Jimquisition: Desensitized to Violence
- Thread starter Jimothy Sterling
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.Jimothy Sterling said:
You might be interested in watching this scene Fox News covered live depicting an alleged car thief escape from the police, leave his vehicle and then commit suicide by shooting himself in the head.
When I saw the video between 1:20 and 1:49 I didn't feel disturbed. I felt odd. It was as if something was missing and I was expecting a kill-cam to slow down the moment from between him pulling the trigger and him completely collapsed.
A part of me wants to try watching it a second time but I don't know if I'd go through with it...I was not expecting this but it was definitely effective. I see your point too Jim: Fist of the North Star, Solider of Fortune and, ultra violent movies like Ichi the Killer...they didn't help me prepare at all for that video.natster43 said:
First time seeing it myself, the footage was definitely disturbing, and it will stick with me for some time. Regardless, I believe it was necessary to get Jim's point across, which he delivered wonderfully. Great episode Jim, keep it up and of course, Thank God For You.
You folks wanna be even more disturbed....and have yet another example of the meida other than games glorfying violence watch the suciside clip. and then listen or read the lyrics to "Hey man nice shot" by fliter which was written about that very incident.
Jim is preaching to the choir again. Dull.
I like it much better when he says something controversial by the standards of this community, even if I have to disagree.
Also, I wasn't shocked at all by that old fuzzy footage. No pain, no onscreen damaged tissue, not gruesome.
I like it much better when he says something controversial by the standards of this community, even if I have to disagree.
Also, I wasn't shocked at all by that old fuzzy footage. No pain, no onscreen damaged tissue, not gruesome.
Ah... fuck.
I paused for a moment, to collect my thoughts and decide whether I should watch it or not. I probably shouldn't have, I was having a good day, now my brain hurts.
You fucking broke me.
I paused for a moment, to collect my thoughts and decide whether I should watch it or not. I probably shouldn't have, I was having a good day, now my brain hurts.
You fucking broke me.
I can be a fairly aggressive and violent person in speech when I refer to people who disgust me, and often, when referring to some form of injustice, I can openly wish some pretty horrible things upon people. I admit that, had I not become increasingly familiar with violent video games, anime, music, etc, I might not have that sort of... imagination backing my general frustration with humanity. However, I am a very passive person who avoids conflict and hates to actually see violence inflicted on real people. Even gore films make me fairly uncomfortable. I don't think the violent video games that I've played have made me a more violent person, but I think the things I say when my temper is incited could easily give somebody the impression that they had. Maybe it's that sort of thing that contributes to the problem?
Just popping in to say that when I saw the graphic content warning I was like "Oh, I can handle this." Then when you described the video, having heard of it before I can assure you that no, I can't handle it. I skipped past it. If I hadn't, my January and perhaps February would have been ruined.
This video is something that everyone needs to understand. I on occasion play violent video games. As it turns out, I haven't killed anyone. Explain that one to me, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jack Thompson, and the rest of you. According to all of you, I shouldn't exist.
This video is something that everyone needs to understand. I on occasion play violent video games. As it turns out, I haven't killed anyone. Explain that one to me, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Jack Thompson, and the rest of you. According to all of you, I shouldn't exist.
Don't worry, I'm sure people can understand the amount of caution given and I must give props both to Jim for making the episode and you guys for letting him show it.Susan Arendt said:
Very worthwhile episode Jim, and I hope as many people not considered gamers, or even those "blame gamers" people manage to see this, so hopefully it can change a few hearts and minds. I'd hate it to just be preaching to the choir so to speak, as it was excellent.
Thank God For Jim, indeed.
I am immensely freaked out by the concept of this suicide video and couldn't bring myself to watch it. Like most of the other folks here, I play games with plenty of blood and gore; I routinely shoot, knife, punch, kick, break, and otherwise destroy the bodies of all kinds of people and critters on a routine basis in these things. I even practiced martial arts and learned how to break a person's bones in large numbers of ways. Yet, the thought of attacking someone not in self defense makes me all kinds of sick and terrified, and I can't watch a clip of a man shooting himself. It's too real. I agree that there has to be a line between the 'violence' we're seeing in games, and violence in real life; the game atmosphere is distant, and the violence is over the top and very not realistic. Even when it's supposed to look real, the entire setting isn't Real Life. It's very different.
I don't think I've been that disturbed by a piece of footage in a long, long while. Thank you for showing me that, though. I understand fully what you mean.
