Articles - Question of the week: are video games a factor in violent youth behaviour?

[HEXUS]

Do video games make today's youths more violent? It's an increasingly common debate, and this week we pass the question to you, our readers.

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[Steve B]

uh-oh title character limitations

[kalniel]

Are the youth increasingly violent?

[Grey M@a]

Personally I find these discussions pointless. All you hear in the media is "Serial Killer who chainsawed people to death played Doom 3 for hours on end"

I have been playing the likes of Doom, Duke Nukem, Rise of the Triads etc since the early nineties and so far I have managed not to go round to a friends house and pipe bomb them or chainsaw them in half or go on a killing spree in the hope of hearing KURANGAAAA when I plough people down.

Jesus, if I was to become violent from games when I played Postal 2 I would of been throwing cats, setting fire to people then pee'ing on them to put them out and clubbing grannies and hippies with a spade.

[Parm]

I'm not so sure. I do think it can get blown out of proportion, but maybe there's merit to some of the complaints.

I remember playing Gears of War when it first came out - I was blown away by the graphics and thought chainsawing people in half was the coolest thing. I showed it to my sister, and she was amazed by how graphically violent it was.

Once she'd said that, I looked at it again and then realised just how violent it is. It doesn't effect me, and probably doesn't effect most others. But, say someone with a tendency toward being violent was to play that game? Would he/she just find it cool, or borderline interesting?

Personally, I do wonder if games really need to be quite so violent or graphic.

[Zhaoman]

Do you feel violent because you play games? I certainly don't. And would think likewise for everybody. Those people that go round chopping people in half already have something wrong with them to begin with.

[TheBloodyNine]

Do you worry about the games your children might be playing?

if the answer to this question is yes then you are a bad parent, maybe you should talk to your children, engage with them, find out what they are playing, dont buy them Grand Theft Auto and complain when it contains car theft and murder (Its called Grand THEFT Auto and has an 18 rating, not happyville and the adventures of mr do-good)

Would parents buy little Timmy The Exosist, Deby does Dallas, Saw, ect. no they wouldnt because they are bad and rated 18, so is GTA use some common frigging sense.

Oh and if you answered yes to the last question then it is you and you alone who is responible for the rise in violence because you are a bad parent.

[AdamAnubis]

I'm not affected by games, however i do occasionally think how useful a nanosuit would be, aswell as a portal gun .

Oh noes! I'm late! *Maximum speed*

A portal gun would just be fun, and going up to people and saying 'the cake is a lie' merely to watch the responce can also be amusing.

[taowu]

In my opinion the people who go around kill people or believe themselves to be in the game itself after playing, were more than likely already mentally unstable before playing.

Annddd no, video game yes are violent but I think that it doesn’t come down to the rating system it comes down to the parent. Many a time ive seen in Game, Gamestation etc, a parent with their 12-14 son at the checkout buying gears of war or GTA4 even when they can see the 18 rating on the box.

[Nelviticus]

"Increasingly violent behaviour"? You need to change newspapers - violent crime has been falling for years. Violent crime recorded by the police is down 8% since last year and violent crime recorded in the British Crime Survey is down 12% since last year. See this BBC News article for all the non-gory details: Recorded crime figures show fall

Are computer games responsible for this fall? No. Increasing standards of living are. The end.

Regards

[aidanjt]

Complete and utter nonsense, I've been playing ridiculously violent games in all colours and creed for nearly 2 decades now, and I've yet to raise a hand against anyone, not even in anger. If anything, being able to plop my feet up and stick on something that lets me shoot at virtual 'people' is a release from stress, annoyances, and anger.

The anti-violent games camp have clearly never played a game in their lives and this is simply ignorance gone batty. Next they'll be after banning violent movies, then violent literature, then curfew, and before we know it we have a 100% genuine fascist state, maybe even a dictatorship.

The problem with the kids of today isn't that they're playing violent games, it's that they run amuck and their parents don't do anything to attempt to teach them right from wrong, and basic manners and courtesy.

[aidanjt]

Originally Posted by Nelviticus

"Increasingly violent behaviour"? You need to change newspapers - violent crime has been falling for years. Violent crime recorded by the police is down 8% since last year and violent crime recorded in the British Crime Survey is down 12% since last year. See this BBC News article for all the non-gory details: Recorded crime figures show fall

Are computer games responsible for this fall? No. Increasing standards of living are. The end.

