Do video games cause violence?

[quote name='chrisman01' post='2277169' date='Sep 24 2009, 10:07 PM'][quote name='Banger' post='2277159' date='Sep 24 2009, 11:03 PM']No only idiots who ask stupid things and do stupid shit cause violence.[/quote]

yeeaahh... definitely something an English professor would like to see...
[/quote]


Sounds like a personal problem to me.

Video games can cause violent behavior in violent people. That's all there is to it. If a person is going to snap, it could happen from anything. The graphic content on an episode of CSI, a Saw movie, even a book. Going with the latter, several of the worlds most famous assassination attempts were performed by mentally unstable people who took a liking to "The Catcher in the Rye".

Any form of external stimulation can potentially trigger a person into violence if they have a predisposition for said violence beneath the surface.

[quote name='dinofan01' post='2277170' date='Sep 24 2009, 11:07 PM']Give these a read:

I would have found a couple more credible sources but I'm not gonna do all the research for you.

and no offense but linking to a forum filled with random people is a horrible idea for an essay. Theres no credibility to a professor here. At least interview a couple of gamers from your school.[/quote]

actually I just finished the first draft a few hours ago

and wow... did you do all that research just now, or did you do an essay too?

I think a college professor would be able to differentiate between sarcastic and serious posts...

I know she can tell the difference, it just doesn't look "professional", if you know what I mean.

Of course, this IS a forum on teh interwebs... I was kind of expecting it.

[quote name='alidsl' post='2275632' date='Sep 25 2009, 02:14 AM']I don't think so

maybe people who beliave what they see

Wow I would love to have an essay on video games[/quote]

Hehe, funny you should say this, I just finished my Japanese powerpoint on the Mother series!

I grew up playing Half Life and Grand Theft Auto as young as 10.

Do I go around killing people? No.

Am I in jail for crimes of violence? No.

Seriously, games don't cause violence. They may make people immune to the sights of it, but not necessary result in it. Rather, it is due to the mental state of a person; depressed people or those with anger management problems are highly capable of violence. Just because said people played Doom before going on a violent rampage doesn't mean Doom caused it. Correlation does not imply causation.

Games are ridiculously popular. Millions of people worldwide indulge in violent games. If games really do cause violence, then millions of people would be in jail/ awaiting the death penalty. Is that the case? No.

So no, I believe games do not cause violence.

Thank you ZAFDeltaForce for the very informative reply. Exactly the kind of replies I'm looking for

By the way, who voted "Yes"? I'd like for that person to post his reasoning... more likely than not it was just a joker, though....

In some cases, yes, video games are the cause of violence. It is a misconception that only people with mental illness are affected by the portrayal of violence in video games. This is not entirely true. Some people are born with a predisposition to violence. The portrayal of violence in video games can contribute to pushing these kind of people over the edge where they act on this predisposition. This is an example of a genetic condition.

Other cases (this is where mental illness comes in) revolve around the environment that the individual is surrounded by. If an individual is exposed to violence, then the violence in video games could very well be the factor that pushes that individual over the edge into violence. Generally, people with mental illness are surrounded by such environments of depression and discrimination that over exposure to negativity plays with their perceptions of reality.

That being said, the majority of people do not have conditions like these. An average human being is affected by the portrayal of violence in video games just as much as they are affected by violence in movies. However, the magnitude that the influence seems to have is far more that what the media likes to think. The stories we hear, like the recent "Daniel Petric" incident (The 16 year old who shot his mum in the head) represent a minority of gamers.

To say violent video games have ZERO affect on the human mind is ignorant. As to whether the affect is significant, that is a different story.

So there you go, chrisman01, an insight from two different points to answer your question, "Do Video Games cause violence?". Good luck on that essay.

[quote name='hamtotem' post='2277827' date='Sep 25 2009, 09:11 AM']In some cases, yes, video games are the cause of violence. It is a misconception that only people with mental illness are affected by the portrayal of violence in video games. This is not entirely true. Some people are born with a predisposition to violence. The portrayal of violence in video games can contribute to pushing these kind of people over the edge where they act on this predisposition. This is an example of a genetic condition.

