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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Senate Violence and video games

Discussion in 'Archive: The Senate Floor' started by sons_of_anakin_tatooine, Sep 17, 2013.

  1. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2004
    :eek:[face_frustrated]
     
  2. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    This isn't quite right. While I don't think violent video games cause this behavior, they may cause violent behavior in a minority of people.

    There were sixteen mass shootings in 2012 in the US. Some 70 or so percent of American households have video games. Is it conceivable that a number of those shooters were tipped over the edge by encouragement from violent video games? Yeah. (Also, mass shootings are the only type of violence prevalent in America).

    We all know that smoking causes lung cancer, however, only about one out of every six smokers gets lung cancer. One might say, "If smoking caused lung cancer, shouldn't everyone who smokes get lung cancer?" Human bodies (and minds) don't work that way. Everyone is different. Something which affects a very small number of people in a significant way may have apparently no impact on the majority of people.


    I used my phone. Beware.pf.typos.
     
  3. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Jul 2, 2004
    :confused:
     
    V-2 likes this.
  4. SuperWatto

    SuperWatto Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2000
    @Arawn_Fenn: if you join a Senate discussion, please add more than emoticons.
    "Your post doesn't have to be long, but it should be effective at conveying what you think about the discussion and why."
     
  5. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    I said beware.pf.typoa okay!

    I meant AREN'T. Yeah, clearly I don't think that's the only type of American violence.


    I used my phone. Beware.pf.typos.
     
  6. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    OZK - except that North Korea, Japan and the UK all buy (and, one assumes, play) craploads of video games but don't have anything like the levels of gun deaths as the USA, nor the frequency of psychos on killing sprees. Nor the frequency of serial killers, come to that.

    It seems fundamentally obvious that access to guns enables the kind of violence that so characterises American culture. Violent American cultural exports are so prevalent in the rest of the world, yet by and large we've stayed mostly sane. I don't think it's violent media that make so many people in your country decide to go nuts with firearms.

    The argument that sensationalist rolling coverage of mass killings breeds copycat mass killers is a lot more convincing than the anti rock'n'roll/cannabis/home taping/computer-game position, but, again, it seems fairly obvious that without access to all these guns it would be harder for crazy people to copy the other crazy people....
     
  7. Obi-Zahn Kenobi

    Obi-Zahn Kenobi Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Aug 23, 1999
    I totally agree with you. I just thought Volderon's reasoning was faulty.


    I used my phone. Beware.pf.typos.
     
    Violent Violet Menace likes this.
  8. LostOnHoth

    LostOnHoth Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Feb 15, 2000
    http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/02/14/study-finds-violent-games-reduce-violence-hmmmm/

    "Study finds that violent video games reduce violence"

    This is a really good article which underlines what we should all know by now, that correlation is not causation. While I wouldn't rely upon the study as any kind of authority I think that violent video games most likely do have the potential to provide some kind of catharsis for people (kids) who struggle with violent behaviours. It's like the old argument that the increase in the availability of pornography increases or leads to a highler level of sexual assaults/rapes. It makes more sense to me that the availability of violent games and internet porn would actually decrease violent behaviour at least for those individuals who resort to violent behaviour as a way of manifesting those internal urges. Fantasy has always been a wonderful way for human beings to release their demons.

    Of course you are always going to get those people who are compelled to actually live out their fantasies. That is the basic proposition put forward by the anti video game crowd. The reality is that some people are just ****** up and require medical and psychiatric care but don't get it. The anti-video game crowd should really look into the fact that violent video games are just a tool used by mentally sick people to manifest their sickness. The way to properly address the violence is to look to the underlying mental health issues and lack of care which lead to such behaviour.

    Of course access to guns as an enabler is also the secondary problem but that problem is just not able to solved in the US. There are just too many guns already out there in circulation, even if you were able to overcome the second amendment obstacle.
     
  9. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    That's why we need Russia to pull their collective (ist) fingers out and finally invade.
     
  10. sons_of_anakin_tatooine

    sons_of_anakin_tatooine Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 28, 2005
    oh yea thatll just be so dandy for the homosexuals here in the usa................ you do realize russia treats homosexuals badly right? not saying im gay myself but a human rights issue is a human rights issue
     
  11. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    ...I honestly can't tell how serious you're being.
     
  12. Arawn_Fenn

    Arawn_Fenn Chosen One star 7

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    Jul 2, 2004
    These days, video games only make me feel violent toward the developer.
     
