Does video game violence affect youths?

[scarletwillow]

"Manhunt blamed for UK murder"
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/manhunt/news_6103718.html

Manhunt is a game developed by the same people who did Grand Theft Auto. It's incredibly violent--even moreso than any modern films. Recently, it's been blamed for a murder in the UK; a 17-year-old boy lured a 14-year-old boy into a park, and brutally murdered him with a knife and claw hammer:
http://www.cleansweepsupply.com/pictures/standard/tgns0681.jpg

The thing is, such a murder is horribly consistent with what takes place in Manhunt. Gameplay consists of the player stealthily sneaking around stages, attempting to catch victims by surprise and execute them in the most gruesome way possible. Gamespot makes a mistake in citing the Reuters report--indeed, killing your victims with worse methods DOES reward you with more points in the game.

To give an example of the gruesome murders that take place in the game:
You can use a baseball bat to break someone's head. Brain matter splatters on impact.
You can hack off heads with a machete.
You can cut someone in half with a chainsaw.


What do you think?
It reminds me of the Columbine incident, when it was found that many of the killers played Doom. Then again, the US Army used to train with Doom.

[SimpleBlackHumor89]

i think the video game is wrong. i mean it's not necessary to promote violence, n actually let u gain points for murdering in a brutal way. i'll admit mayb a lil that the game might be fun to play, but mayb it's guy's hormones that makes them go all weirdoish, because if girls play that, i dont think most of them would be inspired to kill someone... but i think game maker ppl should control the amount of gore and violence they have in their game. cos alota guys grow up as boys thinkin that gross is cool or whatever, haha u kno how guys are sometimes... they think violence is cool..

[Smonkkey]

I think its just the people that are wrong. Out of all the people that play those violent video games, a few people are crazy and stupid enough to try and do things that they see in video games. How come they don't do what they see in the movies?!?!? Practically those people that blame video games for their violent actions are just making an excuse for their craziness >_<

[scarletwillow]

But you have to admit...
I mean, I played Manhunt from start to finish.
It was sickly disturbing.
Without getting into the weird storyline, everytime you make a nasty kill a voice says "good job... good job..." and even makes orgasmic sounds. If you don't go for the gore, the voice will insult you.

The first time I saw the gore, I pretty much just sorta stared at the screen and wondered if I should keep playing it. I dunno, it's just... not wholesome entertainment -_-

[kmak]

i've found that somewhat violent video games are a pretty good way to calm me down when i'm somewhat angered. Usually, if I'm pissed, I'll go out for a drive or sit down and play a few rounds of counterstrike. I dunno, it just seems to me that it's better to release some steam (...no pun intended) online than to let my anger manifest in the real world.

[r3minisce]

violent games are sooo pointless!!! i cant believe the people who were actually involved in creating such a game !!!! :realmad: i hope they feel good when they sleep while there could be lil kids or teenage boys playing it that could get ideas for murders or something :-x gooodness!!!

[bee]

i think i wrote a research report on violence in the media & video games. i've forgotten everything though :sweat:
kids just need to be told that theres a border between reality and a game :sweat: imaginations run wild at younger ages i suppose :glug: but they have to be told that what they're doing in >insert game name< isnt allowed in real life O.o

[Takuto]

Does video game violence affect youths...I guess I'd have to answer yes and no.

Have you ever noticed how much TV/the media has an influence on the way you talk and act? Like, jokes, slang, insults...We get so much of it from TV and music. I guess video game violence is kind of an extreme form of it. To the average person, or the average gamer, it really has no effect because the aforementioned person will realize "Hey, it's just a game; it's a simple pastime." But I guess some people are affected than others, and don't come to that realization. They proceed to take it for reality and reenact what they see in real life.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that to the average person, video games don't really influence me. Sure, I play Counterstrike like several thousands of other people. How many of us go outside, pull out an AK47 and shoot everybody down...

The main reason this topic arose is because of society. Society likes to always place blame on something/someone. Like the Columbine accident; they all blamed...uh what was it...video games? Oh wait no; they blamed rock music (credit goes to "Bowling for Columbine" my Michael Moore). Man, society is such a joke. Everytime something goes wrong, it's somebody else's fault, never the society itself.

I do admit though that games like Manhunt are kind of...pointless and stupid. Grand Theft Auto is kinda fun for 10 minutes...But the hookers and sniping, etc, are kinda pointless.....There are good games and there are bad games...Up to the gamer to figure it out. It's like how there are good movies and bad movies...

