AWKWARD ZOMBIE

(Wow, I've started a lot of topics since being here).

What's your opinion on violence in video games, and the links to crime people are making?

My opinion: What a bunch of bullshit.

Most people seem to believe that teens are instantly influenced by anything they see, hear, or play. The thing is, I'm not, and neither are the other millions. Playing violent games doesn't have some instantaneous corruption on our brains. Even Wikipedia believes that games can be beneficial. You wouldn't deny Wikipedia, would you?

It all depends on the person and their family really.
If they were raised and taught not to do things they see on TV and stuff like that, then they probably won't do it.
If they weren't taught, incapable of such logic, or if they are very lonely and mentally abnormal, they might imagine that the things in video games are real and that those things are possible.
Or maybe mental stress has caused them to go insane, like getting bullied or something like what happened when the two kids shot up their school.

So, they can have an influence, but it's not the sole reason that people do such things.

A big and often political matter like this usually requires source citing from those making arguments.

I am not one of those people. I could list numbers and statistics, but when it comes down to it, it's all a matter of perspective.

Some children 'could' be affected by violence in video games. They could try and throw a plastic bag over their best friends' head, or impale them on a kitchen knife. These are the same kinds of boys (or even girls) that suplex their sister off a couch after watching WWE on cable, sometimes even ending fatally.

Is this the fault of video games? Or WWE? They show these things, glorify them, and even allow you to do them, virtually. But is it their fault?

No. Books, Movies, Sports, Games... they've always portrayed these things in glorified ways. They are meant as entertainment, and sometimes even a substitute for the violent nature inherent in all human beings.

The fault rests on the parents. The most common scapegoat to some, but the most responsible if you care for my opinion. A parent should try their best to know their child's state of mind and if they are the kind of easily influenced child that would twist their brother's neck to "see if it works".

The fact of the matter is, violence in any form has varying degrees of 'sensitivity' that depends on the person percieving it. To argue for or against this matter you really have only your own anecdotes to draw on. Everything else is cold, unexplained statistics.

Removing violence from games is punishing the great many that use these games for escapism, relaxation and entertainment, because a small few may (or may not) have drawn on the material irresponsibly.

Personally I can't imagine how you would need to blow somebody up with a rocket launcher in real life, when you can just hop into TF2 and do it... for points and respect, with minimal effort and no loss other than time.

But there will always be people looking for something to assert their influence over. We're in a paranoid and overprotective age, but hopefully it will pass.

I don't believe playing violent video games leads to violence, per say.

A kid can have the kind of mental state where playing a violent video game could spread to doing violent acts in real life, but... if someone, a parent especially, just took an interest if what their kid was doing, it could all be avoided.

I blame bad parenting, but then again, I play a lot of violent video games, so...

Agreed, and you kept it short. Thus I suck.

Looking past children, towards late teens and adolescents where the common rules of law apply, I still wouldn't blame video games.

Y'know how some 18 year old dudes jack a car then go hooning and run over an old lady, then say "GTA made me do it"? The only reason they use that defence is because their smarmy, 'clever' lawyer tried to deflect the blame onto a hot issue. Fact of the matter is, if you know right from wrong, then you alone are accountable for your actions. If you don't, you're mentally unstable.

Games cannot make you mentally unstable. A childhood where parenting, education and society values are substituted entirely with entertainment that glorifies violence, will ultimately lead to a citizen with a whack moral compass. Games alone cannot accomplish that. Look at what the kid/man/woman is without, not just what they have.

But seriously, this should just be a moot point. Games have a rating system to keep adult material strictly to adults. If a parent doesn't follow the system, they have themselves to blame.

Jack Thompson is the biggest fuckwad alive for blaming violence on video games.

I kid, kind of, clearly the guy was doing it for the publicity

I think its probably possible that violent video games might have an adverse effect on children

but then so do violent movies, violence in the community, domestic violence, et cetera

mostly, in my mind, it comes down to good or bad parenting

THREAD.

Hasn't this debate already come to answer that few people want to actually use? You know, sanity?

I mean, my parents trust in the fact that I'm not going to shave my head, call people babies, and go on a killing spree after a session of Team Fortress 2, but they still don't appreciate the violence. I see where they're coming from, and I'm glad that they don't think that I'm as stupid as the average teen.

But that's my point. Parents should try their best to understand just how stupid their kids are.

If the kid is too young for the blame to fall on them, then it should fall on their guardians. I realise that might sound like a lot of "pressure" and "time they just don't have", but if you're not ready to commit this much, should you really BE a parent?

Personally I don't care much for violence in games, and I can understand that parents probably don't understand the fascination either. But at least we can appreciate that it isn't pure evil.

This thread is now about people trying to sound smrt.

Do you disagree, or do you really have nothing to say?

Lately, I've felt bad for the defenseless characters I kill/attack in video games. One example of this is in GTA4, when people I've shot limp away wounded. Another good example is Call of Duty World at War, specifically, the Russian campaign (If you've played it, you'll know what I mean).