Video Games: one of the many hazzards

I just read a small article on video games and how they affect us. It was well written, and it had both positive and negative points, although I didn’t include the positive ones. I happen to find this magazine lying around, so I have no idea what it’s nature is (might be one of those religious things because I see some references to god and quotes of the bible so yea). They conducted a few studies (3000 different ones on the violent games topic on itself) and these are a few interesting points I paraphrased from it:

I found it relevant to post because I agree with most of the things they’ve said, and I have some experience with videogames and their effect. I’ve also known some people that were really into videogames, and I’ve talked to many other people in online games, and they seem to reflect this article greatly. I’ve also noticed that games make their way in dreams, which means that our subconscious mind really does get influenced by video games. There are many ‘below-average’ people in the world, and I think this would help them greatly. I also hope parents keep an eye out for this kind of thing.

Most computer games, of many things in this world, top out as one of the worst things opposing ‘enlightenment’ and ‘lucid living’ topics, in my opinion.

True, but action games are the natural evolution of TV media to an interactive level - it was bound to happen.

But even though it might affect someone’s way to thinking I don’t believe it’s to the extent of making the player insane.

As with anything, there’ll always be a 10% that are VERY sensitive towards any drug (from flying to speeding to actual narcotics) and unfortunately it’s not really determinable who these people are…

I think this is mostly bull, games wont have a negative effect on most healthy human beings. But i do agree on that games with high level of violence should not be played by young kids, it should have an age limit.

I have nothing against violent games for ppl that is more matured, ppl that know the difference on fiction/reality.

I strongly disagree with the idea that media of any form makes people violent. I believe it is social interactions instead. Since I have already written an essay on this for my composition class…I’ll post the link here rather than repeat it:

angelfire.com/games3/ubrk/mediaviolence.html

I do agree very young children should not play violent games, but only because often the parents will not make a clear distinction between fantasy and reality.

(sorry about the page, I just tossed it together)

…and along comes Atheist.

This is an extremely passionate issue for me. I’ve written quite a number of essays and performed several presentations exploring this very issue. I don’t intend to post a super-large argument against the above post now (I am at work, after all) but I can say that it’s not entirely accurate to blame video games on specific social disorders found among young people in particular.

I’m not saying they don’t have any effect, but I can reliably claim that the effects from playing violent video games really only accent any existing mental conditions that might cause aggressive behavior. I also agree that a lot of games should only be sold to people old enough to have already determined through other means what are acceptable social habbits.

Persoanlly, I find games in general (regardless of mature content) to be a form of escapism. Even for a few brief hours I can forget about my current life, and take command of a scientist in the middle of an alien invasion. It may seem silly, but everyone needs to escape their own life for at least a few hours every so often. I guess that’s another reason Lucid Dreaming was so appealing to me.

I guess this can be viewed as a nature vs nurture type of deal. Very interesting points you all come up with. I’m looking forward to read your essay Greyfyre to learn more about this subject.

this is interesting subject. What I have always said to people who claim that violent tv and games make kids crazy, violent and want to make them kill people (very narrow minded, but ive heard arguments like that), is that if the person is healthy, they are not going to go crazy. Those who the media have stamped as gone-crazy-for-playing-too-many-games usually have a glitch in their head to start with… so it may trigger that kind of behaviour in SOME individuals every so often, though it is likely that those people would have done something like that anyways…

and what comes to religious articles, I really dislike them because often they claim that something is evil… seriously my friend once got a pamphlet that was explaining why pokemon are evil, and the devil is using them to control kids and make them chant stuff from demonic rituals etc…

It seems that they are assuming that there is some innate programming that resists killing others… this is, quite questionable belief, that is questioned by for example William Golding…

Awake! <-Hmm, aren´t that the “Zeugen Jehovas” Jeovas Witnesses) ?

I could be wrong, though…

I was thinking also jehovas witnesses…
I’ve seen one of their “magazines”… they said almost straightly that role-games are the work of demon
Hope nobody takes any giltches what I say, but just telling what it read there

I totally agree with Tomas. Video Games will have no negative consequence on a person who is sane. You must be mentally ill to relate RL to video games. => I think that this article is BS.

ya most of it is bs, tho alot of video games are anti social but nm that… this has almost nothing to do with dreams so why did you post it here?

I must say that it depends on person’s state of their mind. Some person’s mind is insane. Some is sane. The games might affect them, depending on their mind state.

I don’t really have any strong opinion about it… only thing I believe in is that the children shouldn’t be exposed to bloody violence until they reach a reasonable age since their mind state is very unstable. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.

well I dont know about that, tbh I think msot of it is rubbish but if someone plays computer games on their own all night then they aint out making friends playing sports what ever… or stealing cars shooting random ppl lol
maybe they are a good thing, most ppl need to have their violence satisfied where no one gets hurt, games.

If video games cause disturbances in someone’s head, fine. No, seriously, it’s darwinism out there. Let’s remove all safety labels as well and see who survives. Let the dying of the dumb begin!

I think that the tests that people do to see if video games effect people probably aren’t accurate. This is because the people that would go on mudererous rampages would probably be attracted to video games so that they can release their anger and violence easily. So that would explain the tests that say that people who play video games become violent.
I also think that some video games can have a negative effect on some immature people, just as some movies do. But as most of you have said, it would only really effect someone that is insane in the first place. I know a few people that play a lot of these types of games and they are fine people. I don’t think they would ever kill or hurt anyone in the way that some people claim they would.

