Violent Video Game Effects Linger in Brain

[Optimus Prime]

I sometimes wonder if people even read the articles, or just assume that every single video game study is one of those "OMG VIDEO GAMES CAUSE VIOLENCE" studies.

Hitler for example was very violent, did he play too much Doom or Wolfenstein in his youth? Wait...those didn't even exist in that time. This is just a load of bullcrap, and I'm not even going to bother reading that article.

Had you read the article, you'd have realized your comment has no merit in the context of this discussion.

Teens who play violent video games show increased activity in areas of the brain linked to emotional arousal and decreased responses in regions that govern self-control, a study released on Tuesday found.

And what about the video games that the christians and catholics played during the inquisition and the crusades?

Yeah, the whole "violence existed before video games" argument, really sticks it to brain pathology.

I totally agree with Alea. Why not do a study that shows the short term effects on the brain after watching a violent movie, or reading a violent novel. I wouldn't be surprised if the results are strikingly similar.

 

[Skiwan]

I think people should stop trying to research things that are blatantly obvious and research something that's actually helpful.

You're asking people to compare 2 completely different types of game, the first is all about "emotional" response, as you're always trying to be victorious and the stakes are higher in a fps than a racing game (by that i mean kill or be killed) fps's can get intense, staying alive is the goal and well its pretty much all you care about in the game. Racing games, are all about concentration and self control. Why not conduct the same study on people playing poker? I'm sure it generates the same activity when you win a huge pot, or lose on a bad hand. Then try it on somebody playing chess.

Fact is, people are scared, they're seeing a whole new world evolve around them where youth have more of a say, there's less religion, less conformity and less social boundaries. Video games are a very small portion of the contributing factors, (not saying it actually is, but purely for speculation's sake) I know for a fact the most violent and least law abiding people I know aren't exactly the avid gamer I or most of my friends are, in fact many of them would look down upon gaming unless it is a title like GTA or something similar, but I don't think its because of the effect it has on them, rather its the social status they're trying to associate themselves with. They are going after the wrong things here, parents and social structures are the biggest contributing factors, however you cant tell somebody how to raise their kids, or who to make friends with, but you certainly can point the blame somewhere else, especially if it looks like people are making money from it.

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

Agreed. GTA = biggest seller of 05...

Saint's Row has a lot of similar stuff in it but no one cares about that because it hasn't sold 8 bajillion copies...

Not for nothing but the point remains the same. There are people out there who want to make laws prohibiting the creation of violent games and studies like this give them ammo--which is why they are usually paid for by them.

That's where I disagree. Should an 11 year old kid be playing GTA? HELL NO. But should the company be disallowed to make GTA because a kid might play it? Again--HELL NO.

Say they told the director of the Godfather that he couldn't make his movie because a kid might see it. What then?

It's a violation of basic creative human rights. You can't tell us what we can and can't create--that's bordering on a police-state, FFS. That's the kind of thing they do in Cold War-era Russia or WWII Germany, not here in America--where the majority of this BS legislature is spawned.

 

[Eon]

Agreed. GTA = biggest seller of 05...

Saint's Row has a lot of similar stuff in it but no one cares about that because it hasn't sold 8 bajillion copies...

Not for nothing but the point remains the same. There are people out there who want to make laws prohibiting the creation of violent games and studies like this give them ammo--which is why they are usually paid for by them.

That's where I disagree. Should an 11 year old kid be playing GTA? HELL NO. But should the company be disallowed to make GTA because a kid might play it? Again--HELL NO.

Say they told the director of the Godfather that he couldn't make his movie because a kid might see it. What then?

It's a violation of basic creative human rights. You can't tell us what we can and can't create--that's bordering on a police-state, FFS. That's the kind of thing they do in Cold War-era Russia or WWII Germany, not here in America--where the majority of this BS legislature is spawned.

Agreed, people need to realize that its also just a parent's duty to show their kid right from wrong, and stuff.

 

[Rayne]

This just proves that Need for Speed is a crap game. Im more concerned about how they keep refering to "emotional arousal" as a bad sign.

 

[[S]]

If I weren't at work right now, I would be able to refute things and state my case more plainly, but at the end of the day it's this simple:

Don't censor my games because Momma McStupid doesn't give enough of a crap about which Automatic Babysitting DVD Rom she buys at the Automatic Shut-Your-Kid-The-Hell-Up Machine Store.

The fact is no one has ever actually committed a violent crime that emulates anything you can do in a game. Honestly, I thank god for Grand Crap Auto and Rockstar...without them and their mediocre games to take the heat some GOOD games like Gears of War or Dawn of War might be taking the heat.

