Poll: Are you Desensitized?

[Mr.Bubbles43]

This is a reasonably straight forward question.

Have videogames/movies desensitized you to real life violence?

I personally never really was all that sensitive to start with but after playing videogames, being on the internet and things like that nothing bothers me at all-except cruelty to animals that seriously pisses me off. While many people consider this a negative thing, I fail to see why. Sad emotions never really got anyone anywhere and I don't see the point in being affected by many things that I cannot control and that will happen regardless if what I feel.

 

[klc0100]

Yes but I cant blame video games for it.

 

[Iron Mal]

I would say that I'm somewhere in the middle, I'm not at all bothered by animated or otherwise fake violence and gore (let's not forget that I tend to prefer violent games to non-violent ones) but this does not mean that I could sit by and giggle when a real person is butchered in front of me (I'm not a monster).

 

[Father2u]

If the violence is in a movie, it doesn't bother me.
When I see some violence in real life, it can bother me a little.

 

[number2301]

I've actually sensitised over time due to becoming more emotionally open, despite high levels of exposure to extreme violence and porn for a long time.

But on the over-riding question of do games desensitise you, yes, of course they do. Seeing something repeatedly, even knowing it isn't real or even realistic reduces its impact. But does that make you more likely to be violent or kill people? No. As soon as you're in real danger, or the violence you're committing is real its a whole different world.

 

[varulfic]

Many things still affect me, for example, the scene in Clockwork Orange when they break into a house, beat up a guy and rapes his wife, I found that to be a greatly disturbing scene. But yeah, it's gonna take a bit more than when I was young, obviously.

 

[AuntyEthel]

Nah, violent movies desensitised me more. Being a kid in the early nineties, I got to watch loads of proper horrors (not slashers, Grudge-type thrillers or torture porn) which made me just laugh at exploding guts and all that. Though Mortal Kombat 1 was an influence, even though the violence in it is soooooooooooooooo lame these days.

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I still wince, get the sniffles, and/or get squeemish at movies or on TV; I can't stand Puke Factor and the vast majority of the other "reality" TV shows precisely because I do retain some sort of empathy for people on the screen.

Looks like all that Doom as a kid didn't turn me into a heartless killing machine after all.

-- Steve

 

[SanitysEclips3]

I was never really sensitive about this sort of thing, but I was like that before I played violent videogames, so I attribute it to nature, not nurture.

 

[The_Deleted]

I've seen some sick shit on the old Ogrish website. And while it was morbidly interesting to see some of the sick shite people will do to each other, it does play with you head if you see too much of it. I don't visit those sites anymore.

Screen violence though is pretty much 'whatever'. Although even some of that these days is getting more and more visceral.

 

[haveyouseen_mywallet]

thanks to growing up in the 80's and 90's i got to see some great horror movies, so most movies like that today are easy to watch, i think the saw movies are extremely lame, no substance just crap. but anything on movies or video games i can handle, but i'm smart enough to know i wouldn't want to experience any of that in real life. that's why it's called movies and games, it's a fantasy world, as long as it stays there i'm good.

 

[H.R.Shovenstuff]

4chan desensitized me long ago.

 

[Jobz]

I'm desensitized to anything fake. I can watch incredibly violent, gore filled movies without flinching anymore (I used to get sick to my stomach) and no video game has ever really phased me to be honest.

However I've seen a few people die in real life, and I don't think that's something I can ever get used to.

 

[GothmogII]

Fictionalised media violence only. Anything and everything no matter how perverse, that comes with the age of the internet that we live I guess hah. Otherwise, I'd say no, I still tear up when I see or think of hurt animals.

Unfortunately...the way news media is presented, I find it very difficult to empathise, I mean, I'm pretty sure I -would- if I were in their situation, however, as it is, I don't and can't feel for someone I don't know, nor am in any kind of proximity too and that have no bearing on my life or of those around me. This is not to say I wouldn't be shocked if say someone were shot right in front of me, or if I saw someone being attacked I wouldn't try to help, because I would. But it just seems to me that the news media is just a never ending stream of 'MOST AWFUL THING OF THE DAY! READ ON PG6 NOW!'. I while I don't dis-agree that many of these stories are awful, horrifying and all that, being subject to that kind of barrage of information day after day kind of makes me stop caring. Which is weird since I thought the whole -point- of news media was to -make- you care. *shrugs*

As for sad emotions not getting you anywhere? Well...I'd tend to agree to a point, but, sometimes a little sadness is helpful. I've at times found it rather relaxing to cry when I'm feeling particularly crappy. It's, releasing I guess? Gets rid of a lot of that negative emotion and all that. And, it's a damn better thing than apathy let me tell you. Nothing worse than lying on your bed and feeling absolutely nothing, no feeling, no motivation to do...well anything.

 

[Galletea]

I think I keep a firm grasp on reality, so real life violence can shock me to an extent. Part of the issue is the constant portrayal of violence in the media. Kids getting stabbed for instance, was shocking. Now I don't really notice it's reported so often

 

[Syphonz]

Skateboarding last weekend my buddy fell on a piece of glass and made a huge hole on his back, the skin was still attached dangling there, and I didn't even look away. I guess I am disensitized but I don't think it's because of video games, shit, my first violent game was Mortal Kombat 4 and I was like 14.

 

[Zeke109]

I still cry after paintball...so traumatic....

 

[Cyclomega]

4chan desensitized me long ago.

Yeah, same here, yet I still can't pass 5 seconds of 2girls1cup...

 

[Baby Tea]

It really depends on the type I suppose. As a very people have pointed out: Video game and film violence does nothing to me. But neither does a lot of real-world stuff. It would have to be the really bad real world stuff that would bother me. My brother is a paramedic, and he tells some stories that you wonder if you could handle, you know?
Something about pulling a guy's intestines off a back of a truck, and slipping on the guy's liver while picking up body parts...I can hear about it and be OK...but actually being there? I don't know how I'd be.

 

[Zombie Badger]

Seeing anything in a film or game doesn't disturb me at all, but seeing the nastier photos of the iraq war makes me go into a state of shock.