Jimquisition: Desensitized to Violence
- Thread starter Jimothy Sterling
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The footage didnt shock me all that much, but its most likely because I was expecting it. Had I not been, I would most likely have spit-taked the glass of water I was drinking right onto my laptop.
I'm not going to lie, I wasn't that shocked from the death because I'm fucked up and think death is interesting, I don't enjoy it however. I do think that suicide is the wrong way out, and that it was very fucked up of him to do that in front of other people. Part of what makes those decisions where you have to kill a fleshed out character so hard for me, such as the Kaidan/Ashley decision in Mass Effect, is that I think of them as my friends (Mind you I don't like Kaidan that much, but still was my friend). What makes killing the enemies in video games so easy is the fact they have no humanity. They have no personality, there is a limited number of skins they have. Too much diversity, and you can start thinking of them as real people and that gets dangerous for the mind. The level I have had the most trouble with is the airport level in modern warfare. It was too much for me. I understand why some people didn't mind killing the civilians, because they weren't actually people, but they were non-hostile and it didn't see right to me. Anyway, death shouldn't be something we are afraid of, but it also shouldn't be something we are comfortable with.
This reminds me of when some Facebook group a while back proposed a national 'Cease Fire' day for online shooters and such in light of what happened at Sandy Hook, something that I did not participate in because me playing Halo and what happened in Sandy Hook are two completely different things. I don't flinch at violence in video games, but that video that Jim put in made me feel sick to my stomach.
I have been gaming for 22 years now and I play a heck of a lot more video games than the average person, so if the media was right about video games desensitizing me to violence, why am I not a sociopath by now? And it's not like I was an aggressive child back in the day either - I was always bigger than other kids, but was such a pacifist that it made me an ample target for bullying.
The parents and media that ***** about violent video games need to understand the one thing I have always said on the matter; there is a rating system in place for a reason. Don't want your kid to have an M rated game? Well guess what - almost every retailer out there will not sell an M rated game to anyone under the age of 17 with parental PERMISSION. They even say WHY a game is rated M on the back of the case, and if you go to the ESRB's website and look up the game in question, it will give you even more details. For fuck's sake, you can even just pull out your phone and look up a YouTube video of the game!
I have been gaming for 22 years now and I play a heck of a lot more video games than the average person, so if the media was right about video games desensitizing me to violence, why am I not a sociopath by now? And it's not like I was an aggressive child back in the day either - I was always bigger than other kids, but was such a pacifist that it made me an ample target for bullying.
The parents and media that ***** about violent video games need to understand the one thing I have always said on the matter; there is a rating system in place for a reason. Don't want your kid to have an M rated game? Well guess what - almost every retailer out there will not sell an M rated game to anyone under the age of 17 with parental PERMISSION. They even say WHY a game is rated M on the back of the case, and if you go to the ESRB's website and look up the game in question, it will give you even more details. For fuck's sake, you can even just pull out your phone and look up a YouTube video of the game!
Bugger me.
Easily one of the most profound, stark and relevant takes on the subject of videogame violence desensitisationn that I've ever seen and easily the best jimquisition to date.
I've watched all of them on the escapist so far and none of them have made me think like this one.
I think i need to check out your pre-escapist stuff.
Fucking outstanding, carry on Jim.
Easily one of the most profound, stark and relevant takes on the subject of videogame violence desensitisationn that I've ever seen and easily the best jimquisition to date.
I've watched all of them on the escapist so far and none of them have made me think like this one.
I think i need to check out your pre-escapist stuff.
Fucking outstanding, carry on Jim.
Jim is so right on this one. I had seen this footage a long time ago, and it actually runs a bit longer than what Jim showed. One thing Jim did not mention, and what really disturbs me the most about it every time I see this, is the reaction of the people around the scene. First the screams of "don't do it" and then the screams of horror and the crying. That's the kind of thing you don't see in video game violence: the full consequence after the tragedy. And that is why video game violence is so far from real violence... in real life there is no reset button, there is no way to ignore the fact that a real person is now dead or injured, and you rarely see real reactions from the AI or online players around the scene. Every person of any age, gamer or not, is fully conscious about what just happened (unless you are a psychopath, but that's a whole other conversation).
I remember watching that particular clip on the Jimquisition episode before he came to Escapist Magazine. Even now it is still disturbing to me that i did skip the clip as soon as i could. I play a lot of games that have been accused of turning people into killers, and they don't disturb me. That did.
Now i'm gonna say something that you guys might not like. We need to use this clip in testing. Have people who play games enjoy a two hour gaming session, then show the clip. Record the actions. There's our proof.
Now i'm gonna say something that you guys might not like. We need to use this clip in testing. Have people who play games enjoy a two hour gaming session, then show the clip. Record the actions. There's our proof.
Superb episode, Jim.
I've always felt tha what you said is true, but you managed to put the whole thing into words.
Personally, I wasn't shocked by the footage. But that's because the internet took care of my sensitivity to "real" violence long ago.
However, what little violence I have seen in real life HAS been fairly shocking so there's even another level of knowing what's real and whats on a screen.
One final bitchy note: I resent your statement about how we should be terrified of guns. Enjoying guns is no different than enjoying any other hobby or sport.
