1. Do you think gaming violence causes children to be more violent? Do you think children cause games to be more violent? 2. Do you think gaming violence has a negative effect on children? Do you think children have a negative effect on gaming violence? 3. Are there positive effects of gaming violence on children? Do children have a positive effect on games? 4. Do you think gaming violence is unfairly picked on by the media as a cause of young violence today? No. The media isn't the one making the charges. Analysts do. Do you think these analysts have any postive input for game theory, or are they just whiners? 5. Is film violence and music violence unfairly picked on by the media as a cause of young violence today? No. Again, it's not the media. It's the analysts and the media's coverage of them. Do you think these analysts are on the right track? I think they are when they attack violence in music. 6. Should the media focus more on game, film and music violence? It doesn't matter what I think. Controversy sells! The media looks for controversy, and it will continue to. I wish more analysts would step up and condemn violence in music. I wish Hollywood would make less movies that are violent for entertainment's sake. But violence is a fact of life, and sensationalism sells. SO the real question is should the media pay attention to these analysts? Obviously it sells. Obviously it's news. But direct the controversy toward the analysts, not the media. I got a better question for you. Is the coverage of Britney Spears doing her any good? Is it doing you any good? If it's doing you any good, is it worth what's it's costing Britney Spears?
Ahem. http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/violence_and_videogames Please read that right now, ESPECIALLY people like Mammamaia or Anthraxx.
Interesting stuff you got there Ivan. Of course I've known that for years. For some odd reason the media loves to make it look like violent crime is a pandemic where quit frankly its getting better. Violent crime has been going down in the US for awhile (Sadely at the same time non-violent crime has been on the rise, robbery, property damage, and arson especially). I would however like to know why violent crime is dropping. I assure you its not because of games. I'd bet its because of rising obisity and the fact people don't get out of the house so much (Which actually might be because of games...)
In response to the supposed desensitization due to violence in gaming: I was thinking from the view that children are not as capable of distinguishing real and media violence (despite not being traumatized by the latter), and I don't see why the hypothesized desensitization would be solely a disadvantage. Perhaps it is possible that these youths will be better able to determine a rational solution to traumatizing event through use of a more objectified perspective. Regarding the question of violence in media outlets causing children to become more violent: Scapegoat. I don't believe the media is necessarily making children more violent, however, it is introducing them to our society which commends some forms of aggressiveness--though in fantasized versions. Think about the fact that the media is quite rigid in what it produces, always trying to make another dollar (or Euro, seeing as how our economy seems to slowly be going to hell). They do that by meeting our demands. Therefore, these massive companies' profits and actions are a reflection of what society accepts. In addition, these primal forms of entertainment adapt quite readily to other cultures, giving them even more incentive. There's not much need to translate Rambo, is there? If violence in video games is blamed, we have to chastise news sources--do V-chips block news?--and everything else that perpetuates our current state of society as well. ETA: I believe schools should stop teaching Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is making hordes of aggressive children bite their thumbs at others kids. Don't even get me started on Hamlet.
