Hi there! You are currently browsing as a guest. Why not create an account? Then you get less ads, can thank creators, post feedback, keep a list of your favourites, and more!
Mad Poster
#26 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 10:14 AM
Maybe not a game or two, but what about the effect of the sheer amount of violent images coming from various sources, including video games? Kathasca2, I was like you when I was younger. I did watch horror that was suspense, but violent movies would give me a headache and horrified me. Now, because I wanted to watch movies and tv, I've learned to ignore the violent scenes. That's the part that's sticking for me. It feels like people get numb. I have, somewhat, at least to video images. However, that hasn't carried over to real life for me. Things that happen in my games or in videos are undesirable and horrifying for real life. But I wonder, is that true for everyone else?

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Advertisement
Top Secret Researcher
#27 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 11:26 AM
I have played games such as some of the elder scrolls and spellforce when I use younger and I am NOT a violent person. If there is one game that makes people violent I would have to say it would be mortal combat.

"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must remain vigilant. If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!" - knight commander Meredith (dragon age 2)

My sims stories: Witch queen
Nocturnal Dawn
Mad Poster
#28 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 4:14 PM
I don't see Elder Scrolls as being an issue because there's some sandbox play as well as hero stories wrapped up in it. Often, a bloody win is part of hero stories which communicate certain mindsets of helping others or joining forces for the better good. I don't think that leads to violence, necessarily, and that certain attitudes are communicated that might be seen as desirable. But what about negative attitudes that get communicated through video games? I am specifically thinking about the one where the goal is to hijack cars and do something to hookers. If you have to do something to hookers, aren't you seeing them as something less than human? And, if so, would that attitude carry over to real life?

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Field Researcher
#29 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 6:41 PM
As said earlier: Imho (and that's just my opinion) it heavily depends on the person, the education, the childhood, the environment, the personality. People GROW into what they are due to multiple factors.

A game alone doesn't make them more or less violent, more sensitive or more numb. I was raised to be very sensitive - which isn't always helpful, quite the burn-out-factor if you are constantly overflooded with your own + other peoples emotion. I work at a place where to take care of elderly people. You have to be sensitive / reckognize their feelings / wishes. But when it comes to dying, you better be "unsensitive" enough, not to carry home each death that happens. You need to be able to block them out, else you can't stay in any social business.

Every day we read about war / deaths / deseases at the newspaper and get flooded. Ofc we get numb after a certain point - which is only natural. If we don't filter things into "must react with emotion" and "couldn't care less", our brains would explode, cos too much input / too much emotion. We are only humans. So why pick the PC games? Cos every one else does? Why not blame weapons for making people more violent? Right, we don't, cos it's only a tool. In the end the tool / medium does NOT matter much - cos the output really is just abt the person / their wishes.

If a person wants to be violent, cos they haven't learned how else to deal with their emotion, a pc game doesn't make any difference. When there weren't pc games, they weren't any nicer when angry.

Still struggling with CAW :x
Mad Poster
#30 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 9:50 PM
My inquiries were not putting forth an opinion, but were seeking more information so that an opinion could be formed. I was hoping for people to answer my inquiries with their own experiences and observations.

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Top Secret Researcher
#31 Old 21st Sep 2012 at 11:09 PM
Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
I don't see Elder Scrolls as being an issue because there's some sandbox play as well as hero stories wrapped up in it. Often, a bloody win is part of hero stories which communicate certain mindsets of helping others or joining forces for the better good. I don't think that leads to violence, necessarily, and that certain attitudes are communicated that might be seen as desirable. But what about negative attitudes that get communicated through video games? I am specifically thinking about the one where the goal is to hijack cars and do something to hookers. If you have to do something to hookers, aren't you seeing them as something less than human? And, if so, would that attitude carry over to real life?


My games make me angry when I get killed or stuck in the game. Usally I calm down after a little while. Personally I do not take any negative attitudes from my games into my life usally.

"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must remain vigilant. If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!" - knight commander Meredith (dragon age 2)

My sims stories: Witch queen
Nocturnal Dawn
Mad Poster
#32 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 12:07 PM
Artimis, why did you feel that Mortal Combat makes people violent?