Sorry if I said anything that's not true because it's all opinion based, and it's 1:21 AM so I really have little idea of what I'm typing...

Just my $0.02.

[ocy]

Yes, it does affect youth especially aged 7-16.....yeah around that age. Violent game like GTA or Manhunt should be rated "Matured"....meaning it's for aged 18+. I know that GTA is rated Matured but is Manhunt rated that too?

Anyway, like what scarletwillow had said about the game like Manhunt, it promotes the act of violences and could train someone to resolve to violence. You hear "Good Job.....Good Job....." when u kill in the game, and that's a kind of hypnotize.....it train you psycologically into thinking that killing is good and not doing it would be bad. If a kid or immature person were to play that game, the possibilities that the person resolve to violences is fairly high. For those matured mind, we can think for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, we have the ability to distingush the diffences. So, playing these kind of games doesn't really harm them. That's why, violence games should only be played by the matured mind.

Ppl didn't kill because of violent movies? well, matured mind may not act that way, however I do notice that little kids or sometimes teens who emulate the ppl in WWE. Again, it's a matter of the maturity of our mind and a sense of right or wrong. So, violence games/media is a bad influence for the immatured minds. :happy:

[kirasuran]

yeh i think that violence in games will and can affect ppls minds. like mine. hahaha well i dont wanna go around and shoot ppl and smack ppl with bats, but when i get angry i jus feel like knocking sumone out...which is why i want a punching bag, but my parents wont let me. im not actually a violent person, but when im pissed its another story.

[Squall]

i don't agree that video game violence affect youths...

because i am a gamer myself and i play violence games too...
should be most of the games out there are violence..
but it should depend on the youth themself..maybe because those people are weak in their mind
playing games don't make me violent

[SimpleBlackHumor89]

yea thats' true, it just all depends on tha person. im sure alot ppl play violent games, but they dont get it into their heads that they have to be violent. but still, if tha game is capable of makn one person kill, couldnt there be more out there affected by the game?

[scarletwillow]

i don't agree that video game violence affect youths...

because i am a gamer myself and i play violence games too...
should be most of the games out there are violence..
but it should depend on the youth themself..maybe because those people are weak in their mind
playing games don't make me violent

Yeah, some people are just susceptible.
There have been murders and carjacking inspired by Grand Theft Auto too = /
I remember reading about a kid who decided it would be fun to do a drive by shooting "just like Tommy Vercetti" -_-

OCY:
WWF/WWE/WCW sort of thing...
That's a whole othermatter -_-
You have to be one dense kid if you try out wrestling moves on small children like that one kid, Lionel Tate, did.

Do you live in the USA?
Anyone who lives here might remember they used to sell these "backyard wrestling" tapes on TV. They were absolutely horrid--teenagers using real wrestling moves on each other... bloody stuff -_-
I don't understand who would buy those, who would do that sort of thing, and who would sell it -_-

[Pugwash]

Comparing to the average person, no it does not affect youths.

I've played a lot of violent games in my life just not gore-like ones. The average human being should see it as just a game and if they feel a need to apply it to real life, than they're not necessarily sane going out to kill people with hammers and clawhammers.

I don't like those articles because the public feels it's such a big issue but why doesn't it mention the ratio of how many copies of the game were sold and how many of those purchasers actually went insane?

A large batch of males will grow up playing "violent" games and needless to say, 9.75/10 come out fine. I started playing like Mortal Kombat (Which wasn't even the first violent game I played) since I was like in Grade 2 and I don't go around kicking, punching, throwing people.

Like I said, if you feel that you need to kill someone after you played a violent video game, then you should either:

a) Stop playing that particular video game and move on to other games
b) Seek help

[ocy]

OCY:
WWF/WWE/WCW sort of thing...
That's a whole othermatter -_-
You have to be one dense kid if you try out wrestling moves on small children like that one kid, Lionel Tate, did.
:hmm: maybe I'm a bit off topic here, but there's still violences in it and there're video games of WWF/WWE that my little cousins used to play.....well, maybe not so little, just 1-5 years younger than me......and guest what? They used to emulate them.....doing DDT or chopslam...they were lucky that they didn't hurt themselves, but they broke the mattress once :shifty:

I started playing like Mortal Kombat (Which wasn't even the first violent game I played) since I was like in Grade 2 and I don't go around kicking, punching, throwing people.
Mortal Kombat? That's counted as a violent game? How about a no? :whistle:.......the graphics doesn't look so real and there wasn't blood spilled in it.....large amount of blood, I mean.....yeah, maybe a little violence. Get me? The game isn't as violence as GTA or Manhunt and I personally think that Manhunt is more violence....since there's this voice complimenting u for killing and it's in 3D. Plus here's a quote from the reviews of Gamespot about Manhunt.
"The developer of Grand Theft Auto delivers its darkest, most violent game yet in Manhunt,..."

