Can Video Games Cause Violent Behaviour?

[Guest]

Debate idea by UniversalParadox.

Are video games causing the increase of violent behaviour in today's society, or do they have no effect on today's youth?

I'm looking for 2 participants, one to debate on the side that video games to not create violence, and one to debate that they do. This will be a formal, 1 vs 1 debate. Each particpant will post one introduction, five body posts and one conclusion.

Any questions, feel free to PM me.

Edited October 23, 2005 by Guest

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

I would like to debate on the side of video games being harmless fun.

I know I won't be able to judge this one for myself though~Doh!

[Guest]

Great!

UniversalParadox will debate on the side that video games do not create violence.

Still looking for one person to debate that it does breed violence!

[Kryso]

I would like to debate that video games Do cause violent behaviour!

[Guest Lottie]

Fab! Here we go...

UniversalParadox will be debate on the side that video games Do Not create violence.

Kryso will debate on the side that video games Do create violence.

The debate will consist of an introduction, 5 bodily posts showing countering of the opponent, good style, persuasive arguments and information relevant to the topic, and a conclusion. Remember to quote all your sources, no flaming or offensive langauage.

Also please try try to keep to the time limits of the rules which are 7 days per post otherwise points will start to be deducted.

If for any reason this is not possible during the course of the debate please let Disinterested or myself know so we can work out an agreement so this does not happen.

Any questions, we are just a PM away.

Have fun and good luck!

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

This is going to be a very fun debate.

Introduction

Xbox. PS2. Gamecube. Training for serial killers? Of course not. Anybody can and will tell you that that is ridiculous. I played video games my entire life, some violent, and I am not a murderer. Video games do not create violence, it is people who are already disturbed in some way that see an image and act on it. The video game is not responsible, as it is just an outlet for frustration and a thing to do for fun. Literally, a game. Those who see crime scene photos do not go out and imitate the crime, do they? The answer is this: only if they were already criminals.

Video games are harmless fun, not to be taken seriously but as many people feel and say: "a break from reality". So, if there is violence in the game, they are acting the opposite of themselves, doing what they wouldn't do in real life. Violent behavior, be it nature or nurture, has nothing to do with violent imagery. Nurture refers to one's upbringing, what they experience in their real life, not in a break from reality.

Throughout this debate, I will argue that only those with a predisposition to violence, be it because of something in childhood or because of their genes, those who are already severely, for lack of a better term, messed up, that see something violent and act upon it. If violent people never played video games,would they still be violent? Definetly Yes.

Ted Bundy should have never played Pong

Your turn, Kryso.

[Kryso]

   

      Video games are harmless fun, not to be taken seriously but as many people feel and say: "a break from reality".     

671932[/snapback]

   

This is very true, in some senses, but I will show that violent video games effect people it ways most don't even realize. And that - as it's put - "a break from reality," can be just that, on a permanent bases.

I will bring to fact that most parents don't care what there children are even playing, not concerned that it has an 18 on the cover for a reason, and that these are effecting sensitive growing minds.

And that children who play violent games sometimes can't grasp the difference from reality and normality, compared to what they see in the games.

And how the same sort of flashing, fast programs with repetitive images were used during the war to brainwash people.

And I will show countless cases where different people from different backgrounds have been involved in pointless rage and acts of violence and how they attributed these actions to computer games.

I look forward to this debate with you UniversalParadox.

Over to you!

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

BODY POST ONE

And how the same sort of flashing, fast programs with repetitive images were used during the war to brainwash people.

The video game manufacturers are not trying to brainwash people. They simply want to make it a fun experience for the player. If they use flashing lights or repetitive images, it is not to send some sort of subliminal message, it is too add to the excitement of the game.

I will bring to fact that most parents don't care what there children are even playing, not concerned that it has an 18 on the cover for a reason, and that these are effecting sensitive growing minds.

The ESRB was created because there was paranoia as to the violence in games. It now has limits as to who can buy the games they rate. If you are dumb enough to not look on the cover before you buy the game, then that’s your own fault, but really, the violence is not affecting the kids. The same thing affects the children that does the adults, the predisposition to violence from whatever made them violent is the only thing that makes them that way. The fact of the matter is that most parents do care, and the kids playing the games do look at things that may be unpleasant, but it doesn’t make them violent.

And I will show countless cases where different people from different backgrounds have been involved in pointless rage and acts of violence and how they attributed these actions to computer games.

The people who blame video games are just looking for an excuse. They were violent people who struck out at somebody because of the defect. They wanted a way out, so they blamed video games.

I’ve countered the rest of your statements in the body of my post.

So you’ve just blasted away a zombie that was coming to get you with a sharpened hatchet. You feel that excitement building up inside you and the rush of being the character on the screen. Do you go out and shoot people? Of course not! The only ones that do are the people that were so unbalanced already that they went looking for violence to see what they can do.

The reality of it is that serial killers and other violent people are not made violent by the media. They are demented already, be it genes or a bad upbringing, something made them predisposed to violence. How else would you explain that the vast majority of people who play such games are completely unaffected other than in the way of having a good time?

I am one of the people who enjoys to play survival horror games and watch programs about serial killers, but not because I feel some sadistic pleasure in doing so! I only want to figure out the mystery…and blow away some zombies. Some people, such as the late Ted Bundy (if you don’t know, he was a serial killer), look at crime scene photos and feel aroused in some way. Does this happen to normal people? The answer is an obvious no. It affects those kinds of people in a different way, and it doesn’t create the violence inside them, but stimulates the inner psychopath.

