-
Website
http://techliberation.com/ -
Original page
http://techliberation.com/2007/11/20/why-hasnt-violent-media-turned-us-into-a-nation-of-killers/ -
Subscribe
All Comments -
Community
-
-
Top Commenters
-
Popular Threads
That being said I think the evidence for the effect of movies and video games on behavior is less than overwhelming.
I wonder if 40 million abortions have done more than anything to desensitize the nation, but there are many possible factors. Excessive video violence doesn't look like a major culprit. Still, I don't believe it can be a net good. Surely government regulation is premature, given our ignorance of the magnitude of the threat. But Rockefeller is a politican, and it is a politician's job to promise things he can't deliver.
No, but they seem to have adversely affected your cognitive abilities.
The heads of six major health care organizations testified jointly to Congress in 2001 as to the causal link between entertainment violence and teen violence.
All you have to counter the mountain of scientific, medical, and law enforcement evidence that there is a causal link between entertainment violence and real-world violence is your bias-based angst that truth is an inconvenient obstacle to nihilism.
The video game industry ITSELF admits the danger by placement of age ratings on games. If there is no harm, no danger, no effect, then why are those labels on the games, Adam?
Further, if media had no effect on anyone, then why do the video game developers take out ads in gamer magazines and on television, hoping and knowing that ads actually influence buying behavior.
You\'re full of nonsense, but most Soviet-ophiles are.
Comrade Jack Thompson
The heads of six major health care organizations testified jointly to Congress in 2001 as to the causal link between entertainment violence and teen violence.
All you have to counter the mountain of scientific, medical, and law enforcement evidence that there is a causal link between entertainment violence and real-world violence is your bias-based angst that truth is an inconvenient obstacle to nihilism.
The video game industry ITSELF admits the danger by placement of age ratings on games. If there is no harm, no danger, no effect, then why are those labels on the games, Adam?
Further, if media had no effect on anyone, then why do the video game developers take out ads in gamer magazines and on television, hoping and knowing that ads actually influence buying behavior.
You\\\'re full of nonsense, but most Soviet-ophiles are.
Comrade Jack Thompson
Playing competitive sports gives you more aggression as well. However, as factual as this report may be, we should not make any legislations based on the extrapolations of facts. I hate to see a far-reaching law being put into place just to whittle down a few more game-related crimes (and don't really do anything for the millions of more non-game-related crimes). Pretty inefficient, don't you think? Too much overhead for too little marginal returns. (no I'm not talking economics here, this can also be applied to the way societies are run)
Video game companies are not responsible for fragile-minded bipolar children that end up killing people. That is the parents' responsibility. Of course you make it seem otherwise, since it's easier to carry out legal action on companies and draining their assets. You're another example of a carpenter with a hammer, who sees every problem like a nail.
@sccarper
Regarding your first comment, well, video games and violent entertainment aren't just big in the US. They are common in just about any industrialized nation, to various degrees. Of course, there are so many different factors in different nations that trying to compare crime rates and use that as an argument is pointless, really.
Regarding you second comment, please refrain from insults just because someone has a different view on abortion than you.
I was born and still live in South Africa - in fact I've never been out of the country so I wouldn't be able to speculate on situations in places like the USA for instance...
But you know what, there has NEVER, and I mean NEVER been any recorded case of any "school massacres" or people who played video games or listened to metal music who went out and killed a bunch of people here.
And just because we're being considered as 3rd world doesn't mean we don't have the same issues any other country might have, in fact, and I don't have any proof of this (too lazy to look it up, hehe) but I believe our crime rate here is even higher than most modern countries.
Is it becaus of video games? No.
Is it because of gun-lookalike toys? No.
Is it because of violent-seeming music? No.
I actually believe that we have a lot more problems here.
While struggling to exceed an an already oversaturated and controlled world order, we have to struggle with additional factors like a 40% unemployment ratio for a nation, insane crime rates, famine, drought and a very corrupt government.
And even with all of this, we do not have any teens going out on murderous rampages.
Why? Because I honestly believe that we are a society not having the time, effort, or socio-economic constraints that people actually think they need to go out and kill someone.
Even though we have the same amount of violent media being broadcasted here, if not more.
ALL of these so-called studies are being carried out in America and Europe...
They don't even have any kind of influence here, 'cause the situation is different.
Once again, I have no real proof for any of this, but I think it's worth a thought.
I've also played every violent game and wathed every violent movie imaginable, but I'm still able to differentiate between right and wrong.
That's just my little rant on all this...
i agree with you entirely, im doing a report on this for my A level media studies course at college so i stumbled upon this page whilst researching the subject and i must say this man is right in every way. ive played games since i was 4... 4 years old.
im now 18 and ive never even thought about shooting my class-mates.
and the games i play are as violent as they get, i started on doom for god sake!
blaming violent media for violent crime is just a blatant use of scapegoating.
The fact is the media want people to belive that violent media leads to violent crime because they make more money that way.
its a moral panic.
I wouldn't necessarily narrow it down to a few "hugs" though, but I guess if you're "too lazy to get off you're ass and do something about [it]" then you'd have to be posting angrily on an online blog instead of contributing something insightful.
@sccarper
There is something to be said about stating national crime statistics. I do like how on the first page that comes up when you search "national crime rate" on Google, the first point shown are as follows:
According to the BJS National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)--
* Since 1994, violent crime rates have declined, reaching the lowest level ever recorded in 2005.
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/cvict.htm
In my opinion that's quite concrete.
Great piece of work Adam, as anyone who plays and is told that he will act aggressive should feel insulted because right there they are calling you a brainless, unthinking person.
i have played doom I and II since when I was 5 :-)
BTW: jack Thomson, all your arguments are invalid.