Video games & Brain reponses >>

[calius 0]

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=...ine-news_rss091

Violent video games alter brain's response to violence

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

.. Joking a side, its a good read. After seeing some of the footage on forums of people playing quake and Halo2 (cant find link but the one where the kid is being filmed playing in his bedroom and is loosing the plot and slapping the TV etc) ... its very real.

So if you disagree with me & this post im coming around your house with my gun, some pliers & an axe to ...... ...... ...... ummm, sorry .. I meant ..... ...... ummmm, feel free to post your comments.

[element11 0]

I have heard of this kind of thing over and over and over, and my opinion stays the same. Their "discovery" is ######. By playing a violent game, that doesnt change behavior. Because i regularly play ghost recon, rainbow six, socom, GTA, and other shooters, does that mean that im going to go grab an m4 and start shooting people? Hellz no, violent games have not changed me at all. I hate the way these people whine about anything. They make the stupidest crap up and make a huge deal about it. This is almost as bad as the bunch of women trying to ban harry potter books because they referance witchcraft.

[calius 0]

Yes but it mainly refers to more subtle things as adding to agression .. it doesnt say thats soley the point that nutters will run out and gun people down.

Its a more scientific look into games and areas of the brain.

Also how can you say it "doesnt" flat out without investigating the details yourself? Just because your not effected personaly doesnt mean to say it doesnt effect people on a more subliminal level (looking on a larger scale of gamers and age ranges etc).

I dont feel effected either but I thought the link was interesting rather than just saying "it causes everyone to become nutters" ... because I agree ... thats always a tad crap.

The again ... how much footage can you watch of someone being killed and not be as shocked as you would have been before you started gaming and being opened up to more violent material? Hard to answer, but I know I can look at monkeys being tested on and be sickened and angry ... then see footage of war and in some way not feel that same way .... thats what I do know. That is also exactly whats mentioned in this link.

[Dannik 43]

MIT Professor Henry Jenkins recently debunked several so-called facts about video games.

[element11 0]

Also how can you say it "doesnt" flat out without investigating the details yourself? Just because your not effected personaly doesnt mean to say it doesnt effect people on a more subliminal level (looking on a larger scale of gamers and age ranges etc).

What i meant by saying that is that I am not affected, and i realize that others might be, but i am not any less human because i play m rated games.

I dont feel effected either but I thought the link was interesting rather than just saying "it causes everyone to become nutters" ... because I agree ... thats always a tad crap.

It obviously doesnt turn everyone into nutters. We could have a big prollem on our hands if it did!

The again ... how much footage can you watch of someone being killed and not be as shocked as you would have been before you started gaming and being opened up to more violent material?  Hard to answer, but I know I can look at monkeys being tested on and be sickened and angry ... then see footage of war and in some way not feel that same way ....  thats what I do know. That is also exactly whats mentioned in this link.

There is a big difference between an animated sequence of a video game character getting shot, and real life footage of someones brains getting blown out. I dont know about you guys, but im not into that type of thing. Also, i enjoy a good war movie, but sometimes the footy is too graphic i must admit.

Good post dannik, good read as well.

Edited December 13, 2005 by element11

[squad_e 215]

Well today i saw on the news that Carjacking has increased ..

Games like GTA have "influenced" alot of youth's

Harry potter is a different topic.. It makes Witchcraft, black magic or wizardry a good thing, the sad thing is; Games or Movies its main audience are children....

If you read inside game manuals, they have all these kind of warnings of flashing\strobe lights & epilepcy (fits) ......

I remember the good old days, when there was no good GFX but great gameplay..

[Sup 0]

Harry potter is a different topic.. It makes Witchcraft, black magic or wizardry a good thing, the sad thing is; Games or Movies its main audience are children....

←

Are you being serious?

[pz3 338]

dude i went karaoken one night.

and this little 7 year old girl got up there and started singing.

"my milk shakes are bigger then youlls, it brings all the fellas to the yard"

bad parenting is to blame, parents should restrict what there kids see etc..

althoe i do think short term aggression isnt nothing to worry about to much. Hopefully there isnt to many FPS Dougs running around.

[Ruin 17]

MIT Professor Henry Jenkins recently debunked several so-called facts about video games.

←

What an interesting read, very informative!

[FA sear 0]

I believe that games can influence some kids to taking violent actions, but I don't think that you can say this for all people.

Also, I think you have to consider the fact that certain kids/people may just naturally gravitate toward certian types of games, so is it the game, or the type of people that want that sort of game?

My main point is that element 11 plays GTA, so stay away from him. Just Kidding.

[xG5kdo 0]

I believe that games can influence some kids to taking violent actions, but I don't think that you can say this for all people.

Also, I think you have to consider the fact that certain kids/people may just naturally gravitate toward certian types of games, so is it the game, or the type of people that want that sort of game?

My main point is that element 11 plays GTA, so stay away from him. Just Kidding.

←

Rating! RATING!! That's what rating is for!

Children are by nature inquisitive. They are also easily impressioned. I remember one day, I was still living in Buffalo, I visited Electronic City. Paying for a game, I saw a mother buying her 10 yr. old a copy of Ghost Recon. Now, although I love the game, I also realize that GR. is rated Mature. A 10 yr. old kid is hardly mature.

