http://www.sciencenewsden.com/2007/violentvideogamesaffectbrains.shtml
They waited to announce this after Christmas...
They waited to announce this after Christmas...
Violent Video Games Affect the Brain
- Thread starter gabeti
- Start date
Not sure I buy the "decreased concentration" of the violent gamers. Have you ever tried to get a kid's attention while they were playing any computer game they liked?
I also wonder what game was chosen. Some violent games require little concentration as they are more movie effects than strategy while other games require lots of planning and information retention.
Just a couple of thoughts
Moraff
I also wonder what game was chosen. Some violent games require little concentration as they are more movie effects than strategy while other games require lots of planning and information retention.
Just a couple of thoughts
Moraff
I agree. I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote et al without having all the horrible violence cut out, played with toy guns, played with real guns (mostly supervised), had no 0-tolerance policy while in school and yet to date I have yet to go on a killing spree, torture small animals, or give my coworkers the beatings they so richly deserve. 
Of course I also had parents who brought me up with morals and values, to repect the feelings and possessions of others, to admit when I was wrong or had done wrong. (cheating on your taxes doesn't count right?)
Of course I also had parents who brought me up with morals and values, to repect the feelings and possessions of others, to admit when I was wrong or had done wrong. (cheating on your taxes doesn't count right?)
As I work in the video game industry I will tell you first hand that a lot of video games, especially online games, focus on one set of emotions, that being highly aggressive kill-or-be-killed. Things like compassion, rationality, even sportsmanship are often left by the wayside. I've witnessed countless times the mental state of people deteriorate from general happiness to intense anger and antagonism playing violent video games. Furthermore video games are not the same as film, books or television as video games give a person an active role in the story. Furthermore modern day video game developers often do not bother with things like morality instead choosing to let people act out a murderous rampage guilt free, essentially catering to a psychopathic mindset.
I'm sick and tired of hearing gamers say that video game violence has no effect on the mental state of people. That's a crock of shit. Any emotionally mature person with more than two brain cells to rub together can see that running around in a video game killing people for hours on end, day in and day out for weeks, months, years can take it's toll on the human psyche.
Now I am not saying that violence doesn't have it's place in video games, rather that there are far, far too many games focused on nothing more than people running around trying to kill each other. I am saying that video game developers and publishers for the most part just want to pump out what they think will earn them the most money and if that means catering to people's lowest most carnal mindset then so be it.
I'm sick and tired of hearing gamers say that video game violence has no effect on the mental state of people. That's a crock of shit. Any emotionally mature person with more than two brain cells to rub together can see that running around in a video game killing people for hours on end, day in and day out for weeks, months, years can take it's toll on the human psyche.
Now I am not saying that violence doesn't have it's place in video games, rather that there are far, far too many games focused on nothing more than people running around trying to kill each other. I am saying that video game developers and publishers for the most part just want to pump out what they think will earn them the most money and if that means catering to people's lowest most carnal mindset then so be it.
As with anything moderation and supervision is important when talking about children.
To say that outer stimuli has no effect on people is to ignore years of research that has been exploited by businesses for years. Take casino's for example I'm sure they've gone so far as to figure out what lights, sounds and environment are most conducive to getting people to gamble.
Well in video games I'm sure a lot of studies have been done to determine what will "hook" the player and keep them coming back for more.
Video games are designed to change a person's behaviour in one main way.... to have you come back for more. Other behaviours that one might display are probably unintentional byproducts (e.g. violent behaviour).
At the very least I think that video games are just part of the bigger effect that the media has on glorifying and desensitizing people to violence.
But at the end of the day I think there are many factors that go into determining how one will react to violent video games
a) parenting
b) peers/ environment
c) amount of exposure to the game and other sources of violence
d) the individual (some people might argue that some people are unbalanced and that if it wasn't vid games something else would set them over the edge)
So what are we to do?
I think video game creators should be a bit more careful about what they create and take some responsibility..... e.g. do we really need games like GTA/vice city where the player takes on the part of a criminal?
I think parent's need to pay more attention to what their kids are doing and regulate it better..... so many kids are allowed almost unlimited time on the computer or in front of the TV, all largely unsupervised.
To blame specifically video games is silly. I think everyone has a part in what kids are exposed to and how they react to it.
To say that outer stimuli has no effect on people is to ignore years of research that has been exploited by businesses for years. Take casino's for example I'm sure they've gone so far as to figure out what lights, sounds and environment are most conducive to getting people to gamble.
Well in video games I'm sure a lot of studies have been done to determine what will "hook" the player and keep them coming back for more.
Video games are designed to change a person's behaviour in one main way.... to have you come back for more. Other behaviours that one might display are probably unintentional byproducts (e.g. violent behaviour).
At the very least I think that video games are just part of the bigger effect that the media has on glorifying and desensitizing people to violence.
But at the end of the day I think there are many factors that go into determining how one will react to violent video games
a) parenting
b) peers/ environment
c) amount of exposure to the game and other sources of violence
d) the individual (some people might argue that some people are unbalanced and that if it wasn't vid games something else would set them over the edge)
So what are we to do?
I think video game creators should be a bit more careful about what they create and take some responsibility..... e.g. do we really need games like GTA/vice city where the player takes on the part of a criminal?
I think parent's need to pay more attention to what their kids are doing and regulate it better..... so many kids are allowed almost unlimited time on the computer or in front of the TV, all largely unsupervised.
To blame specifically video games is silly. I think everyone has a part in what kids are exposed to and how they react to it.
I do remember a newspaper article that drew parallels between video games and certain aspects of military training geared towards getting people to shoot etc.