And so what do ya think? Should this game ever be played by a 8 year old? or maybe those immatured mind? Btw, what's the most violent game of all? .....with lots of blood spilled

[Pugwash]

Mortal Kombat? That's counted as a violent game? How about a no? :whistle:.......the graphics doesn't look so real and there wasn't blood spilled in it.....large amount of blood, I mean.....yeah, maybe a little violence. Get me? The game isn't as violence as GTA or Manhunt and I personally think that Manhunt is more violence....since there's this voice complimenting u for killing and it's in 3D. Plus here's a quote from the reviews of Gamespot about Manhunt.
"The developer of Grand Theft Auto delivers its darkest, most violent game yet in Manhunt,..."

And so what do ya think? Should this game ever be played by a 8 year old? or maybe those immatured mind? Btw, what's the most violent game of all? .....with lots of blood spilled

Your points are kinda contradicting one another. Yes, Mortal Kombat is still considered a violent game, maybe not extreme. I mean lets compare Mortal Kombat to WWF/WWE and look what you had to say:

there's still violences in it and there're video games of WWF/WWE that my little cousins used to play.....well, maybe not so little, just 1-5 years younger than me......and guest what? They used to emulate them.....doing DDT or chopslam...they were lucky that they didn't hurt themselves, but they broke the mattress once

You can just as easily see kids doing kicks and punches on the playgrounds of school infact, I've seen it when MK was "hot" back then just that they don't go to such degrees as murder. Both games don't have much gore or, none at all.

The point is that sometimes, it's just the minds of these kids, not the game itself. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be a violent game i.e. Pokemon. Some kid thought he was Charlizard and tried to fly. Same with kids thinking they were Superman. This resulted in the banning of the game, Pokemon from that country. One kid died and 100s of thousands had to suffer?

[scarletwillow]

MK not violent???? O____O
That game...
Had photorealistic graphics for its time!!!!!

I mean, just look at the fatalities!!!!
Although... I admit... it was fun.

But Street Fighter is funner! Bwa ha :D


EDIT:
Ocy, there's a difference between your cousins doing it to each other, and a Lionel Tate, a 12 year old, doing it to a 6 year old.

[ocy]

Pugwash, I'm trying to say that the violence of MK if ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 3 while I would give WWE Smackdown or any WWE/WWF title a 6. Then I would give Manhunt a 9 for being full of gore and blood....not to mention it can only be played by matured mind. And how old re those kids that u're refering to? 6-9 maybe? My cousins re around 11-15. Bout the kid that thinks he's Charlizard, he's too immatured and he should be around 5-8 of age. Maybe he got some mental disorder :tongue: hey....aren't u abit off topic at that point?

Scarletwillow, yes there's a difference. But, Lionel Tate is the one ended up hurting someone. Those who emulate WWE/WWF are kinda silly, don't u think?

[scarletwillow]

Pugwash, I'm trying to say that the violence of MK if ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 3 while I would give WWE Smackdown or any WWE/WWF title a 6. Then I would give Manhunt a 9 for being full of gore and blood....not to mention it can only be played by matured mind. And how old re those kids that u're refering to? 6-9 maybe? My cousins re around 11-15. Bout the kid that thinks he's Charlizard, he's too immatured and he should be around 5-8 of age. Maybe he got some mental disorder :tongue: hey....aren't u abit off topic at that point?

Scarletwillow, yes there's a difference. But, Lionel Tate is the one ended up hurting someone. Those who emulate WWE/WWF are kinda silly, don't u think?

I still think MK is one of the most violent games out there.
http://mortal.shang.free.fr/images/mortal%20kombat/mk2_fatality.png
http://www.techspot.com/reviews/games/mk4/mk5.jpg

PS:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=519&ncid=718&e=2&u=/ap/20040808/ap_on_re_us/bodies_found

Just the latest. Some guys kill 6 people over some clothes and an XBox. Microsoft must be laughing.