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Top Secret Researcher
#33 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 6:25 PM
Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
Artimis, why did you feel that Mortal Combat makes people violent?


I have seen the videos for mortal combat and it is one of the most violent games around and also the fatalties here is the example of why I think that this games makes people violent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-RN5Dbp7NM

WARNING!!: this contains strong blood violence and it is 18+, you have been warned.

"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must remain vigilant. If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!" - knight commander Meredith (dragon age 2)

My sims stories: Witch queen
Nocturnal Dawn
Field Researcher
#34 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 8:22 PM
But why would Mortal Kombat make people violent when others game do not? It is that what intrigues me, as I don't see it as more violent than other similar games, plus it has really fake graphics which don't even look like reality.
Mad Poster
#35 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 8:27 PM
My son swears that the research does not show any correlation between video game violence and violent behavior outside of the fantasy. But that flies in the face of what seems logical. I'm having a hard time putting these pieces together. I guess if the video violence seems fake or if there's enough of a hero story underlying it, that it would not have any effect once gaming has stopped. But I could see certain individuals become inured to another's suffering after having played at something where they hacked and slashed at other human beings. I just don't know. I wish I could see more research.


I'm still concerned about the underlying attitudes that are communicated through media. There's this concept of defining what is normal or acceptable.

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Scholar
#36 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 8:27 PM
That person really didn't like Mileena....>_>
Lab Assistant
#37 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 10:51 PM
As has been better stated by others, I do think if someone is predisposed to being violent for whatever reason, a video game isn't going to be the root cause.

The only caveat I would suggest is with children. Younger children, IMO, aren't as capable at separating acceptable/unacceptable behavior to begin with, much less always understanding the direct outcomes/consequences of their actions. So, IMO, allowing them to play violent video games (or watching violent movies for that matter) could lead to unacceptable (not necessarily violent) behavior. This could be anything from arguing about whose turn it is that then escalates to fighting/hitting, to playing too roughly because "that's what they do on <insert game title of your choice>". It's why the video game industry has ratings, yet I'm always amazed by how many people let their children play games that are not appropriate for their age because "it's just a video game".

Yes, each child is different and an attentive parent will know whether their child can handle more mature content, but that's not always the case. And if a child already has a tendency to act out or be too rough during play, then as above, the video game is not the root cause, but I could see how it could contribute in these cases.
Mad Poster
#38 Old 22nd Sep 2012 at 11:45 PM
What are your thoughts about the crimes that mimicked scenarios from video games and law suits ensued? I think I read this about Grand Theft Auto and some police killings. (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-678261.html) Somehow, it doesn't seem reasonable, although perhaps it was a contributing factor. I think the perpetrator had a history of abuse. Maybe he wasn't mentally stable, either. They don't say how young he was when he started to play the game.

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Top Secret Researcher
#39 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 12:08 AM
Quote: Originally posted by pinketamine
But why would Mortal Kombat make people violent when others game do not? It is that what intrigues me, as I don't see it as more violent than other similar games, plus it has really fake graphics which don't even look like reality.


It is one of the most welknown games of it's type and it is considered an extermely violet game by people who hate games, Ithat it might even if it is not realistic it may still give people ideas on that sort of thing.

Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
My son swears that the research does not show any correlation between video game violence and violent behavior outside of the fantasy. But that flies in the face of what seems logical. I'm having a hard time putting these pieces together. I guess if the video violence seems fake or if there's enough of a hero story underlying it, that it would not have any effect once gaming has stopped. But I could see certain individuals become inured to another's suffering after having played at something where they hacked and slashed at other human beings. I just don't know. I wish I could see more research.


I'm still concerned about the underlying attitudes that are communicated through media. There's this concept of defining what is normal or acceptable.


I agree with you there.

Quote: Originally posted by frankokomando
That person really didn't like Mileena....>_>


I picked that video as it looked the most gorey for my point but I do not like Mileena much iether give me Katana or Sonya any day .

