New Study Finds Violent Games Do Not Desensitize Players
- Thread starter Andy Chalk
- Start date
This kind of fear mongering happened with mass appeal(read as: trashy)novels and with films so it would be expected to happen with video games before they become "normal" --- the thing is, video games already ARE mainstream - apparently the average gamer is statistically a mid 30's woman -- ok yes, I know that's not the kind of videogames they're talking about but this started with what? Mortal Combat? I'm guessing that was before most of us were born -- now I have no legit statistics, but if violent video games had the results that are feared, there would be MASSIVE waves of random murder even if CoD MW 2 sales were the only indication of the number of individuals who go on imaginary rampages (and needless to say, it is FAR larger than simply those customers) -- My point is, video games ARE NOT a new thing anymore.
Not news, but awesome to hear, it's like a splash of fresh water in the desert that is the bullshit studies. Personally, I'm very much against violence of any kind and if anything, games increased that throughout my lifetime (and I started playing violent videogames at a very early age, Tekken, GTA 2, Commandos, Resident Evil, anything I could get my hands on often had a gun in your hand).
I agree with this study. I am alittle emotionally desensitized, but that is more than likely from maany other things in my life. I doubt me playing Railroad tycoon 3 as a child will make me into an unemotional brick.
Well, no shit. The equivolent of Risk plus TV DOESN'T equal satanic urges. I'm in shock!
Seriously, why don't these people spend their time on something else. Maybe try to find a link from McD's to fat people, I don't know, at least that's a better cause than fucking with my hobby.
Sorry, but seriously, why are we still debating this?
Seriously, why don't these people spend their time on something else. Maybe try to find a link from McD's to fat people, I don't know, at least that's a better cause than fucking with my hobby.
Sorry, but seriously, why are we still debating this?
The last time I went out to town on a Friday night two guys had fought and pushed each other thorugh a plate glass window/wall, one was on the floor screaming 'my eye!' and the other was staggering around drunkenly with his cheek hanging open and bottom lip hanging off his face attached only at the corner of his mouth, blood everywhere.Rainboq said:
Didn't feel bothered what so ever, i would have gone closer with the rest of the people gathering about for a better look (I was about 10 feet away) but the girls I was with wanted to move away.
Last year I saw a guy fall over in the street, I was the only person to stop and get out my car to help him up, all the time while other people either looked but drove past, or slowed down to watch but not help me. This didn't bothere me either, doesn't mean I'm a bad person though, maybe if anything it means I dont freeze up and hide like those people in the cars and can go help someone.
Pretty much summed up my feelings, keep it up people who aren't full of crap!imperialreign said:
A couple problems I see with this research.
Sample size and source.
144 participants isn't that many and given that they were all undergraduate students makes the possibility of generalizing said data to the population as a whole.
Methodology.
Emotional memory cannot be the only component to desensitization and that is all that this tests... to use this a measure, especially considering the sample issues, just seems lax in the "good research" department.
Now that said this makes for a good pilot study and lends itself to further research--but as is it really isn't anything.
Sample size and source.
144 participants isn't that many and given that they were all undergraduate students makes the possibility of generalizing said data to the population as a whole.
Methodology.
Emotional memory cannot be the only component to desensitization and that is all that this tests... to use this a measure, especially considering the sample issues, just seems lax in the "good research" department.
Now that said this makes for a good pilot study and lends itself to further research--but as is it really isn't anything.
I kill 50+ plus people in video games a day. And I still think its gross to smush spiders. There's your proof!
While I applaud the Canadians for getting something right where Americans have proved incompetent time and time again, I do have a problem with the actual group "Some videogame experience?" ........ with Mariokart and Rock Band/Guitar Hero among the top played? That's not proving anything. I wouldn't call Final Fantasy "violent" you are almost always fighting monsters or really bad dudes in my opinion. Heck, half of the "men" you fight don't even have faces! (It's helmets/big goggles usually). However, like I said, way to go Canada, but I also agree that this constant back and forth needs to stop, especially, the whole "video games make you violent." There have actually been studies that violent people will eventually withdraw from media (including videogames). I actually did my own research. I highly doubt any one of those people ("researchers") can say that a good percentage (I'm talking 50% or above) of gamers are violent people.
This is all saying that the parents are actually doing their jobs and monitoring what they're children are exposed to. Any 7 yr old exposed to something like GTA or another violent videogame is probably going to develop some aggressive tendencies. But, what's a child playing an M rated game for anyway? This is where they REALLY should be doing the studying. "If you're an idiot, your child will become a serial killer." I rest my case.
This is all saying that the parents are actually doing their jobs and monitoring what they're children are exposed to. Any 7 yr old exposed to something like GTA or another violent videogame is probably going to develop some aggressive tendencies. But, what's a child playing an M rated game for anyway? This is where they REALLY should be doing the studying. "If you're an idiot, your child will become a serial killer." I rest my case.
Not to fight what might be construed as positive evidence, but I've been playing violent video games for years and I'm kind of inclined to believe that their why I don't bat an eyelash and gore and sexual situations in just about anything. So yeah, sorry, but I'm pretty damn desensitized.