I believe the parents are to blame. When we play GR or GTA, we could differentiate between the 'make-believe' and the real world. While we take great delight in running down pedestrians and attacking cops in GTA3, we would never dream of doing that in real life. Children, because they tend to emulate, might be affected differently. So, when a parent buys his/her adolescent child games that are rated mature, really, that parent is just asking for trouble.

Harry potter is a different topic.. It makes Witchcraft, black magic or wizardry a good thing, the sad thing is; Games or Movies its main audience are children....

Aahh..the old debate. This is cultural. Western cultures, especially the more...err..shall we say 'fundamentalist' ones, are notoriously anti-magic/anti-witchcraft. I'd like to tell you that here in Asia, this is not a problem, since magic is more....accepted. People see magic not necessarily 'black' or 'white', but rather as a tool. The nature of its actions are defined solely by their user...but more discussion about this issue is not the point of this thread.

So, yes. I do believe that games can influence alot of behaviour.

Out.

[FA sear 0]

Excellent post xG5kdo, but did you read the article?

While I agree 100% with what you said in your post, the article was not specifically addressing children. My point was made in regard to people in general, not just children. Note that I used kids/people, as the article was not specifically addressing kids only.

Either way I do agree with what you are saying specifically in regard to children.

[calius 0]

and this little 7 year old girl got up there and started singing.

"my milk shakes are bigger then youlls, it brings all the fellas to the yard"

ah mate .. puke factor 100!

Yes but I think the point still stands that : Being exposed to it WILL make you less effected by footage of it over time, hence the fact of my original post. Realy the links details are about the brain effects not realy the social side of will it make people commit more crime.

Also "debunking" is a good thing, but when it comes from one source on a site about video gaming then its a tad one sided. Though blatant excuse of violence based on a game or video can be a bit O.T.T.

Would be good to have a parallel world that had NO video games or violent movies and to see the results with things now to compare, mind you as xG5kdo said ... "western civilisation" is the example I guess.

Anyway as the point was about a certain area of the brain being effected, its still isnt something you can debunk.

[dickie 0]

I can't deny that since starting to play FPS's two years ago, I feel I have changed. Whether or not it's a good thing I don't know, the only games I have really played are my beloved copy of GR, the Jedi Knight series and Americas Army, oh, and Raven Shield. Not really the 'mindless shooters' which seems to be what the debate is about, the way I see it, when you play GR or RvS for example, the idea behind the violence tends to be in order to prevent further violence such as the original GR campaign to prevent the whole conflict with the USSR thingy, and IT where you are trying to secure a democratic system, so the violence the player commits is a last resort in aid of a good cause, and the syle of gameplay rewards a certain finesse and not just strutting in with a huge machine gun and wasting everyone in sight. Whereas in GTA for example, the violence is much more different, and tends to be far more random and aggressive. But thats just my little theory, so take no notice if you want

[element11 0]

My main point is that element 11 plays GTA, so stay away from him. Just Kidding.

←

Hey man im white, and canadian, so what are the chances of me getting a gun? The govt is gonna ban handguns in canada.

[the.ronin 5]

Well ever since the 2006 World Cup draw in Leipzig, I've been playing an awful lot of FIFA 06 ... now I find myself kicking random round objects.

I may have footballitis.

[xG5kdo 0]

Excellent post xG5kdo, but did you read the article?

While I agree 100% with what you said in your post, the article was not specifically addressing children. My point was made in regard to people in general, not just children. Note that I used kids/people, as the article was not specifically addressing kids only.

Either way I do agree with what you are saying specifically in regard to children.

←

I did, which is why I made a point that if anyone is going to be affected, then its children. If an adult is so affected by, say, Doom 3, that the person starts walking about with a shotgun and chainsaw looking for demons to kill, then that person has problems. Alot of problems.

I believe the article over-generalize the response, and the type of people susceptible to the stimuli presented by these violent games. The fact that we can actually 'see' the violence take place, instead of imagining it, does not actually, IMO, make a person pre-disposed to violence. Afterall, I'm sure we all played Risk or Axis Versus Allies. Do we, then, become warmongers?

Out.

P.S: Footballitis!

[FA sear 0]

That was the point of my original post. That most people who are affected by that type of game are probably of a certain "mindset" to begin with, so it really was not the game that caused them to take any specific action.

However, I did try to conquer the world after playing Risk once.

[the.ronin 5]

I know this guy that dated someone just cos she looked like Lindy Cohen.

[squad_e 215]

Well ever since the 2006 World Cup draw in Leipzig, I've been playing an awful lot of FIFA 06 ... now I find myself kicking random round objects. 

I may have footballitis.

←

I was trnya do random tricks when i had Fifa Street "ronaldino style" & some Wayne Roonie voley's

I know this guy that dated someone just cos she looked like Lindy Cohen.

That's just lame .

[FA sear 0]

I know this guy that dated someone just cos she looked like Lindy Cohen.

←

Jeez, what kind of person would do that?

[element11 0]

I know this guy that dated someone just cos she looked like Lindy Cohen.

←

Jeez, what kind of person would do that?

←

[pz3 338]

a very smart person =)