Eh... I don't remember Jim saying it's wrong to own a firearm. I remember him saying you should be afraid of them, and rightly so. I don't live in the US, and personally, I feel if you own a gun you are mad... ...perhaps not literally so, but it's still not something I'm comfortable with. I imagine Jim meant that you need to be 'afraid' of guns in the same sense as religious people are meant to be 'afraid' of their resident deity - that a gun or deity is powerful, and dangerous.cynik said:
It's odd, I didn't really feel anything watching the clip right up to the point where he pulls the trigger... but then he slumped and the blood came out and I felt sick to the stomach. I really think it's the reality of it which horrifies. So Jim, your point was very well proven indeed.
I've been gaming since I was a kid and watching Action movies since as long. Sure, playing Dizzy on the spectrum, while watching James bond films at Christmas, is hardly the pinnacle of bloody but the point is I escalated. From Dizzy to St Dragon, St Dragon to R-type, to Ninja Gaiden, to Streets of Rage, Two Crude Dudes, Aliens etc etc.
What the result? I dropped Aikido. I'm scared of actually hurting another person in practice and so can't train well.
Desensitisation to violence through gaming is horseshit. I totally agree with Jim's assertion that of the entertainment available, the news has a far worse impact on society.
Mean world syndrome, the mistaken idea that the world is far more dangerous than it actually is, is a direct result of the news industry, saturating peoples lives with images and ideas of danger at every turn. Despite the fact that crime has fallen dramatically over the last decade in the US (and UK, the last few years have seen massive profits for the American Gun Industry. For people like the NRA. Even though America is safer than it has been in years, Americans are buying guns by the truckload because they think that every other person is going to mug them, rape them, steal their shoes and what have you.
Of course the facking NRA, will lie about video games and of course the media will help them spread such lies. Each roup is run by the same people, the old boy network that profits from fear and intimidation and they have never been wealthier.
What the result? I dropped Aikido. I'm scared of actually hurting another person in practice and so can't train well.
Desensitisation to violence through gaming is horseshit. I totally agree with Jim's assertion that of the entertainment available, the news has a far worse impact on society.
Mean world syndrome, the mistaken idea that the world is far more dangerous than it actually is, is a direct result of the news industry, saturating peoples lives with images and ideas of danger at every turn. Despite the fact that crime has fallen dramatically over the last decade in the US (and UK, the last few years have seen massive profits for the American Gun Industry. For people like the NRA. Even though America is safer than it has been in years, Americans are buying guns by the truckload because they think that every other person is going to mug them, rape them, steal their shoes and what have you.
Of course the facking NRA, will lie about video games and of course the media will help them spread such lies. Each roup is run by the same people, the old boy network that profits from fear and intimidation and they have never been wealthier.
It's my belief that people (mostly men) are attracted to violent media not because they want to enact violence, but because violent media is the one place where it's ok for a man to show emotions without restraint (the one other place is within a romantic relationship and that's a whole other story). Be it sadness over noble deaths and other acts of chivalry or basic rage, violence in media is an outlet for that. I don't think for a second that that media is harming it's viewers in any way. On the contrary, it's giving them some breathing space and is preventing them from doing something stupid (by which I'm not implying a killing spree). The problem, if there is one, lies in a society that thinks it's ok to police people's emotions.
We can apply Jim's logic about violence in video games to everything in video games right? Sexism in games is ok because its not really like "real" sexism, same with racism, not really "real" so its ok right? I doesn't affect people the same way right? Or are we splitting hairs?
Don't get me wrong I'm not condemning any video games for anything they contain, they are a free art form, you cant blame them for murders, those are done out of a persons free will. I did like the use of the video clip, had nothing to do with video game violence, hell was not even violent but +10 for shock and awe , maybe some people need to see real death to have more respect for it because if video games had real violence in them a lot of people couldn't handle them.
P.S.- Blaming video games makes about as much logical sense as blaming guns right?
Don't get me wrong I'm not condemning any video games for anything they contain, they are a free art form, you cant blame them for murders, those are done out of a persons free will. I did like the use of the video clip, had nothing to do with video game violence, hell was not even violent but +10 for shock and awe , maybe some people need to see real death to have more respect for it because if video games had real violence in them a lot of people couldn't handle them.
P.S.- Blaming video games makes about as much logical sense as blaming guns right?
As a police officer and someone who has had to take a life in the line of duty. I have made this EXACT argument to people. Those who are adamant that video games make for violent people do not want to hear it though.
What makes someone lose their humanity and become a mass murderer cannot be blamed on any one factor. The fact that media and people try to do that boggles the mind.
What makes someone lose their humanity and become a mass murderer cannot be blamed on any one factor. The fact that media and people try to do that boggles the mind.