[Driver 8]

http://komonews.com/stories/35494.htm

What do you guys think? I'll hold off voicing my opinions until you guys have time to formulate one of your own.

[WarC]

In my opinion, video games are used as a scapegoat. A mentally unstable kid who shoots some other people after playing a video game is going to find a way to shoot some other people: if the video game didn't do it, comics would, or movies would, or some other stimulation. The fault with these kids lies somewhere else, in their upbringing, and in how they perceive the world/themselves. So no, I guess I don't think game developers should be held accountable if a kid commits a crime "because" of a video game.

I've actually heard talk that games like GTA (which I suspect is the target of this, it is the game in the screenshot in the link) actually lower the crime rate because young adults can vent their frustrations and murder/rampage/loot in a cyber world instead of the real one.

And gaming beats sitting in front of a TV!

If you can't tell I'm a big gamer, hehehe.

[Ciberblade]

No! In no way shape or form. (didn't we already go through this with DOOM?)

I coded a Java applet version of hangman that includes online connectivity to a database for competition against other players. Should I be held accountable if one of the players goes to school and decides to hang the worst speller in the class? Give me a break

[coderitr]

I think it is yet another attempt by alarmists to explain away actions so we don't have to think about personal responsibility. These same games are available in Canada yet the violent crime rate is fraction of that in the US. Why?

[Big-K]

Scapegoat, I agree. Very related comic strip(www.somethingpositive.net).

[angelize56]

I do think there is way too much violence in video games nowadays...gee...I remember PacMan...Space Invaders.....simple, sweet games...video games have come a long way....for the worse unfortunately! Who knows what ideas a mentally unstable person could get from a violent video game....but then they could get the same ideas from TV...shall we ban TV too!

[Big-K]

And movies! And plays! And comics! And books! And music! Every form of entertainment is capable of inducing violence. Personally, I don't think the benefits outweigh the negatives.

[angelize56]

Stay in the house...lock your doors...turn off your TV...don't answer the phone...don't read the paper.....don't open the mail....that trigger for violence could pop up at any time!

I like you Big-K!

[Wet Chicken]

The only scapegoat that there is, is the one that you were with last night The army spent millions studying this several years ago, and found that video games DO effect how children and young adults perceive things. They also learned this year that certain people do not develop parts of their brains that control 'risk taking' until around the age of 21. Guess who those certain people are? You guys can whine about this until the cows come home and it won't change one thing The scientific evidence is building up day by day and it's just a matter of time before they use it like DNA in a court of law to bust the irresponsible companies that produce this trash

Ta-Ta

[Ciberblade]

Originally Posted by angelize56

I do think there is way too much violence in video games nowadays...gee...I remember PacMan...Space Invaders.....simple, sweet games...video games have come a long way....for the worse unfortunately! Who knows what ideas a mentally unstable person could get from a violent video game....but then they could get the same ideas from TV...shall we ban TV too!

It is still essentially the same goal.
PacMan ~ Eating or being eaten by ghosts -- you have supernatural beings and abilities (when with powerpill) that you use to devour the souls wandering the maze.

Space Invaders ~ The whole goal in this one is to destroy, by massive firepower -- if you are unsuccessful, then you will be destroyed.

[Wet Chicken]

Originally Posted by angelize56

shall we ban TV too!

Just the trash It's called a rating system

[angelize56]

^^ CB: But they're mild compared to GTA and the likes!

[angelize56]

Got your V-chip Chickenman?

[Ciberblade]

Originally Posted by Wet Chicken

The only scapegoat that there is, is the one that you were with last night The army spent millions studying this several years ago, and found that video games DO effect how children and young adults perceive things. They also learned this year that certain people do not develop parts of their brains that control 'risk taking' until around the age of 21. Guess who those certain people are? You guys can whine about this until the cows come home and it won't change one thing The scientific evidence is building up day by day and it's just a matter of time before they use it like DNA in a court of law to bust the irresponsible companies that produce this trash

Ta-Ta

DO effect children?
Drinking orange juice effects children
Riding bikes, having Barbies (or not), water guns, rubber ducks, bunkbeds, watching Smufs, and a million other things effect children.

What we are talking about here is if exposure to these games causes children to perform violent acts that has not been proven! If it were the case, we would see children all over the world with this behavior -- and we do not. It all starts from a lack of responsibility from the parents, and goes downhill from there. Children are exposed to worse violence and 'desensitization' from the evening news.

[Ciberblade]

Originally Posted by angelize56

^^ CB: But they're mild compared to GTA and the likes!

I agree with that.

And for that very reason, these games are restricted to purchase by those over 17 -- again, the parents fault for purchasing such games if they are unsuitable for use by their child.