"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must remain vigilant. If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!" - knight commander Meredith (dragon age 2)

My sims stories: Witch queen
Nocturnal Dawn
Top Secret Researcher
#40 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 12:11 AM
Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
What are your thoughts about the crimes that mimicked scenarios from video games and law suits ensued? I think I read this about Grand Theft Auto and some police killings. (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-678261.html) Somehow, it doesn't seem reasonable, although perhaps it was a contributing factor. I think the perpetrator had a history of abuse. Maybe he wasn't mentally stable, either. They don't say how young he was when he started to play the game.


I do'nt play games such as I am more of an RPG, startgery or sims type of girl but I can see what you mean although if the perpetrator totally sound of mind then he could have took'n infulence from game. If you give someone who mayde crimnally insane a game like that ... then that would not have been wise idea.

"I know, and it breaks my heart to do it, but we must remain vigilant. If you cannot tell me another way, do not brand me a tyrant!" - knight commander Meredith (dragon age 2)

My sims stories: Witch queen
Nocturnal Dawn
Theorist
#41 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 1:07 AM
Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
What are your thoughts about the crimes that mimicked scenarios from video games and law suits ensued? I think I read this about Grand Theft Auto and some police killings. (http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18560_162-678261.html) Somehow, it doesn't seem reasonable, although perhaps it was a contributing factor. I think the perpetrator had a history of abuse. Maybe he wasn't mentally stable, either. They don't say how young he was when he started to play the game.

Well, as long as we're blaming copycat crimes, I think we need to shut down Law & Order. That show has a bunch of people doing bad things, right? People don't commit crimes directly because of speech, whether it's a video game or whatever, or at least these impersonal sorts of speech don't. If I sit here and insult someone's mother long enough, I might provoke criminal violence through speech, but that's directed, personal communication. On the other hand, people never stop communicating ever, so it's entirely logical that they also communicate while committing crimes. For instance, there's really no compelling reason for "suicide notes" but they're pretty common. Why? Because even in death people feel the urge to communicate with people. Now some people suck at communicating, and obviously some people probably feel that their acts speak for themselves or maybe they understand that any sort of communication during a criminal act is something that law enforcement can latch onto, but ultimately it's not that speech is a very compelling for the cause of violence.

I think we live in an age where we're stuck with tons of uncompared statistics. That is, prior to the modern age when we started worrying about such things we simply didn't collect a lot of this sort of data, so if you lay it naked across a timeline it appears as if certain natural proclivities of the human mind pop into being from nowhere and rise rapidly following telephones and televisions and the internet. But I think it's pretty clear that's crap, like imaging that your grandparents weren't nasty, dirty fornicators because you didn't witness it personally and all of the media of the time refused to mention it. It's like blaming the Russian revolution directly on Marx, rather that accepting that Marx was pretty much in the position of reporting on a trend rather than compelling action directly.

Do Batman movies make people into mass murderers? Why do women wear clothes that tell people to rape them? That's the sort of argument I hear when I see these sorts of "does X cause people to be bad people" conversations. Just because someone does wrong doesn't mean they're substantially different from the rest of us. They watch the same movies, television, read the same books. They're products of their culture the same as you and I. That they reflect that culture isn't an argument that the culture makes people do wrong things. Indeed, I imagine if we took the alleged and allegorical "man from nowhere" - no culture, no outside input from anything, that guy would stand as much chance of being a dick as anyone else.
Mad Poster
#42 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 8:31 AM
I would see watching a movie very differently than playing a game only because, in game, there's an action that could be considered training. The lawsuit claimed that the game had been training for the criminal. I don't know. You could be right, this is simply a matter of a copy-cat crime. After all, one person became a murderer, but more people than I can count have played and loved that game. And your arguments for how the actions are not connected makes a ton of sense and are important to remember.

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Instructor
#43 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 9:11 AM Last edited by StardustX : 23rd Sep 2012 at 9:28 AM.
If you have so much fun killing/injuring things in video games that you think it would be fun to do it in real life... You already have SERIOUS underlying issues that were most definitely not caused by playing video games.
And that goes for any game and any game type. Whether you're playing Mortal Kombat or some kind of My Little Pony game, there's something wrong with you if you desire to act out those situations in real life. And come on... Realistically, no video game is fun without at least a little violence.

