Australian Christian Lobby Compares Games to SAS Training
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
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totally, at least i will do when i finally figure out how to regenerate health. I'm one step away from being the ultimate badassdalek sec said:
Does anyone else actually think it's quite badass it's being suggested we are all awesome SAS types. Terrorists beware, we have controllers, we have internet connections, we have The Touch!
*plays stan bush- The Touch*
I have to admit that I thought he kind of made sense...right up until the last paragraph, were it all went down the crapper. Politicians who don't consider it important to keep the public in the loop when they make laws? Doesn't sound all that democratic to me.
But then again, I've played 18+ games for quite some time, and while I don't automatically flinch at the sight of blood and/or gore, I feel guilty whenever I lie to people. I doubt I would be able to go gun'ho at any time unless the situation is really extreme.
But then again, I've played 18+ games for quite some time, and while I don't automatically flinch at the sight of blood and/or gore, I feel guilty whenever I lie to people. I doubt I would be able to go gun'ho at any time unless the situation is really extreme.
there is no relation between killing some one in a game and killing in real life. copering a game to real militery training dosnt give soliders any justest.
Actually, most of the studies referenced in your links don't disprove violence correlates with video games, but rather point out other positive effects of some genres, use ambiguous research variables, are editorials, or are non-numerical meta-analysis. The terms "aggression" and "violence" aren't really well defined in the psychological community, nor is there any one agreed upon test or psychometric measure for either term (most authors of research studies just make up their own tests and measures or augment outdated or lesser used measures). So really, you've got to take a handful of salt with any research study you read, from either position.Crunchy English said:
Not that I think that if you play a violent video game it turns a person into a serial killer, but to think that the media we consume has absolutely zero effects on us is very naive. There is plenty of literature to support the notion that children and youth who are exposed to violent media, television and music, have an increased chance or committing violent acts themselves, in the short and long-term. (Or simply looking at research about music and moods can give some interesting insight into the way media affects our thought processes.) Of course most of these studies (that I've read) occur in the inner city, where families and children traditionally have less support and pro-social resources in addition to frequent exposure to harmful behaviors and societal discord.
It isn't unreasonable to infer that violent media is a potential factor in violent acts. But at the same time, here and there you do read interesting studies that show the pro-social aspects of some music and media and what effects it has on the individuals studied. Not that human behavior is a simple teeter-totter and balance act, but I think most of us have an idea on how different media can alter our attitudes and behaviors. Most of us that have played violent video games from a wee age probably haven't gone out and committed violent acts because we've also had many pro-social experiences in our lives: good parents and extended family members, a helpful and supportive community, educational and affirming clubs (Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, academic clubs, 4-H, community organizations, Boys & Girls club, etc.) affirming and positive religious/spiritual organizations, formal education, post-secondary education, etc.
An additional note, studies' definitions of violence can vary greatly, from violent thoughts, increased likelihood of aggressive provocation, increased usage of aggressive terminology in everyday speech, period of time before an individual displays physiological signs of anger, actual committing of violent acts, to local and state records of violent infractions or jail time spent. Often times reading a news story or the abstract isn't enough, you really have to go out and find the actual article (which yes, is often a pain in the ass unless you have University access).
He has a point about violence being ingrained by repeated real life expose (in a simulation since nobody is volunteering to be shot) but videogames don't desensitize kids to real world violence, it desensitize them to video game violence. Most children very early on reach a stage where they can differentiate between fantasy and reality. When this happens, they can learn that actions in games and real life belong in separate spheres. Now, some people are crazy and get them mixed up of course, but preventing everyone because a small portion might have a problem seems like a very extreme position. On top of that, if someone can't differentiate fantasy and reality, there is a lot of things that might set them off. any sort of violence could screw there behavior not just games.
If a person reaches the age of 18 and has not gone a killing spree already its fairly safe to assume that they will suddenly become a killer no matter what they play since either their insanity will make itself know by then or there behavior will have already been finalized by their earlier childhood. So long as Australian keeps their finger on who gets games then it shouldn't be a problem. Of course maybe they think that they can't regulate the dang thing but then why let anyone ever have anything, someone's going to get something they shouldn't eventually.
As for this SAS junk, so long as holding a controller looks nothing nothing like holding a gun the simulation will suck and thus never achieve its desired result their. Maybe will have a rash of knife killings but idiot kids swinging around knifes doesn't seem like the thing people are worried about.
If a person reaches the age of 18 and has not gone a killing spree already its fairly safe to assume that they will suddenly become a killer no matter what they play since either their insanity will make itself know by then or there behavior will have already been finalized by their earlier childhood. So long as Australian keeps their finger on who gets games then it shouldn't be a problem. Of course maybe they think that they can't regulate the dang thing but then why let anyone ever have anything, someone's going to get something they shouldn't eventually.
As for this SAS junk, so long as holding a controller looks nothing nothing like holding a gun the simulation will suck and thus never achieve its desired result their. Maybe will have a rash of knife killings but idiot kids swinging around knifes doesn't seem like the thing people are worried about.
I respect his service to our country, I respect his right to voice his opinion, but I think he is making statements without any real understanding of the facts, yes from his point of view it might make sense, but every single reputable study of the impacts of violent video games has ruled out such connections.
In addition, if an adult (by definition a person playing an 18+ video game should be an adult or there is a failure on the part of the care giver) wishes to expose himself to such material, which is perfectly legal in other more realistic mediums, who is he to impose his morals onto another? It goes against the spirit of Australia as a free and open society where people of different cultural, religious, and moral viewpoints are accepted, after all isn't that what the Australian military has fought to protect?
In addition, if an adult (by definition a person playing an 18+ video game should be an adult or there is a failure on the part of the care giver) wishes to expose himself to such material, which is perfectly legal in other more realistic mediums, who is he to impose his morals onto another? It goes against the spirit of Australia as a free and open society where people of different cultural, religious, and moral viewpoints are accepted, after all isn't that what the Australian military has fought to protect?
My first reaction was how ridiculous that is, then i realised he meant the Australian SAS, and seeing as my (potentially racist) impression of Australians is still so laid back it's untrue, all I'm seeing here is people who learn how to open Fosters cans with their rifles and fight off the occasional giant radiactive koala.
We're talking about a book that tells you to beat your kids to death if they swear at you, and to stone gay people. Why is he speaking about this, again?
The Australian military is one of the most highly trained (if under funded) in the world, and the Australian SAS is right up there with elite special forces units the world over.Chipperz said:
Still this guy is talking out his bum.
We also have an army, navy, and air-force that took part in every major conflict of the 20th century, just to name a few, WW1, WW2, Korea, Vietnam (wonder where the Australian troops in all those war movies are... oh right American-Centric Bullshit), Iraq-1, and a heap of other peace keeping and minor conflicts.Desert Tiger said:
I can definitely see where he's coming from, and his argument is at least more reasoned than Atkinson's 'because I said so' approach, but I think he's missed the point. The SAS training simulators are, I assume, specifically designed to make people able to kill. Games aren't designed for anything like that.wildpeaks said:
This whole thing seems to be about protecting people from harmful content, but surely that's what the rating is for? Because they don't have an 18+ rating, Alien vs Predator is being released in Australia as a 15 rated game, whereas everywhere else it's an 18. Isn't that the complete opposite of what they're trying to achieve here?
Yeah, I know (on both counts), I've just never met an Australian who wasn't so cool about everything that I'm not entirely sure that the Australian military doesn't have giant machines that create out-of-body apparitions to fight on the astral plane so they can continue to be chilled out while in combat.tkioz said:
The more I think about this, the more it makes sense, too... (I really love you guys, I do!)
