Video Game Controversy

[Ernest]

I think games like Grand Theft Auto could easily influence a child to swear, or maybe take drugs.

I don't think anyone ever said that by playing Modern Warfare, we'd have killers on the streets. And if they did, they're wankers. It's that word that politicans love using, "Desensitsed". I don't know, maybe there's some truth to it. From what I've seen in reading the Wikipedia of game contreversy, research dicates that a child who plays violent games is no more likely to comitt the crimes in-game, then in real life.

But that's not what parents and politicans supposedly care about. I don't think anyone actually believes that kids will kill, because they do in games. I think they're just worried that when things like the Iraq War break out and Iraqi's are getting blown up by the thousands, kids couldn't give less of a ****, and if anything, are excited to see if their nation is as strong in real life, as they are in these games. Stuff like that is maybe a worry.

Its largely a myth though. One that's supported by cool dudes live Stephen King.

[Heartless Angel]

I love this debate, I've won it at least 5 times throughout high school for various classes and once for debate team. All 5 times defending that games are not at fault. To date there is little to no evidence to support the claim that video games induce violence.

My favorite point to bring up: Since violence in games has only gone up over the years, we should be seeing a major spike in youth (the people who play these games and are mist likely to take them seriously and immitate them) violence. Interestingly enough, not only do we NOT see this, in fact since people started making this claim, youth violence has actually gone down. So, just from observation, it seems the two in fact have an inverse relationship. Based on this, people saying video games cause violents, are morons with nothing better to blame failed parenting on.

To be perfectly honest, going ape shit on some pixels actuallys relieves stress that I might otherwise relieve by cracing someone's skull open. Seriously, when I'm pissed to point where I start fantacizing about someone's death, i go pound the living crap out of some poor NPC's in a random game. Usually, once I've had my fun obliterating things, the urge to murder someone is gone. I can't imagine that with as many gamers as there are out there, that I'm the only person like this.