186: Videogames: Are Your Children Safe?
- Thread starter Chris LaVigne
- Start date
Good read, and I almost totally agree. I have a slight issue with this line though. The key word here is "child." No one can say that a child knows right from wrong and chooses to play a game because he/she can experience what it's like to be bad solely because they know it's wrong otherwise. They play it because they think it's fun for whatever reason. They should be taught by their parents or whoever watches them that hurting people is a bad thing, and they shouldn't have their hands on God of War in the first place.
As for we who are significantly old enough not to be deemed children, this applies really well. We go through life, have our crappy days, and are sure as hell smart enough not to randomly shoot people because we think the world is cheating us. This is how some people can vent. (and we will still be smart enough not to shoot someone when we're done)
I'd like to point out that, although there is a correlation between violent videogames/movies, this does not tell us cause and effect.
It doesn't tell us if these children are inherantly more violent, and they enjoy violent videogames/movies because of this, or whether these movies/videogames make them more violent.
Just my two cents from Psychology courses in college.
It doesn't tell us if these children are inherantly more violent, and they enjoy violent videogames/movies because of this, or whether these movies/videogames make them more violent.
Just my two cents from Psychology courses in college.
When I was a kid growing up in a poor neighborhood I played games with other kids on the streets. Sure their were arguments, cursing and the occasional fight but it was still quite sociable and positive. Many, many years later I experienced online gaming and I found myself completely staggered by the amount of pure hatred and evil bile that is exchanged between players. Now maybe the truckloads and truckloads of violent video games that are dumped on gamers each year isn't the sole cause of today's youth becoming a bunch of roid-raging, pea soup spewing shut-ins but it aint helping either.
I miss pinball.
I miss pinball.
I usually don't group video games with violence. GTA is violent, but games like that are stress releasers. I would never go and beat up an old lady, or drive over her with a Hummer. Those things we do not do on instinct, and games won't alter that either. The general rules of life apply to these situations. You don't kill for no reason, or kill at all. If anyone blames video games for why their "golden child" is in jail, then BLAME YOURSELF FOR SPOILING THE LITTLE CHILD! Don't buy your children these types of games until they can know not to do the actions in the game in real life. The article is somewhat right, but I usually avoid articles like this because it just has mothers whining about their "perfect little angels".
Summary: Don't buy your kids games that you don't approve of.
Summary: Don't buy your kids games that you don't approve of.
This is quite dead-on about your criticism of psychological research on video games and it applies to applied psychology too, especially when you made the comparison with doctors.
I was at a pscyh lab meeting when we drifted off talking about social policy and research funding. What you proposed is a hard seller for research funding agencies because they want to see clear results and what you proposed is a study on prevention and it's quite hard to see improvement in comparison to treating the symptoms. So yes, psychology pretty much follows the medical philosophy when treating mental disorders or psychological problems. Solve the visible symptoms. And it just doesn't stop, there's ideological (i.e. political lefts or rights) issues from people in those granting agencies and then there's the lobbying for money from government officials for funding such research more and more complicated that I had trouble following.
So that's why you hear more about the research on the symptoms than the causes. Despite some VG researchers to take into account of other moderating factor or finding some causes (like parental monitoring), it's still a minority in the research literature.
I was at a pscyh lab meeting when we drifted off talking about social policy and research funding. What you proposed is a hard seller for research funding agencies because they want to see clear results and what you proposed is a study on prevention and it's quite hard to see improvement in comparison to treating the symptoms. So yes, psychology pretty much follows the medical philosophy when treating mental disorders or psychological problems. Solve the visible symptoms. And it just doesn't stop, there's ideological (i.e. political lefts or rights) issues from people in those granting agencies and then there's the lobbying for money from government officials for funding such research more and more complicated that I had trouble following.
So that's why you hear more about the research on the symptoms than the causes. Despite some VG researchers to take into account of other moderating factor or finding some causes (like parental monitoring), it's still a minority in the research literature.
Excellent analysis - it should be visible to more non-gamers. I especially think that your point about a correlation between poverty and violence vs. gaming and violence being found in studies was quite insightful. Often, the data collected does not necessarily agree with the conclusions drawn from it.
This is a great topic, Grand Theft Childhood sounds like something I ought to read.
I think there's merit to the idea that overprotection leads to more harm than help for children. From my own experience, my parents didn't think that worrying about money and jobs was appropriate for a child, and as a consequence I never worked in high school or college, my parents simply provided what I needed and a little bit extra, and I concentrated on what was important: education. I got excellent grades, but when I hit the working world I had no money management skills whatsoever. I had no concept of what working a 40 hour week was like, or how to get along with coworkers and supervisors. I quickly dug myself a hole that, years later, I'm still struggling back out of.
American culture in particular, has an idealistic view of childhood in which children are almost not even considered people. They're a separate group who must be protected and nurtured and sheltered, and that's good; but it can be taken way too far. Youth is a time when your mind can absorb and adjust to new experiences in a way that you'll never be able to once you reach adulthood.
None of this is to say that children should intentionally be exposed to as much violence as possible, only that it's incredibly artificial and unrealistic to presume that children shouldn't have any exposure to it at all.
I think there's merit to the idea that overprotection leads to more harm than help for children. From my own experience, my parents didn't think that worrying about money and jobs was appropriate for a child, and as a consequence I never worked in high school or college, my parents simply provided what I needed and a little bit extra, and I concentrated on what was important: education. I got excellent grades, but when I hit the working world I had no money management skills whatsoever. I had no concept of what working a 40 hour week was like, or how to get along with coworkers and supervisors. I quickly dug myself a hole that, years later, I'm still struggling back out of.
