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.

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!

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!

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

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

Revolver Ocelot,

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

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

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

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



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.



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…


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.


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…

Universal Paradox, your reply please.

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.

UP has been granted extra time due to computer issues.

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.