    SWBob and V-2 like this.
  13. sons_of_anakin_tatooine

    sons_of_anakin_tatooine Jedi Knight star 3

    Registered:
    Sep 28, 2005
    bill oreilly is slamming gta 5 after the commercial break ................... he states its causing violence in the streets for real wich i think hes so wrong on that.
     
  14. Drac39

    Drac39 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2002
    The violent video game debate is nothing more than a convenient way for the Right and the gun lobby to put up a smoke screen. As was stated earlier a far more effective argument would be to attack the fear mongering media who glamorizes gun violence and murderers under the false pretense of explaining them.

    Video games are a creative form of expression and as such they evolve. They have been presented as kids stuff but that really isn't an accurate assessment anymore. The medium has evolved and so have the players to the point where video games are very much for adult audiences.
     
  15. timmoishere

    timmoishere Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 2, 2007
    Playing Madden doesn't make me an NFL player.
    Playing Mario doesn't make me an Italian plumber who eats mushrooms.
    Playing Zelda doesn't make me explore dungeons.

    So why would playing a violent video game make me a murderer?
     
    anakinfansince1983 and V-2 like this.
  16. Drac39

    Drac39 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2002
    You see the thing is I have a fairly pro-second amendment stance and even with that the whole violence in video games debate fails. I think timmo's argument kind of hits it on the head.

    Here's my basic stance. The first amendment is the most important amendment. The second amendment only exists to protect it. This argument falls on it's self because the people who argue it selectively choose from the Bill of Rights.
     
  17. wannasee

    wannasee Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 24, 2007
    Very rarely does one influence make someone anything, but each influence does contribute to making the person who they are.

    The simple point people are trying to make is that negative influences can influence people negatively.
     
  18. I Are The Internets

    I Are The Internets Shelf of Shame Host star 9 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Nov 20, 2012
    Playing Red Dead Redemption doesn't automatically transform me into Al Swearingen despite my convenient avatar. The whole argument is idiotic.
     
  19. wannasee

    wannasee Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 24, 2007
    I think you should read my post again.
     
  20. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

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    Dec 10, 2012
    What may influence a psycho to flip out and kill people doesn't tend to have the same effect on everyone else. If someone has apophenia and dark thoughts, there's no telling what form a negative influence could take.
     
    Jedi Ben likes this.
  21. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    AND SHOULD BE BANNED!

    Which is the problem, it's overlaying an extremely simple outlook onto a very complex web of possible influences, all of which could affect an individual in numerous ways with no one-size-fits-all being possible, AND THEN it proposes equally simple solution that will not work because these same influences exist outside of video games.

    In fact, far from being in a position to influence society, video games tend to be reflective of it.
     
  22. Chewgumma

    Chewgumma Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Apr 14, 2009
    Video games could be a cause of violent behaviour. However, movies and literature have been documented to inspire the kind of outburst being discussed in this thread. In fact

    http://www.secretservice.gov/ntac/ssi_final_report.pdf

    On page 22 of this report by the Secret Service the statistics show that most of the attackers profiled in the study were inspired by their own writings. In fact in this study video games inspired the least attackers. So do we ban every troubled teenager from having access to pen and paper in case it inspires them to do something awful? Do we have a duty to monitor the diaries of everyone under a certain age to prevent danger in our schools? When you put it like this it sounds irrational, does it not?
     
    Jedi Ben and V-2 like this.
  23. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    Shrink wrapping on DVDs gives me violent urges, could we ban that?
     
    anakinfansince1983 likes this.
  24. wannasee

    wannasee Jedi Master star 4

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    Jan 24, 2007
    who is arguing that video games should be banned?
     
  25. The Star Wars Archivist

    The Star Wars Archivist Jedi Knight star 3

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    Oct 22, 2013
    " :eek: Guns and blowing up stuff! Son, if you play that game your gonna be a psycho when your older!"

    Not the case.

    A video game is only another medium for fun. Say a violent movie, do we ban it? No. Its just another form of entertainment, only people have found it a great excuse for bad parenting and stupidity. Its a game! You wouldn't berate me for playing monopoly, you would berate me for playing Call of Duty and other fps games. Why?

    I think what most parents don't understand is that you can't shield your child from violence forever. Its going to find them, no matter what. The fact that its in a game should be pleasing rather than it being in real life.

    Honestly, you blame games! GAMES! They are only for fun, like you watch TV for fun. When you see a violent show on TV you don't blame it for everything bad thats happening in the world.

    If games made psychos, we would not have them.