[Squall]

that is why there is rating for the games...
kids should not play manhunt or Mortal kombat
killing by An ex-convict :glug:
don't think it is entirely video games

nice screenshot..
i think i played that game when i was very young maybe 10 or something..
and i think it is funny at that time :D
flawless Victory :whistle:

[scarletwillow]

Yeah, those murders shouldn't be attributed to video games, but just by the headlines of the story, you can tell that's what people are doing.
They could've just easily said "6 killed over t-shirt"

[soapie]

i learned in my psych class that prolonged violence exposure affects child hood development...

i can't remember the experiment exactly, but basically there was a study performed with two groups of children. one group watched violent tv, while the other did not. then the children observed a semi-violent situation between two people and they observed the children's reactions. the children who had been watching violent tv did not have a big response because they had been conditioned.. when they saw violence, they thought 'that's normal'. whereas the group that did not observe violent tv from before , were very shocked and disturbed by the simulated act.

(if any of you are pysch majors feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.)

[scarletwillow]

I'm not a psychology major, but I do have some comments on that.
The study is flawed in one respect--
Here's why: the study only measures familiarity in the subjects, not reactions.
Sure, one group was shocked at the violence. What if one group was fed sugar, and the other jalapeno peppers... would't the sugar group then feel "shock" if they were fed peppers?
Similarly, the violence study doesn't measure the situation correctly.

What they SHOULD do is put the children IN the situation, and see how they react.

[-BsA-]

thats exaclty what i was thinking scarelt willow..lol

my opinion is watching 'bad' things cannot make people kill, if you go into a cinimar and watch a serial killer type film, and go kill some one, then that 'evil' was in you before you watched the film

my idea is that man hunt was a trigger, for what ever problem the 17 year old had, i think every one is ignoring moral judgemnt , your cannot train/teach morals every one has them

sick/perveted people dont, and thats why the kill rape

thats simply what im trying to say, oviuosly its not that black and white, but the thing that sepeates killers is morals, in what ever way, unless it was accidental...

my proof is , every 1 has seen childerns tv , and when a child your are exposed to long priods of it
yet none of us wear brightly clolour tetetuby suits, or say ehhh-ooo

[vicks]

there's violence everywhere and little kids are hyper to begin with. i would think videogames would provide an outlet for kids to express some violence without actually doing harm to real people. whether violent games affects people should be determined on an indivisual basis. I think there's too many confounding factors to make a general conclusion.

[littleasian]

The simple answer to this question is a big fat NO.

it never has, and it never will. Video games are a form of media, only used for entertainment. YOu play video games to have fun, not to learn how to shoot people. Ever have friends over for a lil 4 person halo playing? Thats fun. Violent? sure, but it doesn't affect people.

What im basically trying to say is that the media is trying to place the blame on something that doesn't cause violence, a scapegoat if you will on the videogame industry. I've played a lot of videogames in my time, and i can ASSURE you that it has not made me anymore violent than anyone else. This blame that has been put on the videogame industry is just a excuse for parents. Parents dont like to be told that they didn't bring up their kids correctly...so they just put it on the video game industry.

[SimpleBlackHumor89]

well violent games are ok, you know if killing a guy with a gun, but only play a little at a time , cos then you'll get use to killn people on the screen... etc.

but they're are games such as grand theft auto that actually encourages players, especially guys to steal cars, and fire guns at the police, and try to get prostitutes, etc. which is the degrading both for the communitiy and for women

[Hanzo]

Even though I've never been in the army, i believe my 4 years experience with playing counterstrike would definitely be an asset if i was given a ak47 in the middle of a war. Isn't it true that the US marines actually play these games to enhance their abilities in war?

oh yeah the good ol' GTA. Everytime i play that game at my friends house, i tell him to turn on the cheat so i get unlimited ammo and godmode. Then i go around shooting at ppl and what not. It's fun! but by all means that does not make me a violent person in real life. Last time i got in a fight was probably 6 years ago.

