Views on Violence in Video Games 626
CBS News' GameCore site is running a series of articles discussing the ever recurring debate about video games and violent behavior. They start with prominent anti-gaming lawyer Jack Thompson. From the article: "The heads of six major health care organizations testified before Congress that there are hundreds of studies that prove the link. All the video game industry has are studies paid for by them, which are geared to find the opposite result. Lawyers call such experts 'whores.'" Tim Buckley, of the webcomic Ctrl+Alt+Del, had the chance to put forth an opposing viewpoint on the subject. According to the site there will be more coverage on this topic next week from other gaming community members.
Re:New Study, More Time (Score:5, Informative)
Most people can play videogames and not think that the room-mate who refuses to do the dishes needs to be fragged. It's those sad sacks who can't, and their parents (who in all likelyhood are just as responsible for Junior being a clue-impaired moron) who should be held responsible, not the game companies.
Parents need to actively involved in raising their kids, not letting the TV or the X-Box do it for them. Buckley hit the nail on the head with that one.
Kierthos
Kneejerk attorney (Score:5, Informative)
I found it difficult to take him seriously after the first question:
Again and again throughout the interview, he basically takes an elitist stance that says "if you don't agree with me you're stupid." Here, if you don't agree that "M-rated means violent" then the implication is that you must be too dumb to accept what "everybody" thinks.
It would have been interesting to see him actually answer the question, as Tim Buckley did. Compare and contrast:
Ahh! Game studies! (Score:3, Informative)
While game playing might contain violent aspects, the cognitive engagement is far different than, say, bullying or beating up some poor kid. How the player thinks about their experience - entertainment and fun, for example, rather than punishment or retribution - is important.
Furthermore, some of my own research asks, despite violence in videogames, what do players learn through their playing? The results have, so far, been a surprise. Younger players use the medium for socialization with older players; groups of players focus on teamwork skills (nothing amazing there) and the game environment requires active thinking about strategy for success. My own next step is to explore "gaming clans," and clan players' motivations.
Nonetheless, the question we should all be asking is, given that violence is inherant to our humanistic being, in what modes is it possible a constructive experience, and in what modes is it destructive?
Bandura's social cognititve theory might suggest that the illustration of violence begets further violent behavior. But that we haven't all killed each other, and that we don't punch random stranges on the street, despite having watched violent television programming, indicates a compromise.
More later, this is a wonderful subject! --dave
Re:violent games (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Much Worse then TV and Movies (Score:3, Informative)
Re:violent games (Score:3, Informative)
Re:violent games (Score:5, Informative)
This [theesa.com] is the only one that comes to mind quickly, but many may argue that a trade organization representing video game mfgrs is biased. But, some facts are impossible to ignore.
Study proves nothing (Score:3, Informative)
A new study was released yesterday by Tulane Medical which tracked video game users over a 8 year period testing how much the video games they play affect their tendency toward violence. The study found that among those who played games 8% went on to have some form of violence conviction while only 6% of the non-gamers did.
Correllation does not prove causality. Consider, for example the following hypothetical statistics:
Now we conduct an omnipitant study of 1 million people. Results show:
Now a study committed by mere mortals that looks only at the numbers and doesn't look deeper would show:
Both of these studys show a strong correlation between playing violent games and committing crimes. But in reality, the violent games have actually eliminated 60,000 violent crimes and the availibility of violent games have reduced the amount of violence by 30%.
There are many other reasons for violent crime. There is a statistical indication that the drug war may have doubled violent crime (not even counting the crimes perpetrated by the government) just as prohibition did. There is considerable violence against racial and sexual minorities. The poor are increasingly desparate in our rich get richer, poor get poorer economy.
Someone was pointing out to me, that in an area of the city where I live, that there has been a substantial outbreak of armed robbery. This followed a recent crackdown on dope dealing. Possible cause: the remaining dope dealers have decided that it is safer to commit armed robbery and split than to wait around long enough for both drug buyters and police to find them.
Re:violent games (Score:3, Informative)
BZZT. (Score:3, Informative)
IQ tests are normalized based on scads and scads of results for lots and lots of people. A test taker is given a score of 100 because half of the people who took it in the calibration group scored higher, and half lower.
So, while the mean isn't necessarily the median, it sometimes is, and you won't always score cheap points by saying it isn't.
--grendel drago
Re:violent games (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.pafko.com/wayne/docs/media_effects_vide o_games.pdf
They list several studes, some of which showed a DECREASE in violence.
I just picked 100 as a sample number. Do it as large as you want to.
Note, there are LOTS of studies where the Authors "Conclude that violence was caused by video games". But NONE of them I have ever seen succesfully show indicate causation of actual violence.
What the tons of "anti-video game studies consistently prove is that:
people that play violent video games have some violent thoughts for the period immediately afterwords. Violent thoughts sounds scary, but there is another name for it: Memories. When you look at red things for an hour, you tend to think about red things. It does not make you like the color red more, nor does it make you subconciously want to buy red things.
People that engage in violent actions like playing violent games and liked to play violent games when they were kids. They also like to eat meat and liked to eat meat as a kid. They also like to wear cloathing and wore cloathing as a kid. And they tend to be physically in better shape.
Causation is not correlation. Proving Correlation is worthless. Show me causation and I will agree with you.
Re:New Study, More Time (Score:0, Informative)
If guns cause crime, then why are prisons so dangerous?
Is it because the inmates have easy access to guns?
-David Kopel
"Japanese Gun Control [davekopel.org]"