Question of the Day, June 28, 2010

[The Escapist Staff]

Question of the Day, June 28, 2010



Rap songstress M.I.A. is the latest person to lend her voice to the "videogames breed violence" debate. She claims that videogames do not depict violence realistically, and playing violent games "just makes you interpret it wrong and makes inflicting violence easier." What do you think?

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[Kwaren]

No no and another no.

 

[Valkyira]

Movies were showing violence long before games were. Seeing as games are relatively new, they get all the negative press as people want a scapegoat for all the violence.

 

[Jared]

I think, for some people, they might interpret violence as a solution to an issue better than talking it out...but then again, these people who do interpret it in that way, either already have a skewered view of reality, no common sense, or...well, a few lights not working upstairs

 

[Proteus214]

Not at all, I believe someone equated it to playing with action figures. We make them fight eachother in the most violent ways all the time. I suppose it depends on whether or not you understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Some people just have trouble with that.

 

[Jack_Uzi]

Videogames mayperhaps change your perception of violence in the way that it just gives a person more knowledge on how to use a gun for example. But the initial intention of harming someone without a 'good' reason is or isn't in the person already, you don't need games for that.
They said that about television and well if you read enough combat manuals, listen to agressive music... I could go on here. My point is, it's all how you intrepid the media at hand and what you do with it. I'll be off and listen to some Led Zep backwards now and see what I can find.

 

[CapnRaccoon]

I was studying this in class the other day; My teacher was totally saying that any form of violence whether or not it was movie or games was to blame, he cited those two young boys who went and killed a little girl and some other similar case, but both were irrelevant.
Don't get me wrong, I've seen my fair share of CS:S players going wild and raging like no other, and I'm sure we've all read that story about the guy who stabbed a man after losing a match on CS:S, but the same thing could've happened If they were playing basketball or football, the game is not directly to blame - In any way, shape or form.

 

[DSK-]

I think once a person reaches 12, unless they have some sort of severe learning disability, they're able to distinguish between reality and fantasy.

Hell, when I was 12, I knew that what I was shooting on the screen wasn't remotely like shooting real people, and that shooting real people had consequences, and was all together a bad thing to do. So I figure what we do is just reinforce age ratings.

Realistically, there hasn't been a single non-biased study that I've seen that's proved that it's any different from watching violent films.

I agree with what you said regarding young children with disabilities. My younger (10 year old) brother is one such example and I don't think understands it. Having said that, I used to play GoW with him (yes, I am a bad habit) but he suddenly went off it, saying that he didn't like playing violent games. Either he understands it or he just doesn't want to play with me

OT: In my opinion, a person who understands right and wrong would not bat an eye lid in regards to videgame/movie violence. Hell, we see it in cartoons; it's often comical and unrealistic but we laugh just the same right?

Most games are set in unrealistic, fantastical or scifi settings, others are set in the modern day based on real events - yet these are simply fictional media.

The airport level in COD:MW2 - was it violent? well...yes. What was I doing? clicking a mouse and pressing buttons on my keyboard. This does not equate to me actually killing people.

 

[Jack and Calumon]

No they do not encourage Violence. What does encourage violence is people that say that there is a link.

Calumon: Movies are to blame as well!

 

[Colonel Alzheimer's]

So the question is, do I trust random rap artists who are looking for attention from parents and have no knowledge of the subject or do I trust scientists who have put their entire life towards this field, and believe there is no link?
Hmmm... that's a tough one.

 

[JediMB]

A bit, perhaps.

Personally, though, I love lots of violent games but am pretty much a pacifist in reality.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I think videogames CAN influence our perception of violence, but only in a very small way. The desensitising effects of films/TV far outweigh the effect computer games have, thus reducing the 'damage' done by videogames to a small percentage of the overall desensitisation whole.

It's always fun watching politician's knee-jerk reactions when a supposedly corrupting and violent videogame comes onto the shelves though. I remember when DMA brought out the very first GTA - if the doomsayers back then were to be believed we were all going to be stealing cars and running over innocent pedestrians within the week.

 

[Mr Thin]

Oh, come on. I've killed thousands of people in games. If we're counting RTS games, I've killed hundreds of thousands! Millions!

And I still open the window to help a moth fly out, because the poor thing got in somehow and it keeps banging against the window trying to get out and what kind of asshole would I be if I just left it there.

There you go, nice moth.

Bottom line: I experience thoughts of a far more violent nature listening to idiots like that than I do playing video games.

 

[Daniel_Rosamilia]

......
Right-o then.
Argument, prepare to be dismantled.

I have played, and still play, excessively violent video games (CoD, Mortal Kombat, anything with guns and explosions) and enjoy it.
But, by no means do I find it easy to inflict ACTUAL violence on other people.
Yeah, sure, I'll hit a coupla people if they really deserve it, but that's only as a last resort.
Proper violence, like knives or cricket bats, not gonna happen (unless I have to save mine or someone else's ass).
So, all in all, I believe the first response summed it up perfectly:

No no and another no.

Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go find my copy of Blood Money and go nuts at a party.
Then go sleep.
*YAWN*

 

[Hiphophippo]

I think it does quite a bit, but not in the way most people do. Seeing such graphic depictions of violence have served to reinforce how terrible real life violence is.

 

[sniperworm]

A bit, but no more than spending the same amount of time watching action movies.

In fact, I think I will now go watch Die Hard

 

[chstens]

To a certain degree, to some people. But not anymore than movies.