Regards

An ironic statement, considering we're in a global economic recession. No, it's more likely that the morons either got themselves killed or locked up in jail.

[TAKTAK]

nope, nope, nope, nope, and more nope!!!

i've been playing 'violent' video games for as long as i can remember...

and i don't go round shooting people with my pulse rifle!!

also, it depends on your definition of violence... as some could deem mario to be violent as it is escentially a fat bloke jumping on/kicking everything and shooting everything....

as to whether this gets past down to the gamers.. NO!!!

the people that go around stabbing people and hitting people with chainsaws have NOT done it because they are big fans of Mr Freeman! they are 'bad eggs' in the first place... now... whether that is societys fault or not is a different matter...

but i for one do not see any connection between violent games and violent behaviour!

it's like the highscholl shootings that were blamed on rammstein (coumbine IIRC) just because the shooters had listened to rammstein before they went out and shot everyone!!! yeah it was a tragic event but it had nothing to do with the music they listened to!!

but what about violent books? things like the demonata by dasrren shan that is aimed at kids, and talks about ripping peoples guts out... why don't theyt have a go at that?....... because it doesn't cause violence... guns don't kill people, stupid individuals do!

the way i was brought up with ratings was most things were 'pre-vetted' sort of thing, and if it was deemed okay by my parents standards then i was allowed to watch it... simple as... then when i hit 16 it was decided that films like saw etc are regarded by myself as unscary therefore i am allowed to watch them as i instantly define the line between 'it's a film... what's bothering you about it, yes.. it could happen, but people that copy it are idiots and can't think for themselves...'

but social violence induced from games? NO! simple as...


it's basically scaremongering...

and it is escentially like saying '*ZOMGZORS TV CAUSES CANCER AND AIDS!!!111!!!*'



*this statement is not true*


/me Awaits Saracens structured input on the topic.......

[Firejack]

To me there has never been this link between violent computer games and youth crime.

How many teenage gamers do you know who come home from school, have dinner, play on their XBOX/PC or whatever then head out to storm the streets? Not many right? Me neither.
Most only disconnect when their mum tells them to log off and do their homework or goto bad.

Now unless these youths are incredibly clever and can teleport themselves Hiro Nakamura style away from the screen. How do they find the time to be out committing these crimes when they are supposed to be exposing themselves to a fragfest at home?

Poor education/bad parenting/poverty pull youths into crime. NOT games.

[KingORoff]

Christ not this Tripe again. *rubs temples and sighs*

Yet again this controversy has been brought about by mostly ignorant people who see video games as scary and a bane to society because blood and guts are shed. To this I say: play the bloody games before you make stupid mistakes and sound like fools.

"Oh no our kids are playing 18plus games!" - The. F***ing. Rating. Is. On. The. Box. In big letters. Can't miss it. How the hell the majority of the adult population cannot understand any age-rating system is beyond me. Is the big BBFC 18 rating, printed in a big red circle in big red lettering hard to miss? No. Is the PEGI system hard to miss? No. It's on the front of the f***ing box - you f***ing idiots.

If you're too damn lazy to check the age ratings on the games your children play I suggest to all parents that they start bloody caring about it. Act like a parent and cease this Laissez faire attitude. They are YOUR children. YOU guide them. Because no-one else will - least of all the government or the games publishers - blaming them and whining whenever little Jimmy starts eying up that meat cleaver.

Now whilst I admit that games are not completely admonished from influencing how people act - but most people, even young children - can tell what is Fiction and what is not. It would be nice if these nannys would give the general populace some credit and consider most of us are intelligent enough not to go beserk. Then again, there's always idoits that prove the nannys right - but it would be nice if such cases were stated as the minority.

Let me bring in a case in point.

I have a 7 year old cousin. Now a couple of years ago (so he was about 5) I watched him play Saints Row. Not something I would let a child of that age play and I certainly didn't approve him playing it, especially when he played it saying "ooo I'm going to run you over, and then you over". Disconcerting to say the least. But here's the clincher.

When he isn't playing said game. He acts like a 5 year old. Excitable, energetic - exhastive. He didn't swear, nor did he decide to batter me or my sister with punches - and was more interested in my airfix submarine and his paper scluptures than asking for hoes.

Q.E.D.

[PeterStoba]

This is just a desperate attempt to pin the blame on somebody else other than themselves