I've spent hours going on killing sprees in video games. I've wiped out entire (fictitious) towns, killed my friends, chased children around while shouting at them in Dragon language while being followed by my man-sized cat sidekick, and caused Buffaloes to become extinct (and was rewarded for it).
Does that mean I'm going to do the same in real life? No. Anyone who thinks I would do this just because I enjoy doing it in a GAME... is an idiot, frankly.
Mad Poster
#44 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 9:55 AM
What are the mechanics and the motivation that allow us to enjoy violence in media, but not in our daily lives? What stops it from being fun in real life?

I find it stress relieving to play the old Age of Empires or Phantasy Star Online. In the former, I'm fighting against a faceless enemy and in the later, I'm fighting monsters who would hurt me. I cannot imagine playing a game where I saw faces so closely or could identify in any way with someone/something that was targeted. What allows you to separate the enjoyment of violence against your friends and children in a video game from how you feel in real life?

Addicted to The Sims since 2000.
Instructor
#45 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 1:10 PM
Video games are just the newest scape goat. Before it was movies, cartoons, "BLAME MTV!!!ONE!!EE1!", etc.

I'm sure people have complained about novels & theatre too.

Well that's what happens when you're on your own and you're alright at letting nice things go
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#46 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 1:35 PM
Quote: Originally posted by scoopy_loopy
I'm sure people have complained about novels & theatre too.

Yes, they have - novels, waltzing and other dancing, especially with two people dancing together, singing popular music, player pianos (you know the ones with the punched cards that play the notes automatically), jazz, the radio (in various forms throughout the years), records, tape recorders, rhythm 'n' blues, Elvis Presley ... and I could go on and on - I only got to about 1956 there - and WHAT IS MORE I can show you examples (I collect them). Yet, the world has not ended and, at least in the UK, there is less recorded violence than in the 1890s (seriously, this is true, the crime rate in the 1890s in the UK was appalling).

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Theorist
#47 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 2:52 PM
So if God came down from Heaven and smacked all video games and our memories of playing them from existence then our culture would immediately return to its non-violent state? And that should be soon, there's no telling what The Sims 3 has done to all of us here. Shame on EA, shame shame on the video game, shame on you and me.
Test Subject
#48 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 9:48 PM
Default Depends
It all depends on the mental makeup of the person involved and/or what drugs if any the person has taken, and I included Alcohol in this.

I play Dynasty Warriors quite a lot, for those of you who don't know the game, it's set in feudal China and the basic aim is to go charging across a battle field and kick the cr*p out of as many enemy soldiers and generals as you possibly can. In no way shape or form could this be considered a "cute" or "cuddly" game. But because I play and enjoy the game it doesn't encourage me to then go charging through the local Chinese takeaway hacking and slashing away with a bloody great sword, no matter how bad the service is!

People who commit violent crime do so because 9 times out of 10 they are severely messed up in the head. They may play "call of duty" and think it would be really cool to try it out at school or work, and next day another shooting is on the news. But you've got to be a bit fouled up not to be able to separate a digital illusion from real life, not be able to see the consequences of your fantasy.

While the game may act as a trigger point, I don’t think it the starting point.
Lab Assistant
#49 Old 23rd Sep 2012 at 10:03 PM
Quote: Originally posted by VerDeTerre
What are the mechanics and the motivation that allow us to enjoy violence in media, but not in our daily lives? What stops it from being fun in real life?


For "normal" people, we know it's not real. There are no real world consequences and you are free to indulge in behavior that would be unacceptable by societal norms or flat out against the law.



Quote:
I cannot imagine playing a game where I saw faces so closely or could identify in any way with someone/something that was targeted.


Hmm, as a player of primarily RPGs, this happens a lot. Those faces usually come with backstories that can help you empathize with or disregard their plight (if the writers are good) just like you could in real life. But, again, in the back of your mind you know it's just a game and no matter what your decisions are, there are no real consequences. Plus if you don't like the outcome, you can reload and change your decisions. lol
Instructor
#50 Old 24th Sep 2012 at 6:33 AM
Exactly what Spitfire Mouse said. *nods*

There's a difference between gaming and real life. I can do ANYTHING in a video game, and then re-load my game and try again. Real life is entirely different, you don't get do-overs and your actions have consequences. That's why it's fun in video games but not in real life.
 
Page 2 of 4
Back to top