[kasic_fantasy]

i think that is does affect youth...

one good reason is my elder brother. he is a very quiet guy and never speaks much. even when he speaks he wont really use vulgar or speak in a rude manner. but ever since his friends introduce him some shooting or killing games, he begin to get rebellious to my parents. sometimes he might even use vulgar on them..

luckily now that he is working, he didnt really get to speak to my parents much and we are getting more peace...

the thing is that youths are the ones that get influence easily. i myself as a youth feels that too, especially by people around us.

maybe those game makers should design different games for different ages. if they want something violent for youths, at least to a certain extend...

just my 2 cents...

[KendoTiger]

i learned in my psych class that prolonged violence exposure affects child hood development...

i can't remember the experiment exactly, but basically there was a study performed with two groups of children. one group watched violent tv, while the other did not. then the children observed a semi-violent situation between two people and they observed the children's reactions. the children who had been watching violent tv did not have a big response because they had been conditioned.. when they saw violence, they thought 'that's normal'. whereas the group that did not observe violent tv from before , were very shocked and disturbed by the simulated act.

(if any of you are pysch majors feel free to correct me if i'm wrong.)


Yeah, I remember that study, you're correct on the details.

~Although violence does help to breed familiarity, it does not breed violence.
~The military uses many different forms of "video game" to help train soldiers for situations. I heard this somewhere too.

Personally, I believe that video games do not make you violent, the most they can do is help to make your own violence apparent.


The worst thing is when someone includes Final Fantasy 7 in the "violent game" list.

[snowflake]

I think it depends on the person playing the (violent) games but majority will be affected. If he/she know that is just make believe and not real then there should be no problem with it.. However, most teenagers can’t really tell what is real and what is not. In fact, some even thought this is how things works in the real world.. I do play some shooting games once in a while but I’m not really into it.. I like non violent games more..

But sometimes shooting games is a great stress buster for me.

[j@y_roCks]

And here, this is my point of view, I vehemently feel that game violence do affect players.. No matter what kind or types of games of violence, may it be board game?! video game, online game and so on.. Be it the youths, young children, adults, teenagers and so on.. Anything matters with violence definitely can transform any person's nature. Therefore, I think that these games should be banned in every countries, if not this world will have countless/100% of evil-hearted people!!

[KendoTiger]

And here, this is my point of view, I vehemently feel that game violence do affect players.. No matter what kind or types of games of violence, may it be board game?! video game, online game and so on.. Be it the youths, young children, adults, teenagers and so on.. Anything matters with violence definitely can transform any person's nature. Therefore, I think that these games should be banned in every countries, if not this world will have countless/100% of evil-hearted people!!

100% evil-hearted people? I don't think that is honestly possible.

Violence? Hell, violence has been a part of EVERY culture, EVERY race, EVERY person. Look to the "fairy tales" of any set of people, and you will see it. I'm even including those indiginous people on the islands who walk around naked.

Every psychology study ever done only concluded that violence in game or story form, only desensitize people to violence, and does not "transform a person's nature".

I do support "game violence do affect players", but not in the context you put it in. I mean, I can honestly see someone buying an uzi and taking out a bunch of homeless people because they played too much checkers...

[POTO]

Well, statistical reports have shown that video game violence does affect youths in a bad way, so that pretty much justify it.

Especially, now that we have terrorism almost everywhere in the world, we have to be more cautious in promoting violence, particularly to youths like us.

[KendoTiger]

If we as a people are more desensitized to violence, then wouldn't it allow us to be better able to cope? Also, as there are many military games that actively try to portray real soldiering, then wouldn't a generation that can utilize that kind of thinking naturally allow us to better deal with an intense international war - or even something such as a draft?

I want to see your proof that "video game violence does affect youths in a bad way".

[Melvin]

Yeah i think it will... when people get really angry with someone.. they may even try to replicate the things done in the game.. and have a sense of satisfaction in taking revenge...

[chineseguyjl]

Yeah i think it will... when people get really angry with someone.. they may even try to replicate the things done in the game.. and have a sense of satisfaction in taking revenge...

yea sure, i'll just find a AK-47 like the one i saw in Counter-Strike and shoot some millitary officials. Its a freakin game, it wont send sibliminile messages to kids to kill the person they have issus with. I mean sure it might lead to conversations of how cool guns are and increase your knowledge of weapons but just go and try to find a newspaper article on a game caused homicide. What sense of satisfaction can you get from an act of evil. The person knows what he can get himself into before acting his thoughts out. and dont tell me this happened to you before.

