Report: Effects of Gaming Worse Than "Smoking on Lung Cancer"

[000Ronald]

Apologies if this sounds egotistic, but I'm working on something right now that may make a lot of these people do a 180. I still have to do a bit of research, but the argument itself is solid.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Is there really anything left to say but "lol, Australia"?

Hey, hey, hey! Don't ladle the rest of us with the lunk heads who shot smack in to their eyeballs and scribbled out this nonsense.

 

[GeekFury]

WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!

I love the UK, only research we ever seem to get done thats sensational is that Canabis is ok.

 

[Antari]

I want a job where I can be an ignorant moron all day long too... lucky bastards.

Science News Flash, "Humans are Violent!" ... Go find your suprised face kids.

 

[-BloodRush-]

A general rebuttal towards media perceptions of gaming as a new 'sin':

You know what? You're entitled to your opinions. If you say games are destroying our youth and breeding armies of disenchanted, psychotic killing machines, go out and say so. Our industry is an amalgamation of numerous companies selling vastly different products, some designed to deliver cheap thrills, others to push the boundaries of storytelling, interaction and moral choices but to name a few, some of which make half a billion dollars in their first week of release.

The only industries that have that kind of financial clout are the true world-changers - Arms, Tobacco, that sort of thing. What would you rather have you son come home with, a gun, a pack of smokes or a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV? Even if you truly believe in your heart that we purvey sick, twisted filth, could you honestly say we were any worse in terms of damaging quality of life than these other giants of industry?

Guns are made expressly to kill. Cigarettes are made and sold with the goal of addiction in mind, in full knowledge that this addiction will likely end in a premature death or crippling disease. Games are designed to entertain. They may go about achieving those goals in gratuitously violent, obscene, even disturbing ways, but the intention to cause literal harm against the player is non-existent.

So, please, feel free to yammer and cry your eyes out over the so-called destruction of our youth, throw as much mud as you see fit. Just remember, at the end of the day, amongst the giants of industry, supplying us with our cars that kill and maim millions every year, our cigarettes that slowly crush the life out of people hopelessly addicted to a substance harder to quit than most other hard drugs, our weapons that find ever more inventive ways to kill people for reasons that never seem right after the act, at least you can sit down with a dumb little game, ignore the horrors of the world for a few hours, and try to have fun.

Regards,

The Informed Opinion

indeed. nothing else really needs to be said other than that study is a simple investment to lean people towards a pre-determined mind set.

 

[rokkolpo]

Try telling that to all of those who have lost people to lung cancer.

true, can you imagine their faces.

 

[Retardinator]

Oh well, guess I'll have to substitute my play for a 10-pack-a-day habit... As if I didn't smoke enough.
Oh, and Surggical_Scar pretty much put the last nail on that coffin. Then buried it. And put concrete over it.

 

[z121231211]

An Australian

This is the first time I can say I stopped right there.

 

[ultracheeser]

I guess it might be kinda true. I actually laughed the first time I played "No Russian".
I I honestly don't give 2/5's of a fuck, and I'll play them no matter what.

 

[Starke]

Are we basing this off the data that smoking isn't connected to lung cancer because tobacco inhibits the destruction of cancer cells, but isn't actually carcinogenic itself?

shhh, you're trying to use logic in a political debate.


OT, I'm actually pretty sure that several study groups and even two US Attorney General and a Surgeon General have even stated that there is no solid link between violence and video game use.

But, I always bring logic into political debate. I'm so lonely.

In all seriousness though, any ties between violence and any form of media is dicey at best, pseudoscience at worst. It is a little more feasible to say that exposure to violence in the media (movies, TV and Video Games are the current offenders, comic books and RPGs used to be on the list (and for some still are)) can lead to increased levels of aggression. Not violence, aggression. Unfortunately the methodology is shit. Mouthing off sarcastically is sometimes considered a sign of increased aggression.

Sorry, I think I accidentally spell checked your post...

 

[TheSkaAssassin]

Australia

This explains everything.

 

[Starke]

As a random aside, you can (with a pack of cigarettes and minimal equipment (which I guarantee you have in your kitchen right now)) make a weapons grade nerve agent. With video games you can... uh? learn how to plot the overthrow of the government so long as you regenerate health faster than wolverine, and have access to unlimited ammo?

Sorry, it's just, you know, something that bothers me seriously about this.

 

[geezah91]

seriously are hitlers grandchildren running australia at this stage. If you want more of us irish could come over and show'em the true meaning of violence. Sorry bout that but these complete and utter tools who think gaming is bad for you really get under my skin. How many people do you know have died from death by video game violence? HMMM......yeah thought so

 

[UnusualStranger]

After checking out the references, and noting what was in them, I am starting to think I could start my own professional study.

The topic will be "Governments attempting to kill its Populace"

I will grab snippets from random, official articles, claiming them as "indisputable proof" and point out random instances where the government has killed its own people.

If anyone points out that my data does not correctly correspond with todays government, I will respond with "So what?" and then claim their counterpoint means nothing.

I will then push the point that all governments need to be dismantled immediately for everyones safety, and claim that I have all peoples interest at heart.

 

[TelHybrid]

I wish we could get more detail from the millions of anti-video game propaganda articles than "studies show...". How about some evidence? Statistics? The root psychological effect rather than "lolz gaimz maik kids angrey!!!111".

 

[hebdomad]

*face palms* .. I guess I better take up smoking then.

 

[Fniff]

Newflash: Gaming is a cancer now, and only exists to kill and rape your entire family. Also, having Fun is now banned, by the order of Michael Akinson.

Seriously, what the hell is up with these people?

 

[someotherguy]

I actually expect this from Australia, censor ship isn't the best thing in the world.

 

[Snotnarok]

Apparently the writer never had to deal with the stress of cancer.

One day I'd like to get one of these writers in a room and sit them down, give 'em a cup of soda and maybe lay out a bag of chips and just simply play a few rounds of any given "HORRIBLE VIOLENT VIDEOGAME" just to show them how harmless it is. Because it's always taken so out of context.

Of course I'd have to avoid the xbox live version in fear they might hear some 12 year old calling everyone "faggots" and n-....racist words. Never a good impression