#5
- Thread starter Mark J Kline
- Start date
Excellent post Dr. Mark, I have to agree to some degree about violence not being as much of an agression enhancer as some people claim it to be. I for one have been gaming since I was three years old (born 1992(woo super mario 3)) and I have only once in my life punched a guy in the face
p.s. the bastard deserved it
p.s. the bastard deserved it
Going to agree with viggih7 here. I've been playing videogames as long as I can remember. I've only ever gotten into 3 fights, none of which had anything to do with gaming nor was I the person who initiated the fight. And I hate fighting, I find videogames as a way to release stress rather than taking it out on people, so I guess I could say I'm a violent person at heart who hates violence?
Great post Dr.Mark. I Think that gaming can play a small part if someone is already having the problems that may lead to sociopathy (a very very small part) It can also be an outlet to release anger (i had a bad day once, the modern warfare 2 airport level worked wonders.)
I have been gaming since i can remember (my earliest memory is either CTR: crash team racing or Final Fantasy 9) and i live in the 8th most violent school in scotland yet i have only been in a proper fight once in my 14 years.
I have been gaming since i can remember (my earliest memory is either CTR: crash team racing or Final Fantasy 9) and i live in the 8th most violent school in scotland yet i have only been in a proper fight once in my 14 years.
Good article. I really like how you used FBI's crime rates to put support your point, and it brings up a lot of interesting ideas. Could it be that crime rates are dropping because the youth have an outlet for their aggression in games? Could it be that youth longing to belong to a group have an outlet beside gangs? hmm...
"So you could wonder if gaming saps excitement and joy out of real life, which may seem dull by comparison."
I thought this was the most interesting observation, and it doesn't seem to come up very often. I've had my share of excitement and joy, but I really noticed it more during parts of my life when I wasn't plugged into gaming (you know, between crap computers and skipping a console cycle or two). But I think you run into the same correlation-causation issue...do we game because we are emotionally flattened, or are we emotionally flattened because we game? It doesn't seem so clear cut.
I thought this was the most interesting observation, and it doesn't seem to come up very often. I've had my share of excitement and joy, but I really noticed it more during parts of my life when I wasn't plugged into gaming (you know, between crap computers and skipping a console cycle or two). But I think you run into the same correlation-causation issue...do we game because we are emotionally flattened, or are we emotionally flattened because we game? It doesn't seem so clear cut.
I think this is a very important point. I've read a couple of articles(can't remember where, sorry) that say that depression in 20's to 30's is increasing, and a lot of that is down to having unachievable expectations. From the moment we are aware of what's going on around us we are told that the Good will Triumph over Evil, that the hero will always get the girl and live happily ever after, that honesty and truth defeats selfishness and lies. We are brought up on these stories throughout our childhood, in the form of TV, movies, books, comics, and games.Zerbye said:
The sad truth is that life isn't like that. Life isn't fair, the hero doesn't win, and the Bad Guy gets the girl. Or even worse than that, nothing interesting happens at all. No wonder people are turning to games. It allows them to be the hero or anti-hero, and to be in charge of their lives for once. Games are built around the idea of regularly rewarding the Player. It could be that games are filling the holes in their lives, holes that society has created, not the person.
Yet another good column. I like what you write. Sometimes I might disagree with what you are saying, but today was not one of those times.Mark J Kline said:
I think I might agree with most of what you were saying.
Discussing this column with a friend we came to the conclusion that its not only being disturbed while gaming that can make people aggressive.
Personally I got rather irritated at work today when one of my coworkers kept asking about what I was working on, while I was trying to solve a problem. It felt very frustrating to have to explain the problem to him, when I was right in the middle of a mindset.
Dr. Mark, I greatly appreciate your perspective and expertise! But what is the deal with those SCVs, and their anal-fixation?
That was the most coherent 15 year old writing I've read on the internet! Please tell me you didn't have to edit that mail, it gives me hope for humanity to see something like that when these days the internet tends to be full of overused memes, excessive shorthand and endless insults.