[xiaojielun]

i dont think so, i mean for me video games are an escape from reality i dun wanna bring the video game with me out onto the streets, i mean if you get influenced by a video game you must be pretty weird
i dont think there are a lot of people out there who can get influenced by video games

[zhy378]

yes, i do think video game violence affect kids. well beside of video games helping kids become better eye-sight suregons or whatever, is it me or it seem like now these days whenever there's male kids comin up shootin other people, we'll try to connect them by blaming the cause on video games. oh yeah just couple weeks ago i watched a CSI miami, where a video game came to reality, where these college students were using guns and method of killing just like from their game to win points in real life. soo seee it can affect youths.:whistle:

[Melvin]

ok, so not so much about Counter strike... how about street fighter...
i used to play that on some console owned by my brother when i was young..

so i'm sure many people have gotten into fights before.. surely you would have tried some of the 'actions' done in the game?? man.. otherwise where would you have learnt to fight... obviously by watching other people, or on the television, or in movies, or in video games...

and in fact... there is an article or radio report about how a military soldier just took his rifle from his barracks and sprayed it into the crowd.. it might not have been influenced by video games... but it still shows that people would still carry out such acts.....

for people who play first person shooter games.. you would probably not be in a position to use your gun for revenge.. you'd probably just be a teenager playing it for fun..

so yeah i think that video games' violence could encourage youths to imitate it.

[optictrd]

ok, so not so much about Counter strike... how about street fighter...
i used to play that on some console owned by my brother when i was young..
so i'm sure many people have gotten into fights before.. surely you would have tried some of the 'actions' done in the game?? man.. otherwise where would you have learnt to fight... obviously by watching other people, or on the television, or in movies, or in video games...
and in fact... there is an article or radio report about how a military soldier just took his rifle from his barracks and sprayed it into the crowd.. it might not have been influenced by video games... but it still shows that people would still carry out such acts.....
for people who play first person shooter games.. you would probably not be in a position to use your gun for revenge.. you'd probably just be a teenager playing it for fun..
so yeah i think that video games' violence could encourage youths to imitate it.
Counter-strike has a big effect on ppl they think buying gun are cool and killing is also cool. ppl fight if they lose and the winner talk trash effect alot of ppl in live tournements.

[Melvin]

yeah i think in countries where you can buy pistols or rifles they make really go and empty their savings to buy one or get someone to buy it for them and then take revenge...

[KendoTiger]

yes, i do think video game violence affect kids. well beside of video games helping kids become better eye-sight suregons or whatever, is it me or it seem like now these days whenever there's male kids comin up shootin other people, we'll try to connect them by blaming the cause on video games. oh yeah just couple weeks ago i watched a CSI miami, where a video game came to reality, where these college students were using guns and method of killing just like from their game to win points in real life. soo seee it can affect youths.:whistle:

CSI is a television show - it is not based on real events. The only thing real is that it is possible to solve crimes with those scientific methods.

Melvin

The soldier thing doesn't even relate to the point - it is more probable that he crashed from excessive strain, and then decided to use his MILITARY TRAINING and let out his rage. It's not connected to video games at all. It does demonstrate that the "violent acts" claimed to be a resort of video games are usually due to other extranalities.

People naturally know how to fight - whether they turn out to be good or bad just depends on experience (in any form). I seriously doubt people who played street fight would beat up their friends with Hadouken (sp).

You seriously think that a violent video game will influence people to waste their entire savings to get a gun, just to shoot real people up? The availability of guns is not related to video games - the people who buy guns are generally the type of people who have deep-seated emotional duress. Their actions are more of a result of that bullying, sadness, hate than any kind of video-game affect.

Optictrd:
That happens with any video game - people get competative and boast when they win. The losers generally dislike the ass who is gloating. It isn't specifically with counter-strike. As for the claim that it makes people like guns - *shrugs* could you try to prove it? I don't know if you're right or wrong, but I want to know where you're getting it from.

My:

There clearly is a difference in videogames - from things such as Final Fantasy (and other fantasy/magic based games), to fps (first person shooter). It's also hard to classify a game as "violent" as it's individual affects might differ.

