If violent video games were actually making people violent, what would you do?

[Dark Knifer]

Most of us, including myself, would say that violent video games do not make a person violent. But if someone did extensive studies into this field and came to a clear conclusion that video games make people violent, what would you do?

I would be quite shocked but probably not enough to be put off video games. Maybe a bit less video games but I wouldn't quit it entirely.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Correlation =/= causation

Agressive behaviour makes people who are more inclined towards agression, agressive.

And I don't even need a doctorate to figure that out.

 

[Vault101]

when I killed somone...I would definetly try and cut down on it

 

[HooterNanny]

Well, violent video games do make people violent, so I guess I probably wouldn't change anything

 

[Jordi]

Correlation =/= causation

Agressive behaviour makes people who are more inclined towards agression, agressive.

And I don't even need a doctorate to figure that out.

Ugh, I suggest you do get a doctorate. Maybe then you'd know when this statement is applicable. While it is true that correlation does not necessarily equal causation, this statement is so incredibly overused on the internet. This topic poses the hypothetical question "What if video games were actually making people violent?", not "What if it appears there is a correlation between violence and video games?".

OT: That would be a hard pill to swallow. Usually the way research works is that they only discover a small, but statistically significant change in some test subjects (i.e. not all), in which case I wouldn't be too worried about playing games myself, unless I felt myself getting more violent. It'd be different if somehow they would prove that there is an effect on everybody, although I find it a little hard to imagine that hypothetical situation, since it clearly seems to be not true. I guess I still wouldn't be too worried though, unless I think I got too aggressive.

 

[smithy_2045]

I'd kill everyone who opposed violent video games.

 

[Saltyk]

In that case, I might need to play more games. I could probably use a little more aggression.

I don't know, hard evidence of this would be a difficult pill to swallow. I'm not sure what I would do, honestly.

 

[Stealthygamer]

I would say it's a load of bullsilt and keep playing

 

[JediMB]

I would hit, cut, and shoot people, I guess?

Woo, violence!

 

[Daestar]

I would probably act more aggressive towards people, because now I'd have an excuse to be mean to people who I just don't care about. They probably deserve it anyway, but how would I know, I play violent video games, it's not my fault!

Also, I wanted to say something about the insult I just got when the spam prevention required me to watch an ad for Explorer 9 on my Firefox.

 

[dimensional]

If I found at that there was actually a link between this and games I would immediately start an experiment by making a game whereby you have to give all your money away to win and see if that made people more generous then go on a begging spree.

 

[The Heik]

Most of us, including myself, would say that violent video games do not make a person violent. But if someone did extensive studies into this field and came to a clear conclusion that video games make people violent, what would you do?

I would be quite shocked but probably not enough to be put off video games. Maybe a bit less video games but I wouldn't quit it entirely.

I'd be VERY surprised, as if this were the case the murder rate in the world should have been a couple thousand percent higher.

 

[Dismal purple]

From my personal experience video games have not made me any more violent, so I would go with that before any study. But if you assume this is an alternate reality where it actually is true and I personally felt games might be affecting me, then yes I would stop playing violent video games. There are plenty of fun games that aren't violent anyway.

 

[liquidsolid]

IF violent video games were actually making people violent, I would play the most violent videogames (God of War in my opinion) so that I may become violent too and hold my own against all those Call of Duty violent gamers. THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!!

OT: If a study came out, I'd think it was nonsense. Studies come out all the time and many of them contradict each other. You really need to look at the methods used in the study to see if the conclusion they came to is valid.

 

[Joel Soh]

Well, based on the game I play... Hurl spears, fireballs, hats, ice, acid, fans, boomerangs, sais, axes, nets, clones of myself, smoke, missiles, energy rings, shock waves, knives, grenades, skulls, gasballs, electricity, blood and water.

And rip people limb from limb.

 

[Nackl of Gilmed]

If that really was how it worked, I guess I would always be reversing the polarity on my toaster, since I watch a lot of science fiction.

 

[Realitycrash]

Since I have been playing violent videogames since I was maybe six years old (Doom and Marathon), I'd probably be out killing people.

 

[Biodeamon]

train a army using gears of war and take over ontairio.

bahahaha!

 

[Da Orky Man]

Most of us, including myself, would say that violent video games do not make a person violent. But if someone did extensive studies into this field and came to a clear conclusion that video games make people violent, what would you do?

I would be quite shocked but probably not enough to be put off video games. Maybe a bit less video games but I wouldn't quit it entirely.

Well, given the amount of games I own, probably go on a killing rage with multiple machetes, axes, and guns that shoot knives.