American culture in particular, has an idealistic view of childhood in which children are almost not even considered people. They're a separate group who must be protected and nurtured and sheltered, and that's good; but it can be taken way too far. Youth is a time when your mind can absorb and adjust to new experiences in a way that you'll never be able to once you reach adulthood.
None of this is to say that children should intentionally be exposed to as much violence as possible, only that it's incredibly artificial and unrealistic to presume that children shouldn't have any exposure to it at all.
I think it's a pity that researchers don't do ENOUGH research to make such accusations that violent video games lead people to be violent people. Or that people that are already violent become worse off. The purpose of a video games is to escape reality for a period of time. Whether it be a few minutes or a few hours, video games are suppose to be entertainment. If that was the case, shouldn't they question the film industry? Pumping out violent movies, action movies, horror movies that involve someone being killed or training TO kill; it makes no sense how they harp so much on video games. I suppose it's because with movies, you're just a spectator, while in video games, you're a participator. Still, it's silly to just ASSUME that everyone that picks up GTA, Resident Evil or something is going to turn out into some gun toting psychopath with a Wii nun chuck in his hand. Most people play violent video games because there's no consequence to it. You kill your co-worker, you go to jail for murder. You kill someone in GTA, you get an achievement. See? No jail time for the game. Jail time for the murder.
Since scientist don't do long-term research on how the game affects a child until their adult years, making such statements as "violent video games can increase violent behavior in children" is pretty far off. But everyone's response to games are different, so a blanket statement as such is pretty much null. /end
Since scientist don't do long-term research on how the game affects a child until their adult years, making such statements as "violent video games can increase violent behavior in children" is pretty far off. But everyone's response to games are different, so a blanket statement as such is pretty much null. /end
Well to be fair. Before video games there was no such thing as violence. Gangs didn't exist, slavery didn't exist, world wars weren't being waged, entire cultures weren't being exterminated.Chris LaVigne said:
I mean historically it's obvious that basically nothing bad ever happened until video games came to be.
On a more serious note, the arguments had against video games are almost identical to the ones given to literacy back when it was an uncommon thing. They'd describe people reading in much the same way people describe kids playing GTA
. "He was detached from the world, the devil had got him." stuff like that.Actually, I'd attribute that more to the nature of online gaming than the games themselves. Take any normal person, add the anonymity that the Internet provides, and the instant audience forced to listen to your every comment, and the inevitable result is that sort of behaviour. (Or, as it is colloquially known, John Gabriel's Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/ ) If I may contribute to this theory, I would also put in the subtraction of any real or lasting consequence for what one might say.MorkFromOrk said:
I'd be willing to bet that these kids you've come across online don't go around in their day to day lives calling everyone "fags" or "niggers" and expressing their desire to be "like Hitler" or anything like that. There would be considerable consequences from teachers and parents, and also ostracism from their peers. But the worst that can happen to them online is that they get booted from the game or maybe banned from the servers. And what do they care about the opinions of people that they will never meet? It's basically that early adolescent need to push boundaries, saying things that make them feel like "bad boys," things that mom and dad won't let them say around the house.
So I would suggest that it's more a function of the fact that it's an online game than the nature of the game itself. That's my two cents' worth, anyway.
I'm sure it's different for everyone but I'm one of two brothers of similar age who grew up with parents who bought us lots of cuddly toys and no computer games till we were well into our teens. We learned violence all on our own and loved it from then till now.chrislavigne said:
First we fought each other, then we had our friends who we fought constantly with within the nearby streets ad school. And then there was computer games, an unbroken line of rough and tumble/high violence throughout our existence and neither one of us ever getting in any serious trouble.
Our parents influence us a great deal but we all have our natural leanings, and my personal belief is that males lean towards violence more than females,no matter what toys they're given. It does seem to teach us greater equilibrium when dealing with contention.
Do our gamer girls here find that our shared hobby, if they've been doing it from a young age gives them an advantage in handling stressful or crisis situations over the women who weren't exposed to this media form?
....Chris Lavigne, did you forget your first log-in details?
great article, thanks muchly for posting it for us.
Actually they did, but it was during the time back in Shakespeare's day (I could be wrong) but there were many who thought it was evil because people were enjoying theatre instead of working all day.raggymandan said:
Then again this is based off of memory, no research, sorry. So I might be wrong about some of that, but the point remains the same, they'll always find something to blame.
And if I'm wrong...oh, well. XD
Actually, the number of violent crimes in the United States has been falling since the 1980's... which may have more to do with the legalization of abortion than anything else (anyone else read Freakonomics?).
Great read. It's really a shame that the media never focuses on this side of violence in children.
I guess "Killer Videogames" is much more juicy...
Great read. It's really a shame that the media never focuses on this side of violence in children.
I guess "Killer Videogames" is much more juicy...
It's not just young boys or men who like videogames. women and girls like them too. Videogames are a safe way to release the dark side of human nature. Let's face it, we all have a dark side (even if we are in denial), and the thrill of winning and the need to contol and on and on. I think that you are not what you do, but in doing, whether it is a video game, or a game of checkers, we find out who we are. Games reveal to ourselves and to others our true character. For example, if a person is always wanting to win and cannot accept losing, then that person will use cheat codes, get angry at the game, or even ( and I say this as a possibility) get violent with others in the real world. So if a child has some issues, certainly a video game, a song, a movie, etc. can and does bring out that part of the child which is socially unacceptable. Remember there are many adult who play games and adults create these games, not the children. Just a thought........
I totally agreee with the previos statement,becouse if we dont reliese our anger or other types of our "dark syde" we would destroy ourself from the insyde or we will just beat up other guys like we did before games, in wars or in other types of confliсts.