Seriously - I believe that although media violence (in general) desensitizes us, it does not actively encourage people to take out their emotions in a violent way. For every example of someone "going berserk and killing people", there is a more logical explanation (and proven for most killers) than media violence.

fix spelling errors

[spideysam]

err hmmmm not tat sure... but i read in newspaper tat there is a few person dead coz of playin the game very long in a cafe... a guy i think played in south korea for 30hours+ witout sleep had passsed away... hmmmm didn play tat long wit a pc... but it is quite shocking... hmmmmm
i think playing game for too long affect our health

[scarletwillow]

ok, so not so much about Counter strike... how about street fighter...
i used to play that on some console owned by my brother when i was young..
so i'm sure many people have gotten into fights before.. surely you would have tried some of the 'actions' done in the game?? man.. otherwise where would you have learnt to fight... obviously by watching other people, or on the television, or in movies, or in video games...
and in fact... there is an article or radio report about how a military soldier just took his rifle from his barracks and sprayed it into the crowd.. it might not have been influenced by video games... but it still shows that people would still carry out such acts.....
for people who play first person shooter games.. you would probably not be in a position to use your gun for revenge.. you'd probably just be a teenager playing it for fun..
so yeah i think that video games' violence could encourage youths to imitate it.

I saw a video of a Vietnamese dude pulling off a perfect Shoryuken once ("dragon uppercut").

Anyways, I'd say that in the West, people tend to die of violent videogame copycats.
In Asia, people just die from playing too much games.

[karyn531]

My brother plays a lot of violent video games. And he sure is a violent little boy for a 7-year-old. Hahaha. Nah, he is not that bad. More like naughty.

Video games does affect youths. Youths get addicted to it and start copying the actions of the games character and applying them. The lines between the appropriate and the not begins to blur as they get used to it.

My uncle used to be a pretty violent guy in his youth. Nowadays during family gathering, relatives would still talk about his past exploits. He is older now, and wiser. And he always put a limit to his son's video games because he doesn't want the past to repeat itself.

I think every video gamer should put a limit to their playing. Too much video games are not that good anyway. I am talking about TOO MUCH.

[leejt]

video games does have an affect on youths i believe, thats proberly why most offenders aroudn the world is youths now these days, violent video games have a great impact on their daily lives and makes them want to do what they see and play in the video games. violent games should only be allowed to be purchase at whatever age the game is intended for.

[u154801]

it affects my VIOLENT BIG TIME
i was playing game called HEAT PROJECT which is the HK+TAIWAN version of a DOOM type shoot em up game
its online real time game against real human people like a bunch of people team A versus team B....... and i got some violent in it...... i hated the enemy and treated them like real people trying to be faster then them, kill them faster and kill more of the enemy.......... and if they try to be clever then u , i feel angry becoz amy entire team all died and i died fast then i just have to sit and wait for a whole 3 minutes. basically i really a good guy but once i playing the game i feel all winded up and MUST KILL KILL KILL THEM

[crazygiggles13]

thats not entirely true...i dont play much video games and im just as violent as my friends...lolz..thats probably not a good thing tho..there are many things nowdays that influence "youths"..not just youths actually..but everyone thats exposed to violent games, movies, people, propaganda, etc, etc.

i guess we're just in a violent society...but isnt it part of our human nature?
we used to be savages..like nomads that hunt and kill to survive...did video games affect them?

[zhoudaoyan]

It really depends on the type of game and how long a person spends playing it. Well, let's just say a typical violent game where you kill people and stuff.
If a youth just plays it for fun, then of course it won't affect them! because they know it's just a game and so on..
But could you imagine a kid playing on this game 24/7 and very addicted to it..
Think what will be going through his mind 24/7.
Kill him.. kill them.. gotta kill this guy..
It's scary ey..

[Ah_tat]

they shld go and watch saw 2 instead of playing all this..
but i tink this kind of game not onli affect the youths but also adults..

[djsurreal]

In my humble opinion , it does not affect youths.
I played violent games since young and I don't see myself killing or just bash up anyone who I don't like out of a sudden.What makes a person violent is just the way he is raised up as and also his enviroment.A person with steady mentality would not turn violent however much he play a violent videogame.

