Poll: Do Video Games cause violent behavior?

[mjp1701]

if some one is of a violent disposion then they are going to go and commit violent acts no matter what they view or play blaming video games for peoples violent behaviour is just an excuse for people because they cant solve the direct problem so they blame it on an easy target no one ever blames football matches for when football hooligans cause riots there just using video games as an easy target to blame for a problem they cant solve on its own

 

[Admiral Stukov]

For anyone in full possession of one's faculties, no.
For one that have some kind of pre-existing condition of the relevant kind, maybe.

 

[Kevonovitch]

it causes violence no more than martial arts, or TV, and movies cause violence in people.

seriously, they all can intice a play violence, and a discussion of it, but for actual like beating people up, breaking bones/objects, even death, very rare in all of thoes things. sometimes maybe there's that one guy, that it does cause him to go cause problems, yeah, it happens. sometimes something is just the last straw for some people, but in both cases, pretty much anything could have caused it

 

[TerribleAssassin]

Nope, the games are clearly fantasy where normal human laws do not exist.

 

[trophykiller]

if they're older than six, no. I think I'm about the opposite of a serial killer: i can't stand to see things in pain, it just makes me sick.

 

[Meestor Pickle]

Nope.

I just got done playing Peggle and I am calm and serene.

So frustrating!!! Makes me want to kil-hug someone...you know, with all the rainbows and unicorns. Yes.

 

[Kiroy]

Video games clearly do not cause violence. Video games in Japan are much more violent than in America and yet their crime rates are much lower. Violent behavior is caused by other means although video games may give an all ready unstable person ideas of how to act.

 

[Calbeck]

No. My childhood experiences cause my violent behavior.

 

[Ampersand]

Indirectly, but yes.
After playing bunches of shooters, I've thought about learning how to use firearms in real life.

Your interests have an influence on the games you play, not the other way around. =/

 

[IamQ]

The only violent behavior you get from video games, is when your friend finally snaps after you've beat him for the 10th time on Street Fighter IV.

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well no they don't there are many other factors to consider. In some people which have trouble with reality and dream world then yes it might for them and people with underlying mental or psychological problem yes it could cause it for them. Video games are no more violent than people watching sports and I have seen them act way worse or on par on how I act in semi competitive play which is something I am actually actively involved in whereas they just observe.

 

[bluefiresword]

The only violent behavior you get from video games, is when your friend finally snaps after you've beat him for the 10th time on Street Fighter IV.

Hehe Yeah. My friend was really bad at super street fighter 4 and we played from 1 in the afternoon to 1 in the Morning and the score ended up 81-14 to me. He raged something chronic. Good times.
But OT no They don't.

 

[archaicmalevolence]

if by violent behaviour you mean people raging at the screen then yes. But it isn't too big a deal, mostly violence is caused by upbringing, school and who you hang out with.

 

[mklnjbh]

On occasion people can get frustrated with games and, if they are unable to manage their behavior, then it is possible they would lose control and act out in violent ways. I wouldn't call games "murder simulators," but certain games do have a tendency to set certain people into a heightened state in which they could become violent.

 

[HappyNoodleBot]

There was a study done a while back to measure violent response to video games which found violent video games caused no more aggression than violent films or any other type of media. They scanned people's brains whilst playing violent games and found that the parts of the brain normally associated with violent behaviour were fairly inactive. On the other hand people playing driving games were found to be using the aggressive parts of the brain both whilst playing and also after.

The study concluded that violent games don't necessarily cause violent behaviour since we can dissociate ourselves from the fantasy. Driving games on the other hand seem to increase instance of road rage and aggressive driving.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed

 

[Dragunai]

Yes but only towards facists like the PTC who tell us videogames cause violent behaviour.
Ironic right?

On a more serious note:

This quote:
"It was that violent video game that made my kid do it! Ban the game and give my kid hugs!"

Can recieve 2 perfectly valid responces:

1. Why did you let your kid get / keep the game? A good parent would check on their often kid enough to see what they are doing. Even if it's just a 3 second head in the door "You ok?" sort of thing, throwing your eyes onto the TV to see how much blood is gushing out a dudes neck for your 10yr old son to see isn't the worst idea ever.

2. If a person has a violent nature in them it WILL surface, be it influced by media (games/movies) or be it from alcohol, road rage etc. I have been playing video games since I was very young and as I progressively got older took pride (like many idiotic, retarded kids) in getting my hands on an 18 cert at age 14 etc.

I have since played games that allow me to run people down, hack them to pieces with swords, blow off limbs in VERY grotesque ways and so on (we all know whats out there), and today the only thing I take from that in my personality is "Gee that was a giggle," not "Must chainsaw and hack dog to bits,"

Games are violent yes, games come with certificates on them saying 18+ for a reason, if the parents knowingly buy an 18+ for a 12yr old, then they do NOT retain the right to say it was the game when the social conscience falls to you but as I already said, if someone has it in them it will come out, the game might encourage it a bit faster but thats where you say "NO!" and take it away from them.

EDIT:

For the record I have a really good mom who always questioned me on violent games I had.
I dont actually remember how I got my hands on them now because she refused to buy them for me.

 

[NinjaRabies]

It's possible, but it's also possible that people with violent tendencies seek out violent games because it appeals to them.

 

[Dastardly]

As part of an English project I'm writing a counter arguement paper against the whole, "Video Games cause violent behavior" and some data and input would be most useful for the paper. Put out a comment, put up some videos or what ever

Things like this only provide influence in the absence of all other influences.

What I mean by this is that a person (child or not) will only imitate the violent behavior in video games if the other influences in their lives (like PARENTS) have not properly taught them other, more appropriate behaviors for expressing or mitigating anger.

This creates what I call a "learning vacuum," where there should be good coping behaviors, but there are none. If no one else steps up to fill that vacuum, it's possible that a child will instead glean a few things from video games--notably a bad temper, poor impulse control, and a willingness to use force to get their way.

This isn't the fault of the games, though. It's the fault of the people who should rightfully be responsible for teaching the child how to deal with negative emotions. Parents, after all, signed up for that time-and-energy-intensive job, IN FULL, the very second they copulated. Just because they don't REALIZE they signed that little contract doesn't absolve them.

 

[teebeeohh]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

this question always makes me so angry i want to kill people

 

[Delusibeta]

It's possible, but it'll be about the same as violent films promoting violent behaviour, or violent television promoting violent behavour. For the entire population aside from a few loonies, no.