decidedly, NOT slapstick comedy! They are VERY realistic, VERY gory.

Feel free to download, and try, one. They are available, for free, online.
 
If this is correct (video games cause mass shootings) then I have to assume that they are banned or not available in Australia? Can anyone verify is this is true? If so, then we need to search no further for a solution to our problems and we can stop making them (the video games) available to the general public and for those still wishing to have them, require background checks regarding their mental stability before allowing there purchase.

It sounds like there are any number of ways to eliminate the slaughter of innocents in this country without even mentioning guns.
A fatal flaw with your "solution," that I mentioned in my OP. Perhaps you missed it: The mega-billions that the video game industry rakes in, annually, almost certainly guarantees that there will be no successful attempt to ban them, at least in the US.

Money does wonders, when promoting a specific agenda. I'm sure there are many, many "friends" of the video game industry, both in DC and in state governments.

Banning violent video games, successfully, will NEVER happen, unless the public outcry grows to a deafening cacophony. That won't happen.
 
A fatal flaw with your "solution," that I mentioned in my OP. Perhaps you missed it: The mega-billions that the video game industry rakes in, annually, almost certainly guarantees that there will be no successful attempt to ban them, at least in the US.

Money does wonders, when promoting a specific agenda. I'm sure there are many, many "friends" of the video game industry, both in DC and in state governments.

Banning violent video games, successfully, will NEVER happen, unless the public outcry grows to a deafening cacophony. That won't happen.
I thought my "tongue in cheek' comment would be taken for what it was. Of course they won't be banned anymore than will anything be done to curb the type of weaponry available to the general public and putting in place anything more than the present watered down background checks that each state has in place - -some far more restrictive than others.

But back to my comment - - is the lack of shootings in Australia due to the removal of guns from the general population or is it a lack of violent video games or possibly the lack of mental problems in their country, or all three combined?
 
I think the same applies to horror films. Children see violence on videos, get excited by the blood and gore, and want to go out and put into practise what they have seen. This results in many animals being abused.
 
All this illustrates how impressionable young minds are, and how easy it is to manipulate and indoctrinate them. The trouble is, as soon as you mention training young people in positive behaviour and becoming good citizens, you are regarded as a Fascist. The present state of society in Britain shows what happens when children are given free rein to do as they please. People in the world of sport and entertainment need to show a greater responsibility to their young fans and set a better example.

Sorry if I've strayed off-topic but really it's all part of the same thing....the way young people are influenced by what they are exposed to.
 
Are there extremely violent video games? God, yeah. It's that type of super violence that appeals to boys. But are they the cause of violence? Study after study says no. The kids, who act violently probably didn't need a video to get them into trouble. I think its because kids can tell the difference between real violence and entertainment. I use the word "entertainment", because I think that's how they view it. Unfortunately, if you're in High School, chances are some of your classmates have died in real car accidents. that's pretty sobering.
 
Whilst someone is making big bucks by creating violent video games, excuses and rationalisations will be made. They will quote some fake research that "proves" there is no connection between virtual and real.
 
Are there extremely violent video games? God, yeah. It's that type of super violence that appeals to boys. But are they the cause of violence? Study after study says no. The kids, who act violently probably didn't need a video to get them into trouble. I think its because kids can tell the difference between real violence and entertainment. I use the word "entertainment", because I think that's how they view it. Unfortunately, if you're in High School, chances are some of your classmates have died in real car accidents. that's pretty sobering.

Study, after study, is funded by the multi-billion dollar video game industry. What else would you expect them to conclude?

If you read the many eyewitness reports about those who shoot scores of folks, at close range, almost all speak of how calm the shooter was as he walked among his victims, shooting them as he went by. I don't care what the "experts" conclude in their bogus studies. This calm demeanor can only be learned by those playing violent video games, as they seek to get high scores, and beat their opponents. (Unless they were former special ops force members, with professional training. )
 
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I can't say for sure if violent video games contribute to violent behavior. I do think they can - IF someone is already mentally ill to begin with.

However, I'll ruffle a few feathers & state my opinion on what is a BIGGER contributing factor to desensitizing young people to violence - because it is REAL, as opposed to a video, AND because the violence is rewarded. "Sports" where brain damage and blood are the whole idea & how the winner is decided: And, yes, it's legal. (Sorry, boxing fans, but boxing is just as bad - winning is accomplished the same way - brain damage)

I don’t really see the connection. I would agree that some sports are violence as part of their makeup, but how do you equate watching a football game or a prize fight to participating in a mass shooting? Watching violent video games does show actual realism of bad guys taking out the police and citizens.

To some young people, what happens in video games and movies is real. I just watched a show on TV where a man was confessing to a crime and he made the comment that he hit another man on the head with a hammer because he saw it done in a movie and it killed the man. To some; perception is reality.
 
People at a relatively young age know right from wrong. I have watched tons of thriller movies and never went out and committed the acts in them. Watching violent videos should not make someone do what they view.
 


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