are violent video games ruining the youth of tomorrow

[frank34443]

I haven't read all of the posts, but I have an opinion on this, so if anything that I say has been said before, my apologies.

Before I start stating my opinions, I want to make it clear that I play tons of violent games. Metal Gear, Tekken, Counter Strike, etc. So, without being a hypocrite I'll do my best to express my opinion on this. Violent games are not ruining the youth of tomorrow, they are simply ruining the children of tomorrow. Usually, teenagers who are about 14-18 are mature enough to play a violent game, put it down, and then act as friendly as ever without looking like an idiot, but kids who are about 10 years old should not be allowed to grow up "virtually" slitting throats and taking lives, "virtually", because by the time they become older they will have it embedded in their brains. Games with blood and gore were not made for an audience of kids, but for an audience of more mature users. In the end, this all comes down to the parents. Game companies have no say in what kids buy, they do their best to give a rating and hopefully prevent kids who can't handle the particular game from playing. Parents on the other hand, unfortunately will buy anything for their kids nowadays because they are "tired", and "busy", so they want to keep their kids occupied. I am not saying that every teenager can play a violent game and stay unaffected, because many times they are, but form personal experience I believe that violent games affect kids more than teenagers. With that being said, it all comes down to the parents and the way their child is raised.

[panphil]

no. ive been playing violent games since im 5 years old. My first violent game was unreal tournament (my third video game i played ) and the next one was starcraft. im not stupid and i will not try to do what is in the game. Maybe some people cant understand its just a game but i do. Violent video games Rocks!!

[frank34443]

Today's violent games are much more brutal and gorey than violent games from when you were 5 yearsold. On top of that, many people are different. It doens't mean that everyone will be violent when they grow up after playing a bunch of violent games.

[Professor Raine]

I know. And if they are saying that video games influence children, how cmoe when someone has something prove video games are good, those are brushed aside pretty quickly? Think, how many people think that video games can cure lazy eye (Which is true after wearing an eyepatch over the non-lazy eye while playing 3 hour increments)?

And if Video games influence children, why don't some characters get praise (i.e. Mario for doing good deeds, Sonic for constant exercise, Aries for being kind, shall I go on?)?

[Relambrien]

Originally Posted by Professor Raine

And if Video games influence children, why don't some characters get praise (i.e. Mario for doing good deeds, Sonic for constant exercise, Aries for being kind, shall I go on?)?

Because Mario kills turtles and thinks it's fun, Sonic disregards law and escapes from custody (Sonic Adventure 2), and Aeris gets killed (OMG SPOILER).

PS. If you couldn't tell, that's one of the few times I've ever been sarcastic in CT.

[tha Guardians]

Okay... yesterday I played Halo 2 Online for the first time in 2 months, simply because I had lost interest. Let me tell you, it was a huge relief. Killing all those innocent childrens was a blast, but I would never do it in real life. You know what games make me seriously want to kill people?

FFR
Classic Mario games

They are extremely stressing sometimes. I'll be playing the same song on FFR for 2 hours, and just snap... or I'll be playing Super Mario Bros. and get to Bowser on the final level of World 8, and die. GAME ****ING OVER!

Peach was in that castle, but you died so I ate her. kthxbai

[Aa_Doodaa]

I've seen evidence that crime rate has dropped dramatically since the release of the PS1, which also brought the first violent video games... but I've yet to see evidence from the other side, that proves that violent games are making kids more violent. Would someone take the time to gather some up? I'd like to see proof, though I know there is none.

EDIT:: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm - Thanks, Relambrien.

[sk1mNskat3]

I disagree with rap music being the reason for violence. Last time i said that I got banned by someone who clearly doesnt like rap. By the way this thread should really be called "Do violent video games bring out mental illness, because no one sane will kill someone because they saw it on Grand theft auto.

[Mookage]

I believe that the cause for violence in todays society is society itself. We grow up with violence all around us. When we read the paper or watch the news on tv, all we see is dying and war. The world around us is harsh and covered in violence. So the video games aren't the violent things in the world, but just a slight addition to the violent world around us.

[Kilroy_x]

The answer is categorically no. Any kids who are especially effected by violent video games were pretty much defectives to begin with. Just like with anything, in excess video games can get in the way and prevent "good" development, but that doesn't equal "ruining".

[Flesh Field]

Personally, I think it depends on the person. Mature people could just think to themselves, "hey it's just a game." where-as others could be like, "ZOMG THIS GAME ROX!1!!1! LETS TRY IT IRL AND SHOOT SO PPLZ!"