That's my point of view. =)

[u154801]

but u know since ive been playing these DOOM type games
whilst playing it i feel like a real soldier and i get mixed up and feel i am really inside the game and in the game the whole thing is KILL the other team and keep ur team alive....... and becoz i kill so much or got killed so much its very voilent..... we even swaer inside the game chat system whilst playing it and treat it like a real army game..... and we bad mouth the other enemy or bad mouth stupid people on our team and we all get twisted

but since my computer broke down im kinda calm down lately, cant wait to try to play it again on my family computer

[dude000]

yes yes, video games do affect and cause violence against youths now a days, it is a serious problems by introducing violent games upon youths. they play the games, then they go out into the world and think they cna do that and do this. thinking in reality their still trapped in a world of virtual realality

[KendoTiger]

But how can you claim that it is the video games that introduce this? Can't you say that it is the mental weak-ness of whoever was playing the games? Or that the unsteady, pre-dispositional person actively sought violent games? Besides - if they are not able to distinguish, then wouldn't they be more affected by movies - which are more realistic by far?

[TheSuperOne]

For me, i'm concern about this, even a tv program can affect a kindergarden boy. those violence may lead some kids or youths to rioting, and now there are many rioting case. some kind of chop of hand.

But we cant mostly blame on the violence video game. As what KendoTiger said, its really about mental weak-ness.

[Rurouni[X]]

Dun get me wrong
I like alot of Violent games. CS and halo.. also GTA is pretty good.
Still ive played Manhunt... its a really disturbing game.
I think in some ways its really really bad,
Only maybe.. 0.01% of the male population actually do this kinda stuff.. i.e. go out and kill someone like in a video game. Its just sick and twisted.
They must have mental problems or something
^^"
I have to agree.. CS is the BEST stress reliever. aww.
^^"
Boom! headshot

[sagara0510]

CS is not a good stress reliever

if anything CS is a good source of stress. i don't think any video game i have ever played has made my blood pressure rise like CS does. i don't think i've sworn or said BS to the computer screen as often as i have while playing CS

its a very bad game

as for video games and violence. i do believe there is a connection btwn the two. but i also believe parents should stop blaming video games as the sole reason and start looking at themselves.

many violent video games have been classified for a mature audience. so explain to me how these violent video games can affect our youth? there is only one way. the parents buy them. its that simple. if u think violent video games are a bad influence on kids, then don't buy em for them.

i'll bet the majority of parents and ppl who are whinging abt kids being affected by violent video games are the same parents and ppl who went out and bought those said games for their kids.

[KendoTiger]

"Correlation does not imply causation".

Mm, statistics.

[BlueChaos]

CS is not a good stress reliever

if anything CS is a good source of stress. i don't think any video game i have ever played has made my blood pressure rise like CS does. i don't think i've sworn or said BS to the computer screen as often as i have while playing CS
I agree with this. I hardly swear or let out any bad word in my daily life, this week alone, no f-word, s-word or b-word has come out from my mouth at all. But when I play CS, the words are free-flowing. If you got killed, especially by a headshot, those words will come out very quickly.

About Manhunt yes that's a sick game and that's an actual depiction of what professional killers and psycho do, they can kill just with a plastic bag and they kill very painfully with that. I don't think that game should be played by teenagers or people who cannot differ reality from games yet, else the results maybe devastating.

In my opinion, that's why ESRB rates are for. But then again how many stores are even bothering to place M-rated games in a different shelf and only sell it to adults? I think almost none, that's the problem.

[sagara0510]

In my opinion, that's why ESRB rates are for. But then again how many stores are even bothering to place M-rated games in a different shelf and only sell it to adults? I think almost none, that's the problem.

yeah i agree with that too. if the ratings were enforced by the stores then underaged people would have less chance of obtaining said games.

i guess a similar enforcement policy should be applied to violent video games as with cigarettes... u should have identification to verify your age with you b4 u can purchase said games.

i think it boils down to the parents taking more reponsibility and having more awareness about what their kids are playing and to the stores to enforce the ratings.

[sillykookies689]

Video games i guess affects people differently from person to person. BUt other other factors would contribute to the final outcome. For instance if a person played violent video games, was not taught the differences between right or wrong(morals & ethics), have a low iq (they won't be able to understand the consequences of their actions) and is constantly exposed to the violent environment(can be brainwashing) then its pretty obvious that it would perhaps affect the person. While on the other hand if the person could tell the difference between reality, and imagination and basically just know that it is wrong then i guess the violent game would not put them in a position to go out and brutally murder/ hurt someone. LIke i played doom n other crap when i was 6 i don't see myself going up to some random and poking needles in eye, or grabbing a machete n chopping peoples into pieces etc, etc..It just affects a small group of people i guess.:dry:
My opinion anyways.:-)