Here is an excellent example of my argument. I have played violent video games through a lot of my life, in addition to watching shows like Law and Order, so I’ve seen my share of realistic gore. But just last year, when I saw an actual dead person, I felt sick to my stomach. And so the video games did not make me insensitive to violence in real life. So how did video games affect me in my normal life? In no way except to entertain me.

When I saw that victim, I felt an awful feeling. It was a cringing horrible scared feeling that I didn’t like. So since I saw the person, and reacted differently to it than I would have if it would have been on a show or in a game, then I clearly grip reality. The same thing applies to everyone who isn’t unnaturally violent in the first place. Every normal person feels that gut-wrenching feeling and so they are not affected by video games.

Your turn

Edited June 19, 2005 by UniversalParadox

[Guest Lottie]

Revolver Ocelot,

I have deleted your post. This is a formal debate for the two participants involved.

[Guest Lottie]

Kryso has no computer at the moment so debate is on hold .

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

I can resume in this debate as soon as Kryso is prepared and available.

[Kryso]

Firstly, I would like to apologize for my absence. My computer died on me. Now I’m back. Sorry for keeping you waiting.

BODY POST ONE

The video game manufacturers are not trying to brainwash people. They simply want to make it a fun experience for the player. If they use flashing lights or repetitive images, it is not to send some sort of subliminal message, it is too add to the excitement of the game.

Children are becoming hooked on violent video games. This is a fact! Where as once the Television was the main culprit for children not wanting to participate in outdoor sports or other recreational activities, its now computers. They spend hours each day playing violent first person perspective games. And computers are now becoming more powerful, making visual effects more realistic. Larger, more deadly weapons, and more people or creatures to use them on.

Below is a study done by National Institute on Media and the Family.

Concern about violent video and computer games is based on the assumption that they contribute to aggression and violence among young players. That conclusion was originally based on the extensive body of research about the effects of television violence on children's behaviour. Prominent organizations like the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Paediatrics’, and the American Medical Association have all concluded that the scientific evidence shows a cause-effect relationship between television violence and aggression among the children and youth who watch it. Based on this research, many social scientists have hypothesized that we should expect video games to have an even greater impact for the following four reasons.

1. Children are more likely to imitate the actions of a character with whom they identify. In violent video games the player is often required to take the point of view of the shooter or perpetrator.

2. Video games by their very nature require active participation rather than passive observation.

3. Repetition increases learning. Video games involve a great deal of repetition. If the games are violent, then the effect is a behavioural rehearsal for violent activity.

4. Rewards increase learning, and video games are based on a reward system.

While the research base conducted on video games is small compared to that conducted on television, early results are showing that the concern is indeed warranted. Anderson & Bushman have conducted a meta-analysis of 35 different studies of violent video games (2001). A meta-analysis is a type of study in which researchers analyze the results of other studies to see if there are similar patterns of results; Anderson and Bushman showed that there is a consistent pattern of results in five areas.

The 5 areas are…

1 Exposure to violent games increases physiological arousal.

2 Exposure to violent games increases aggressive thoughts.

3 Exposure to violent games increases aggressive emotions.

4 Exposure to violent games increases aggressive actions.

5 Exposure to violent games decreases positive prosocial (i.e., helping) actions.

Each of these finding have very long text, referring to the research and results. So To read the 5 results, go to the website that I have used this from. Which is from here.

So these findings show that video games do have an affect on growing minds!

And with you reference to the ESRB ratings…

The ESRB was created because there was paranoia as to the violence in games. It now has limits as to who can buy the games they rate. If you are dumb enough to not look on the cover before you buy the game, then that’s your own fault, but really, the violence is not affecting the kids. The same thing affects the children that does the adults, the predisposition to violence from whatever made them violent is the only thing that makes them that way. The fact of the matter is that most parents do care, and the kids playing the games do look at things that may be unpleasant, but it doesn’t make them violent.

Just like all good marketing, they know that putting an 18 sticker on the product makes juveniles want to play it. As the results below show.

The National Institute on Media and the Family issues an annual report card on the video and computer game industry. Evidence was provided in several report cards that certain game producers and distributors were deliberately marketing games to children and youth in spite of the fact that the games carried an "M" rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB rating). In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings, President Clinton asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the validity of the accusations. The report was released in September, 2000. It reported that, "Of the 118 electronic games with a Mature rating for violence the Commission selected for its study, 83, or 70 percent, targeted children under 17 in their target audience." This confirmed what we had asserted, that is, that some in the industry were promoting products they themselves acknowledged warrant parental caution.

Source

Children’s minds are obviously being affected by these games, and can be seen by the studies results.

In my next post I will talk more on why it affects them. And how!

Over to you…

[Guest Lottie]

Universal Paradox, your reply please.

[Mr. Fahrenheit]

My apologies. As explained to Dis, my compy is broken and has no internet access. I have limited access to the computer I am using right now, but I will try to get my reply up soon.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

[Guest Lottie]

UP has been granted extra time due to computer issues.

[Guest]

soconfuzzledx1, debates are for debaters only. Should you wish to discuss the topic, you can start a new thread on one of the other sections of the board.