[AnUnknownDrummer]

I think this is bull****. Just because violence has increased in the past 20 years does NOT directly link it to only video games. I've been playing video games since I was 6 and I own almost all the violent games (Halo, Halo 2, all GTAs, Crackdown, Saints Row, Gears of War, both GRAWs, etc) which I have indeed completed on my own. I've never gotten frustrated over any of those games. I find myself getting more angry over games I cannot complete, rather than the game being violent itself.

Honestly, the children that are shooting schools are ALREADY mentally ill and their lives have been ruined from the start. It doesn't mean that their illness or retardation was caused or can be blamed on violent video games.

[meno_rocks123]

I play violent video games often, in fact I am playing one right now and I find that being able to shoot people and take out your anger on a video game character really calmes the nerves and actually makes me less violent. If kids think it would be cool to mimic a violent game in real life, there is some mental problem involved. No one in their right mind could think "Oh this game is soo cool, I'm gonna go buy an AK-47 and shoot random ppls on the street like in this game." If some kids are shooting other people for that reason, there are other things involved e. bullying, drug/alchohol abuse.

That's my take on this.

[perkeyone]

a person can make statistics say what ever that person wants.
i could make a survey that says 100% of americans say that eating babies is great.
statistics that show EITHER side of the argument MAY have been manipulated.
these statistics should not be immediately accepted as truth.

besides that, i believe that all people have complete control of their own actions and that they also have the power to allow and disallow themselves to be influenced. influence is not uncontrollable. this stubbornness, you could call it, as to what one should allow to influence them is learned from one's parents, as is the meaning of right and wrong.

to say that a psychologically and mentally healthy individual who's psychologically and mentally healthy parents upheld their unwritten responsibilities could possibly be influenced to commit horrendous crimes by a video game is ignorant to say the least.
i firmly believe that criminals who blame video games are...
a. so psychologically and mentally unstable that they are influenced by video games (.01%)
b. psychologically and mentally unstable and ignorant enough to blame a scapegoat

this is a horrendous excuse for a sample of the way i feel about this topic

[devonin]

a person can make statistics say what ever that person wants.
i could make a survey that says 100% of americans say that eating babies is great.
statistics that show EITHER side of the argument MAY have been manipulated.
these statistics should not be immediately accepted as truth.

Um...which statistics in this thread were you referring to here?

[perkeyone]

Originally Posted by devonin

Um...which statistics in this thread were you referring to here?

oh just statistics in general
i simply meant that looking at numbers or graphs does not give one empirical knowledge

[devonin]

Originally Posted by perkeyone

oh just statistics in general
i simply meant that looking at numbers or graphs does not give one empirical knowledge

I'm just saying that, given the lack of these numbers or graphs in this thread, was observing that you don't feel they are useful really worth a 21 day bump?

[perkeyone]

Originally Posted by devonin

I'm just saying that, given the lack of these numbers or graphs in this thread, was observing that you don't feel they are useful really worth a 21 day bump?

there were links to graphs
and the statements that violent video games influence criminal behavior were (i assume) based on statistics
i didnt notice the age of the last post
but i assumed it wasnt too stale because it was on the first page of ct
my mistake

[devonin]

Well, the injunction on bumping old threads is a lot more relaxed in CT because the nature of the discussions is that they tend to go dormant for a while, then resurface. You certainly didn't do something "wrong" just because you bumped an old thread.

It's just that in CT we tend to want something pretty substantial and topical if an older thread is going to get bumped, and it seemed to me that a general sort of statement about statistics in general wasn't really something to bump it for. That's just my opinion, and like all of our opinions, is something to be considered, and agree/disagreed with as you like.

You're just as allowed to go "Dev, you're full of ****" as you are to go "Oh, well I guess I shoudln't have bumped it" provided you can back up whichever one you go with.

[Nightfirecat]

Originally Posted by meno_rocks123

I play violent video games often, in fact I am playing one right now and I find that being able to shoot people and take out your anger on a video game character really calmes the nerves and actually makes me less violent. If kids think it would be cool to mimic a violent game in real life, there is some mental problem involved. No one in their right mind could think "Oh this game is soo cool, I'm gonna go buy an AK-47 and shoot random ppls on the street like in this game." If some kids are shooting other people for that reason, there are other things involved e. bullying, drug/alchohol abuse.

That's my take on this.

Exactly. What adults/parents don't realize about video games is that they're just games. They only see the violent part of it, but we as teens/kids/whatever age you are, see them as games that are fun. That's it. The violence is only a side effect of making the game as fun as it can be... Take halo 2 for instance. That's a wonderful example of what I'm explaining.

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