I chose this article for a few reasons.
1. It involves a lobbying group, which is something we were talking about in class last week.
2. I find the NRA's claims to be a little ridiculous. From what I have heard, there is no conclusive evidence that violent video games have led to an increase in school shootings. In fact, how do you classify which games are and aren't violent? You can kill people in a game like Zoo Tycoon by releasing lions, but that's not causing people to open lion cages for their own amusement. I find the argument to be flimsy, but I want to see your opinions.
Monday, January 14, 2013
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After reading the article, it is a little hard to deny that violent video games have an effect on its players. However, to make the assumption that if a child/ person plays a video game consistently will become a criminal or murderer as a direct result of such a game is jumping to conclusions. There is a wide variation of those who play these games, just as there is to be expected a wide variation of impact on its players. We cannot disregard the effects of violent films on TV and books as well (thus we cannot fully blame video games for having a negative/desensitizing effect on a person). There is no direct correlation between such video games listed in this article and criminals that I can decipher. Possibly such a video game could further strengthen the thoughts of someone already plagued by criminal thoughts, but I cannot imagine that such a video game would produce a criminal/ murderer.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lauren in that it cannot be assumed that anyone who plays a game deemed "violent" by the public will inherently become desensitized from the game. I believe that it depends on the personality of the person playing the game. Not everyone will make the connection between video games and real life; some people admit that it truly is a form of entertainment to pass the time and nothing more. It was noteworthy that the article cited the more than $20 million that have been spent on federal lobbying since 2008, which is likely linked to the lack of further regulation of video games from 2008 until now.
DeleteWhile these games are inane, and I would never play them (nor let my hypothetical children play them), they are not inspiring these mentally unstable shooters to commit their crimes. No it is sensationalism in the media. Adam Lanza is now a household name isn't it? This inspires the next mentally unstable person rather than quietly taking their own lives as they used to (which is still only the less of two terrible evils) to shooting up the next classroom of children so that they may be important and remembered.
ReplyDeleteI am a proponent of stricter gun laws, but I do think we should look at the role of violent video games. While it is currently believed that Adam Lanza was not driven by violent video games, there has been scientific research done indicating that these games have some questionable effects. Laura Davies, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatrist in San Francisco believes too many children are exposed to too much violence through video games and that there can be consequences. However, I am not sure what should be done about this, because I believe government regulation of video games could cause conflicts over personal liberties. Also, I agree with Grace that the sensationalism of the media encourages such acts of violence. That is not to say that this sensationalism is the sole cause or that stricter gun laws wouldn't help.
ReplyDeletevideo games are are version of artistic expression like a painting or a movie. There are two theories of the way society progresses in art. one is that artists chose to imagine new things that are then copied by society. the other is that artists create their works from things they see happening in real life. I believe video games have gotten more violent because our society has become more violent. not vise versa as many people claim.
ReplyDeleteI don't think playing violent video games will make a person more or less likely to commit crime. I think there are many factors that make a person want to commit a crime.
ReplyDeleteSara has it right in my opinion. There has to be more serious problems with one who commits some of these crimes than a video game.
DeleteViolence attributes are something that a person possesses based on their upbringing not necessarily on the games they play. Yes, once in a while a videogame fanatic will turn violent but those symptoms are not found in many videogame enthusiasts.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that these video games incite violence. I do agree that they desensitize those who play them to aggressive acts however, the evidence is insufficient to jump to the conclusion that those who play them are more likely to actually commit crimes. My impression is that the NRA is just trying to find a scapegoat to avert the attention from assault weapons, their violent video games argument is just their attempt at a rebuttal.
ReplyDeleteI agree that that is a little extreme. I don't think that video games lead to aggression or violence. I agree with Katie that the NRA might be trying to find a way to avert away from the real problem.
ReplyDeleteI do not know whether there is a link between violent video games and violent behavior, however, if it is concerning people then they should initiate some sort of research to either discover or disprove a link between the two, but that should not be discussed in correlation with new gun and stricter gun control policies that are long overdue and in reaction to the shooting at Sandy Hook. I do not like those games, and I would be unable to play them because of the violent content and non-stop killing of people, but I do know people that like to play these games, and I cannot imagine any of them going on violent rampages.
ReplyDeleteThe people who commit such heinous crimes are the ones who have troubled lives. I don't think that all children who play such video games or watch violent shows/movies are the ones who are going to shoot up schools. It's the children who can't distinguish the difference between TV/video games from reality. I also agree that we should do research on the effect of violent video games before we take any actions, but I also agree with Aaron on how we are to distinguish between violent vs non-violent games.
ReplyDeleteI can see violent video games playing an extremely minor role in these violent acts by glorifying them however if it is our goal to remove all things thaat glorify violent acts we would need to remove all action movies and media as well. Also there are many other issues that play a much larger effect and would be much easier to fix such as background checking legislation
ReplyDeleteIf ever carried out, it would be interesting to see the conclusion of the mentioned study of the connection between playing violent video games and exhibiting real violent behavior. I doubt that there is an extreme relevance between the two because, when you think about it, most likely millions of kids (and certain adults still young at heart) play these games such as Call of Duty, yet we do not see such horrendous people in such numbers committing similar acts such as the Newtown shooting.
ReplyDeleteI think there is just a link at times, rather than a pattern, between video game use and violence. While I personally don't find such violent games appealing, who's to say that all the violence found in t.v. shows, movies, and the media aren't having such an effect then? If we focus on better mental health, we don't have to worry about that small statistic of people.
ReplyDelete