Also you shouldn't write off Engar's fish tank story. It is a picture perfect representation of the issue at hand in it's truest, ugliest form--the uncaring parent who just wants to shut their brat up for the night.

So you've never done anything without your parents permission? Never gone to a friends house and played a video game or something of that sort. People need to stop putting all the blame on parents. No one group can be blamed you have to blame the shop keeper who wants to make a profit and will sell the games to underage kids you need to blame the kids friend who encourage them to do things you need to blame the movie usher who doesn't do his job mostly you blame the kid himself.If he goes and bashes someone in the head with a crowbar after playing half life the chances are he was going to smash the kid anyway he just got the crowbar idea from the game. I'm not saying they should censor games or anything of that sort i'm just saying it's ignorant to put all the blame on bad parenting.

My point is it makes sense to think if i just played a game i'm going to want to think about imitating it i mean look at you Pride after watching wrestling don't you and your brother have mock matches. It's the same concept taken to an extreme.

 

[ZeroNightmare]

...wasnt hitler in wolfenstein?

...........................................

 

[SaiyanPrideXIX]

You ABSOLUTELY can blame the parents. Where the hell do people think an 11 year old gets 50 bucks for San Andreas, the 150 bucks for a PS2, the 250 dollar TV in his bedroom?

Any imitation of violence seen in a game is SOLELY the fault of the parent who allows their child to play said unsuitable game. That is, of course, assuming any violence in imitation of a video game had EVER HAPPENED...which to my knowledge it hasn't.

I play-wrestled with my brother but even then our parents always stopped us the second it was apparent what we were doing; even then, we were also aware that what we were watching was a show, and always knew the guys were putting on a performance. Granted, most kids don't think that, but what decent frigging parent do you think would be unware if their kids were violently trying to dive on each other from across a room in the house?

The ONLY violent incident with any link to games is those two losers from Columbine, and even then, they only MENTIONED the damn game on a security tape ("Doom" for those who care). I was in my first newsroom when that bull**** broke, I was only an intern but it didn't take a genius to see it. The AP reports the contents of the kids' rooms as the police found them; one kid had a FRIGGING LOADED SHOTGUN ON HIS TABLE IN PLAIN VIEW, as well as other weaponry and ammunition placed in PLAIN SIGHT. But then we look on the newsroom TV, and the police down there are talking ONLY about Doom...saying that "Yes, it was confirmed, both boys did in fact play this violent game called Doom" and that the game featured "virtual reality acts of cruelty and violence."

I'll never forget that day, cause it's when I started this whole little personal crusade of mine.

Besides that, all the people you list in that blame list can all be overwritten by even a half-decent parent, too: The parents don't have to let the kids buy the thing, and if they do they can take it away/destroy it....parents can talk to their kids about things like peer pressure and right and wrong, eliminating the buzz in their ears from bad influences...the movie usher who doesn't do his job can get fired over a parent's complaints...etc.

I've done lots of things without my parents' permission, . But the reasons are twofold: 1, even the worst stuff I did was not "Wow I think I will carjack this old man and kill his family then run over 684 pedestrians with a stolen car so the police chase me until I end up in a fiery wreck." And 2: My parents are pretty frigging dense, I could have taken a dump in their dinner without them realizing it.

I tell you what, my generations' kids are not going to get to be that slick. We grew up with enough technology that we can counterweight all the hip new stuff. I know that if I ever catch my kid asking for a GTA game I'm going to tell him hell no--and if I find he got it anyway, it's going to get shattered into pieces and his playstation is going to get locked in the damn closet for a month for disobeying his one-mean-SOB of a father!

 

[Skiwan]

There's also the side of parenting that teaches their kids basic morals, and that its only a game. I think that's more important than how a kid gets hold of the game or whether or not they even let them play the game. I remember my dad used to play the games that were rated 15 or higher with me if i wanted to play them when i was younger. Saying that I watched plenty of movies when I was younger that were 15 or 18's this was when i was about 10-13 though, but my dad only let me watch them if he thought they conveyed the right message or were just that good a movie.

The game is irrelevant, I've always been firm in my beliefs of what is right and wrong, no game, no film, at any age would've changed that.

 

[[S]]

He can play it at a friends he can buy a console for a game like NBA and then hide and do it you're not always gonna be aware of what you're kids doing. My point is it's not just the parents. You're influenced and taught how to act from lots of different places you're neighborhood friends and even parents.

You're not an extreme case maybe becasue you had a good upbringing but you've acted out in violence on more then one occasion and i doubt it's becasue of games you've played or videos you've seen but that has something to do with it.

You're solution is constant parent supervision and i mean 24/7 you really think that's possible. How many kids lie to their parents about the movie they are going to see and go watch another one. What about one family parents who's mom is working two jobs how does she know what her sons up to.