Other cases (this is where mental illness comes in) revolve around the environment that the individual is surrounded by. If an individual is exposed to violence, then the violence in video games could very well be the factor that pushes that individual over the edge into violence. Generally, people with mental illness are surrounded by such environments of depression and discrimination that over exposure to negativity plays with their perceptions of reality.

That being said, the majority of people do not have conditions like these. An average human being is affected by the portrayal of violence in video games just as much as they are affected by violence in movies. However, the magnitude that the influence seems to have is far more that what the media likes to think. The stories we hear, like the recent "Daniel Petric" incident (The 16 year old who shot his mum in the head) represent a minority of gamers.

To say violent video games have ZERO affect on the human mind is ignorant. As to whether the affect is significant, that is a different story.

So there you go, chrisman01, an insight from two different points to answer your question, "Do Video Games cause violence?". Good luck on that essay.[/quote]

Wow, another very good reply... thanks ham!

Turns out this essay I'm writing isn't due for quite some time. I misheard the professor, I guess.

I like where this poll/thread is going though, so I think I'll let it keep developing.

Thanks for all the responses, Tempers!

Perhaps not specifically video games... But there's a strong correlation between TV violence and violence in the viewers. Several studies. The statistical correlation between them is as strong as smoking and lung cancer. I think this applies to video games as well. Of course, on a video game site, I won't get many people aggreeing with me.

So I decided to replay Postal 2 today, and then I decided to have a quick walk around town. Whilst I was out I pissed on some old people and set fire to a pram with a baby in it.

[quote name='Midna' post='2277870' date='Sep 25 2009, 09:58 AM']Perhaps not specifically video games... But there's a strong correlation between TV violence and violence in the viewers. Several studies. The statistical correlation between them is as strong as smoking and lung cancer. I think this applies to video games as well. Of course, on a video game site, I won't get many people aggreeing with me.[/quote]

lol, no you won't. There are probably several people trying to trace your IP address back to you now. Not saying I'm one of them....


[quote name='Law' post='2277875' date='Sep 25 2009, 10:03 AM']So I decided to replay Postal 2 today, and then I decided to have a quick walk around town. Whilst I was out I pissed on some old people and set fire to a pram with a baby in it.[/quote]

This is the second time you've posted in this topic... you having fun? *starts tracing IP address*

i think in sme cases it could be like gta can cause violence if your not smart enogh

[quote name='chrisman01' post='2277979' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:51 PM']HURF DURF INTERNET TOUGH GUY[/quote]

Good luck with that.

no.


if you have some issues or are a dumbass, then maybe.

[quote name='Law' post='2277999' date='Sep 25 2009, 10:57 AM'][quote name='chrisman01' post='2277979' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:51 PM']HURF DURF INTERNET TOUGH GUY[/quote]

Good luck with that.
[/quote]

91.121.42.111

(Yes, I know what it really is)

[quote name='chrisman01' post='2278031' date='Sep 25 2009, 04:10 PM'][quote name='Law' post='2277999' date='Sep 25 2009, 10:57 AM'][quote name='chrisman01' post='2277979' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:51 PM']HURF DURF INTERNET TOUGH GUY[/quote]

Good luck with that.
[/quote]

91.121.42.111

(Yes, I know what it really is)
[/quote]

Well that's nowhere near.

[quote name='Law' post='2277999' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:57 PM'][quote name='chrisman01' post='2277979' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:51 PM']HURF DURF INTERNET TOUGH GUY[/quote]

Good luck with that.
[/quote]

I lol'd!

[quote name='chrisman01' post='2278031' date='Sep 25 2009, 04:10 PM'][quote name='Law' post='2277999' date='Sep 25 2009, 10:57 AM'][quote name='chrisman01' post='2277979' date='Sep 25 2009, 03:51 PM']HURF DURF INTERNET TOUGH GUY[/quote]

Good luck with that.
[/quote]

91.121.42.111

(Yes, I know what it really is)
[/quote]

I lol'd even harder!

Lol, it's really gbatemp's ip...

I would LOVE to find yours, but that's going into rather shaky territory, and I don't feel like going to prison

have a nice day, and if your computer starts slowing down I swear it wasn't me...>.>...<.<