Do Playing Violent Video Games Turn Their Players Violent?

[kimheng 0]

I think that each game have their rating, if everyone accept the rating it wouldn't have affect the player at all. But it may affect the underage player! For example silent hill is a type a horror, violent game is rate "M" which is 17 year or older will be able to play it. But if a child like 10 years old play it somehow it will affect in their mind or they will act like the charactor in the game this is call immitate!

[bishoujo 0]

Actually I believe violent video games may be a good way of releasing stress and venting anger. Once you vent your anger by bashing up and killing virtual people, your anger dissipates, or you simply have no energy to get angry. Playing video games is after all mentally and physically straining. However, young children should not play violent video games because they are too young to establish right and wrong and may feel compelled to commit violence so they can be like their virtual hero.

[suberatu 0]

Personally, I don't believe that violent video games turn people violent. Most "evidence" that is presented to try to prove that there is a connection resembles somthing like a line graph showing an increase in violent video game play next to an increase in violent crime. While this may at first seem substantial and plausible, basic Psychology tells us that correlation does not imply causation. An example that is given in my Psych textbook talks about how if you graph the length of a marriage vs. hair loss, as one increases so will the other. Does this mean that a long marriage causes hair loss (or vice versa)? No, it simply means that there is a correlation, but that neither is a cause or effect of the other. In this case there is a third factor -- aging. Age increases as the length of a relationship increases, and an hair loss usually starts or becomes more apparent as a person ages. The same is with video games. While people who commit violent crimes play may play violent video games, it in no way implies that it is the games who lead them to commit such acts (or the acts lead them to play the games).

 

On that note, one has to doubt the data presented that shows a correlation between violent crime and violent video game play in the first place. This is because there is much data that contradicts the claim that a correlation exists in the first place. Example (2005):

 

 

I think that each game have their rating, if everyone accept the rating it wouldn't have affect the player at all. But it may affect the underage player! For example silent hill is a type a horror, violent game is rate "M" which is 17 year or older will be able to play it. But if a child like 10 years old play it somehow it will affect in their mind or they will act like the charactor in the game this is call immitate!

Kimheng, while this at first seems like a good philosophy to go by, the problem is that the rating system itself is flawed to begin with. I remember reading somewhere that a video game rating of T(een) is closer to the movie rating of PG than it is to PG-13. Then you have M(ature) which is closer to the movie rating of R than anything else. Therefore, there really is no PG-13 equivalent rating. This is problematic because you have games like Halo and Manhunt have the same rating while there obviously is a HUGE difference in the content of both games. Edited September 25, 2007 by suberatu (see edit history)

[Carson 0]

I think that playing video games does make the player violent. It is a form of media, and the medias number one job is to brainwash us. I think as children when we are still growing up and learning how to behave, and whats acceptable and whats not, then when we are exposed to violence we too become violent, or mimic what happens around us. Its a bit like domestic violence. If a child is abused by their parents growing up, it is likely that child will abuse their children. It is similar with video games as we are exposed to violence. I think it does not have much or any affect on adults.

[Cloudd 0]

I think that it only affects those who let it affect them. If you decide before playing the game that you are not going to let the affect you then you can play the game and not be any more violent than you already are.

[arnz 0]

I have to agree, many video game players usually play it as a form of relaxation and/or to release their problems out by taking it out on virtual people and/or AI. Of course there are the rare cases, but then again it may depend whether the player/s let the things affect them.

[A200 0]

I say yes. They are just as bad as those violent TV shows showing gruesome murder of people. It gives murderers and rapists ideas on what techniques to try on their next victim. Horrible.

[jopak134 0]

even chess can turn violent. it really depends on the player's well being.

[varalu 0]

I believe that it is a bit of both. It really depends on many factors, especially factors dealing with the person being exposed to the content. As we live and grow, our behavior develops on the experiences that we go through growing up. We form our reactions, thoughts, and methods of thinking on these foundations.

 

Examples: 1.) If you were sexually abused by a family member, you may develop a fear and general distrust of people altogether. 2.) If you were raised to fight and bully others, you might resort to violence to solve problems in the future.

 

Video games as an influencing factor work the same way, in my opinion. Anything that is able to influence the development of a child will sway their behavior in the future towards the subject matter. Fortunately enough, most kids are old enough to think for themselves and are not exactly swayed to terrorize and kill a bunch of their fellow classmates after playing a game of Halo. However, some kids are literally mentally undeveloped enough to accept the idea that video game violence portrays an acceptance of violence in reality, and thus they will adapt to the idea that violence in society is okay.

 

Basically, what I'm saying is that if you raise a child around violence, that child will most likely have more of a violent behavior as his/her thought process will revolve around their own experiences with the matter, simply because that's all they know. If you have someone that has the mental capacity to determine that violence is not acceptable, yet that person plays many violent games, that person MAY become violent in behavior as a result, but not very likely considering the fact that he/she KNOWS that violence is not acceptable in the real world.

 

That's what I figure. [Hopefully that wasn't confusing.] =p

 

Remember that if you do agree with what I believe in, it is the mental capacity to determine whether violence is right or wrong that would sway a person to become violent as a result of violent video games, which means that this leaves anyone subject to becoming violent as a result of violent video games [and not just younger children]. If I didn't know better, I could very well myself become more of a violent individual because I enjoy violent video games... and so could you.

It is directly proportional to the maturity level of the member who is playing the game. When small kids play such games, they usually get carried away with such games and try to imitate characters and actions similar to the games they play which may not be the case with more mature people. It also depends on the amount of vulgarity/ crime or whatever is present in the game. Researchers suggest that small children should not be exposed to such games or even such movies. So discretion is always advised.

[SaNJ 0]

I don't really think so...nowadays most of the kids..and especially boys play violent games frequently...and that too they start playing at a tender age. Yes there have been cases of kids becoming addict to games and doing obsessive behaviour ...they start stealing money to buy games if they don't have it...or they start missing schools for those games or shorten their sleeping hours...and thus it effects their lifestyle ....but it doesn't make them violent or something like that. There have been cases where people were so addicted that they stopped eating and sleeping for playing games and there have been some cases of suicide too. There may have been some cases where people may have become violent but those are very rare and the causes are not only the violent games, but the family environment . First the family environment and second is the company one keeps has the main effect over the individual and not playing any kind of game or something. If a person belongs to a family where is used to watch family violence then definetely he or she is going to become violent or if one belongs to a family which is used to rely on violence in getting their jobs done then their descendents are very likely to follow the same path.So finally what i think is that it is not the games which make people violent, its the family and the company one keeps which makes him or her modest or violent.

[arnz 0]

even chess can turn violent. it really depends on the player's well being.

It probably could be applied to tiddlywinks (Marbles), or even the older sports like Bowls or Crochquet (sp). Yes, it could be said it depends on the player's mental state and wellbeing.

[underwatergames 0]

It depends on the amount of sense the person playing it has. if the person knows what is real and what is not than no. but otherwise, yes.