Pride i still don't think you're being reasonable it can't just be the parents fault . Lets talk about your kid if he goes to a friends house and lets say his friend is older OR his friends parents aren't as strict and plays grand theft auto he got his hands on it despite you're warning. My point is there are a lot more factors in play here then just bad parenting. Sorry if this post isn't clear I'm trying to type my essay at the same time I'll explain it in detail later on tonight or soon it's exam week.

 

[Skiwan]

My dad probably wouldnt have made a big deal if I'd lied and saw a different movie, he was quite liberal, I know he was confident of what he'd introduced me to was beneficial to my own judgement for the future. I guess I've always been desensitized to age ratings though.

 

[Zeonix]

If the parents teach their children the proper code of conduct and instill morals in their children, a lot can be avoided. Parents nowadays have a tendency to appease their children instead of disciplining them. They don't want to deal with their children, so they give them things to distract them, to keep them at bay.

I've been exposed to violence all my life and yet I don't try to emulate what I see. I know better than that. My mother wasn't the greatest there ever was, but she taught me right from wrong and that has made all the difference. I've played violent video games, watched violent movies and read some over the top books as a child, but I remain sane.

 

[[S]]

You people are being illogical in putting all the blame on the parents. You're acting exactly like the people who say it's all video games. The blame can't be found in one place blame society as a whole if you must. I still say it's the individuals and the events that have taken place in their lives that make them do these things. No single cause can be found. Media and parents are a big influence but there are so many other things that you guys aren't accounting for.

 

[Zeonix]

I still say it's the individuals and the events that have taken place in their lives that make them do these things. No single cause can be found. Media and parents are a big influence but there are so many other things that you guys aren't accounting for.

Events that have taken place in their lives? The worst thing that happened to those kids at Columbine was not being popular. They lived in suburbia and lived normal lives. In fact, whenever something like this **** happens it's because of kids who lived perfectly normal lives. They wanted attention. They wanted to be noticed. I don't know about you, but if I had a parent or parents that paid attention to me, I wouldn't feel the need to go on a killing spree.

I don't live in the greatest of neighborhoods. Hell, it could even be called the slums by people who are used to suburbia. The thing is, we don't go out killing everyone we see because of videogames or movies. If someone dies, it's because they're trying to rob someone, or because they're defending themselves. People die here for reasons that make sense. Not because someone is trying to emulate Passion of the Christ using 2 x 4's.

If you want to say this isn't the parent's fault, blame normalcy. Blame boredom. Blame complacency.

 

[Skiwan]

Im sorry, but you're living in a fantasy land if you think that parents aren't the first and foremost important role/influence on a child's life. Sure there are others, but parents are there from the day you are born till when you leave the house. Their influence is ever lasting, the first few years of life are the most important years of cognitive development after all.

There's a series on TV here in England (actually about 4 different ones on different channels, all pretty much the same) called Little angels/super nanny or something, It's about seriously bad behaved young children, they punch/kick their parents/teachers, throw constant tantrums, have complete disrespect for their parents. However, there's this woman who comes in and analyses the parenting, most of these problems are all caused by very similar things; lack of praise, shouting/anger, inconsistent boundaries, lack of attention. Most of these problems are actually caused by imitation of parents behaviour. Within the space of 3 days this woman drastically transforms the children's behaviour, just by telling the parents to follow guidelines for when the child behaves badly, and introducing child and parent time, creative time, and learning times. Kids learn best when they're given the appropriate attention. They've done similar programs for teenager's, all of which follow the same patterns/concerns, and all of which, when changed, drastically improve the quality of life.

Sure, its not the only contributing factor to crime in society, but its definitely the most important. Problem is people these days are having kids without actually thinking of the consequences of reproduction, they do not take into account that the most influential effect you will have on anything in this world is your children. Reproduction is now expected, and we no longer have the religious or social pressures which force us to look after our kids in certain ways, therefore along the way certain values in society are completely lost.

Good kids can do bad things, but good kids know the difference in severity of what is right or wrong, maybe they'll go out and sneak of to watch a adult rated film, but they aren't gonna take on board the main characters philosophy to solve problems with their guns/fists rather than discussing an issue. Same with games. Bad kids who have been neglected and il-educated are more likely take on board that quick fix solution to problems, which (insert generic main character) is all about, scince they dont have to think about the concequences, and they take actions upon emotional response, like their parents shouting at them smacking them on the arse and then ignoring them as their way of parenting.

 

[Eon]

Hey Zeo, ina post earlier I told you to not even collabarate with for a while, no matter how innocent.

So like, stop.