In any case, another informed, well written article about games. I do want to mention this:
In any case, another informed, well written article about games. I do want to mention this:
At the moment, I am at work, but I'm spending time looking up my favorite gaming site because, what's on my mind? Games, as usual. I really need to work on this.Mark J Kline said:
I would say that many dedicated hobbyists would probably find success, failure or simple concentrated thought relating to their chosen hobby would carry over to the rest of their lives when they were doing something else. This may seem to appear more often in gamers but I doubt they're totally alone in that regard.
As far as the link to real world violence stemming from violent game play, that's pretty much what I've believe all along. The act of playing a violent game will not cause your every day average person to become a violent lunactic. It may, of course, temporarily increase their excitement level and make a few notable marks on certain charts or scans but I doubt this is much different than the arousal one experiences when watching an exciting movie scene or dancing in a club to one's favourite song. If someone is already pre-disposed to violent behaviour for whatever reason then, yes, playing a violent game may have more of a tangible impact on their actions, but that same impact could also come from many other sources that have nothing to do with videogames.
As far as the link to real world violence stemming from violent game play, that's pretty much what I've believe all along. The act of playing a violent game will not cause your every day average person to become a violent lunactic. It may, of course, temporarily increase their excitement level and make a few notable marks on certain charts or scans but I doubt this is much different than the arousal one experiences when watching an exciting movie scene or dancing in a club to one's favourite song. If someone is already pre-disposed to violent behaviour for whatever reason then, yes, playing a violent game may have more of a tangible impact on their actions, but that same impact could also come from many other sources that have nothing to do with videogames.
This column is so interesting! Keep up the good work! I'm starting my first year as a bachelor student of psychology next week; can't wait!
My response to parents who say videogames make their children violent or depressed has always been, "Try parenting." It's a lot easier to point the finger of blame at something (ANYTHING) else than it is to accept little Timmy is making all the wrong decisions because of something you did wrong, or didn't do at all, as a parent. If you're worried about video games, maybe you should be taking a bit more interest in your child's development and emotional and mental wellbeing than letting Tommy Vercetti babysit them to keep them quiet. When I was a kid, I played games a lot, but I had a lot of friends, and my mother, though not perfect, always made a point of setting aside one of her days off as Mother-Daughter time... considering she was a single parent and worked MASSIVE amounts during the week, that meant a lot.
I mean, really? Really? If parents are so concerned about violence and aggression, why aren't they talking to their kids about it? Shielding a child from something is nice, but not as nice as sitting down and talking to them about real life versus fantasy, and what's important about being a caring, genuine human being. The only one responsible for how your child turns out is you.
All I know is a childhood of playing everything from Mario to Resident Evil to Grand Theft Auto has done little more to me than making me more willing to resort to dirty tricks in tickle fights with my husband.
I mean, really? Really? If parents are so concerned about violence and aggression, why aren't they talking to their kids about it? Shielding a child from something is nice, but not as nice as sitting down and talking to them about real life versus fantasy, and what's important about being a caring, genuine human being. The only one responsible for how your child turns out is you.
All I know is a childhood of playing everything from Mario to Resident Evil to Grand Theft Auto has done little more to me than making me more willing to resort to dirty tricks in tickle fights with my husband.
I hate the whole "video games make us violent" thing. The media really loves sensationalist stories and scaring parents. Grand Theft Auto is making hardened criminals and Mass Effect is a sex simulator. Cool story Fox.
No arguments with any point except the idea that video games make people disinterested in real life. Weather that is true or not is up to debate, but even if it is, is it really that different from any other form of excapism? I mean ask Jim the Stereotypical Jock what he thinks of the flu and he'll give so half-assed explanation. Ask him about the game last night and he'll launch into detail about the individual plays and calls.
Video games aren't different from any other kind of escapism, they are just new. Nobody would question a film buff today, but 100 years ago was a different story.
Video games aren't different from any other kind of escapism, they are just new. Nobody would question a film buff today, but 100 years ago was a different story.