I've always felt tha what you said is true, but you managed to put the whole thing into words.
Personally, I wasn't shocked by the footage. But that's because the internet took care of my sensitivity to "real" violence long ago.
However, what little violence I have seen in real life HAS been fairly shocking so there's even another level of knowing what's real and whats on a screen.
One final bitchy note: I resent your statement about how we should be terrified of guns. Enjoying guns is no different than enjoying any other hobby or sport.
I went hunting once with my uncle, I ended up shooting and killing a rabbit. I was 17, never went out again, I didn't like what I did. I can tell the difference between reality and fantasy violence, like some boys growing up, I got into my share of scraps. I had never seen this footage before, I watched it, and I had a horrible feeling in my stomach as it happened.
This has to be one of Jims best videos, and I just want to thank him for pushing to get the footage shown as it helps prove a point.
This has to be one of Jims best videos, and I just want to thank him for pushing to get the footage shown as it helps prove a point.
I had enough nerve to watch the footage, but only because I had never seen anything like it before and I don't think I will again if I can avoid it. As for animals, I can't handle that either.synobal said:
Yeah, wouldn't have found you reusing the same gag thagt funny eighter. ^^Jimothy Sterling said:That was a condition of me being allowed to show the footage, although in fairness, I wasn't interested in doing that bit again. I felt it more helpful to just stay on point this time.Moth_Monk said:Jim, I was hoping you'd do the gag with the brown paper bag at the end again.
Also love it when you put in references to podtoid. xD
Same here, I saw an age gated Jimquisition and thought "weee this is gonna be a good one" but it was some poor dude driven to suicide on camera. The footage was awful but what really struck me wasn't the actual death it was the camera mans response to quickly zoom in his face, its like he wasn't shocked and was eager to catch every gory detail.connall said:
I remember back during the 2010 Winter Olympics. Nordar Kumaritashvilli died one day before the Olympics began in a training accident. NBC, being the geniuses that they are, showed the footage of the accident multiple times and in slow motion on the night of the opening ceremony. People were thoroughly upset by that and the next day NBC decided not to show it again.
It's worth noting that the footage didn't show any blood or visible injuries.
It's worth noting that the footage didn't show any blood or visible injuries.
For those who are worried because the video didn't shock you, don't. I highly doubt it was just because video games desensitized you. And I doubt even more that it makes you a monster. There are people in this world that could watch an autopsy while munching on a ham sandwich. There are others that will get queasy just by reading that sentence. There are a lot of factors that can go into it, only one of which can be media violence. And just because you can watch a video of a suicide without being shocked, that does not mean you could just as easily commit violence against another person with the same dispassion.
Me, I think I could shoot someone if I had to. I might even not vomit afterwards. But that's a test I never want to make. My brother shot at a person that fully intended on killing him. Even though he missed, the very idea of it messed him up for years. This is a man that knew full well how to use a gun, and was enjoys all manner of violent movies. But the act of actually pointing a gun at a person and pulling the trigger still makes him shake when he thinks about it.
So again, don't worry too much on things. You're not a terrible person for not flinching.
Me, I think I could shoot someone if I had to. I might even not vomit afterwards. But that's a test I never want to make. My brother shot at a person that fully intended on killing him. Even though he missed, the very idea of it messed him up for years. This is a man that knew full well how to use a gun, and was enjoys all manner of violent movies. But the act of actually pointing a gun at a person and pulling the trigger still makes him shake when he thinks about it.
So again, don't worry too much on things. You're not a terrible person for not flinching.
This might be just me but I'm getting a weird glitch in the video at 2:53 the video audio cuts and the frame stops (on the car blowing up) and the timer keeps going but sped up. Eventually the video pauses and when I press play again the same speed up occurs
I know this isn't a poll, so I doubt anyone is interested in my response here, but: I watched the video, and I was saddened by it, but not really shocked. One ought to bear in mind that I work in palliative care, though, and watching people die is what I do for a living. I've built up a barricade against it.
As to the contents of the video itself, I can only say, with no irony whatsoever (well, beyond the inherent irony of my atheism), thank god for you, Mr. Sterling.
As to the contents of the video itself, I can only say, with no irony whatsoever (well, beyond the inherent irony of my atheism), thank god for you, Mr. Sterling.
The whole "games desensitive you to violence" argument has always been one to piss me off, because I personally can't even stand to watch gore in film. I can play Gears of War and chainsaw Locust in half, but films like Hostel give me screaming night terrors. In both I know they aren't real, but in film/television your mind still struggles with "well, that is what it COULD look like." While in movies you know not a single part of it is real. It's just pixels and polygons.
That footage did disturbed me quite a lot and I'm kind of happy, in a way, it did.
Games is not comparable to real violence and most gaming people know this I do find however the news could have a dosage of age recommendations like games I don't think many news media would get a rating less than 18+.....
The warnings were very good, many and big enough, it were disturbing footage but very good prof of what Jim is after.
Might even use it as in argument about games and violence, after warnings though.
Games is not comparable to real violence and most gaming people know this I do find however the news could have a dosage of age recommendations like games I don't think many news media would get a rating less than 18+.....
The warnings were very good, many and big enough, it were disturbing footage but very good prof of what Jim is after.
Might even use it as in argument about games and violence, after warnings though.