I know we have plenty of opposition to the topic already, but I’m bored so here is my view

Increased aggressiveness in the players - Anything that gets your heart pumping fast increases your aggressiveness. Video games don’t increase aggressiveness anymore than running around the room several times.

80 percent of the video games young people prefered contained violence - This just means young people enjoy violent games. It doesn’t mean they prefer it in reality.

-“These are not just games anymore. These are learning machines. We’re teaching kids/incredible manner/to pull the trigger…What they’re not learning are the real-life consequences.” - I disagree. Watching a guy shooting a gun in a video game is hardly learning how to fire one. No game is so detailed that it can teach children how to successfully carjack someone, snipe someone, blow something up, etc.

Electronic games can make you more than a spectator of violence, they are designed to make you feel like a participant --Military psychologist David Grossman/claims that violence in computer games trains childrem in the same way that military training teaches soldiers to overcome their inborn resistance to killing/military discovered that it was possible to break down this reluctance in a large percentage of people in the infantry simply by replacing the normal bull’s-eye targets with man-shaped targets during shooting practice. - Getting a hold of a gun and deciding to kill someone is a much larger step in murdering someone than pulling the trigger. If a person has a gun and is determined to kill someone, this “inborn resistance” won’t be strong enough to stop them, whether they have it or not.

For the impressionable, games may blur the distinction between reality and fantasy - True to a small extent. I never heard of a sane child who had completely no idea what was reality and fantasy because of video games. I don’t think video games blur this distinction enough to cause any damage.

Like an addiction, game playing can lead to neglect of important obligations and relationships - Yeah, this has happened to me a couple of times Only on small things though. No one is so addicted that they would give up a huge obligation for a video game they could play the next day. Video games are fun, but not that addictive.

Games consume time that children should spend on other important activities/studying, interacting with others, and playing creatively - Kind of the same as above. Again, I’ve never heard of a child whose life was ruined because they didn’t do the above activities because of video games. Parents can easily set rules to prevent this.

Prolonged staring at the screen can cause eyestrain-Exactly how long? I’d guess several hours. Most people don’t play video games that much consecutively. Some do. It also says staring, there is a difference between staring at a screen and watching it. Watching it for several hours will do little or no damage.

lack of exercise, a possible result of game playing, can lead to obesity - Video games only contribute a small percentage to obesity. If someone quit playing video games, but continued to watch tv, eat fast food, sleep long hours, etc., they will lose hardly any weight.

games can rob you of money and time - How can it be considered robbery if you are enjoying yourself? If they mean you go out and buy and play a game and end up not liking it, any activity from watching a movie to taking a certain class at school can “rob” you of money and time.

according to research appearing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology/computer-game violence may be even more dangerous than violence shown on television/players identifies himself with the characters carrying out the violence/can make us feel like participants. - Kind of a repeat of what they’ve been saying. All of these statements are a bit general. How much more dangerous than television violence? Does a player identifying himself with a character make him a significantly more dangerous person? How is feeling like a participant dangerous?

Soooooo, in conclusion, I am bored and I felt like ranting. I’m not upset about this article or anything. Continue on
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view point of an avid video gamer…

hmm do video games make you more violent, agressive etc. Yes all the time, when i mess up big time and get killed during a game it anoys me but has no adverse effect on the RW.

Do violent games make people commit violence? NO. The only time that an adult would do such a thing is if he or she was not of sound mind, or was easily influenced. I found it interesting to note that 4 in 10 people suffer from psychopathy (a mental disorder that can cause agression - only 1 in 3 serial killers & murderers are actually psychopaths) and strangely enough about 3-10 people have killed or maimed because of a video game… i don’t suppose those 3 in 10 also suffer from psychopathy?

In my personal case i do enjoy fighting and violent games as a release of anger and tension. Yes that’s right, i use it to calm me down. I mean i could go out into the street and bludgeon someone and do it that way but that would be really stupid wouldn’t it? So i use the game as a “safe” release.

just thought i would add my 2 cents worth

Gaming causes as much violence as selling ice cream causes people drowning. The mechanism of function is also similar, which in this case means bullshit.

If you meant that literally, I’ll point out that’s really bullshit. 4 in 10 people suffer from psychopathy? About 5% do in some extent, but most of them not enough to be considered actual psychopaths. Psychopathy cannot be described as a “disorder that can cause aggression”. It’s a disorder which involves lack of emotions. A psychopath only cares about others if they’re useful to him. He treats people as tools and immeaditely “discards” them when they’re not of benefit anymore.

If there are 3-10 people in the world who killed or maimes because of video games, well… Where did that 3 in 10 come from?

yep everytime i play a violent game i go out and kill somebody

Rape,Physical Violence,Mental Abuse,ect are what causes people to have mental problems and can turn them into doing violent acts.

Also the claim that it causes kids to not get out and do other things and get fat,That is due to poor parenting and nothing else.Parents don’t want to take responsbility for anything anymore and this junk is trying to give poor parents another excuse of why there kids are acting out violence.

This article is garbage simple as that.

Well, that one’s pretty obvious to me. Anything that comes outta that “religion” is. I could say ‘no offense’, but don’t actually want to avoid offending those parties. I’ll rather concentrate on warning others. When we’re dealing with those things , we’re dealing with pure evil. Keep distance & watch your back.