Video/Computer Games

[Faye]

Greetings everyone!! I need some opinions and considering the forum I am looking for biased opinions.

It has been argued, especially over the past 7 or 8 years(whenever the Columbine stuff was) the games have a negative effect on people, namely children. Well I am writing a research paper on the effects of Video/Computer games on children. Its argumenative so I will evetually have to argue against my self but that will only be a couple of paragraphs. I need at least 5 pages of pro video game content. I thought I would ask your opinions on the subject. Also any good web sites on the subject, pro or con, would be helpful.

Thanks for any material you can give me.

*goes back to working diligently on his paper*

Peace Out!

[reaper]

I think video game violence might affect small children, but that’s why you are not supposed to have mature games as a child, it’s the same as r-rated movies.

I think kids grasp the concept between fantasy and real life at a pretty early age.

I myself have never been effected in the slightest, and I play allot of violent video games, most recently hit man. Where in I wounded a guard then walked up to finish the job with a bullet to the head. . . .Now doing that in real life would literally make me sick, but in a video game it’s just a way to pass a few hours.

[Ming]

I personally think that the problem lies on the environment that the kid is raised in. If the parents do a good job to explain to the kid at an early age that the things on TV and in video games are not real, then I think we would have far less school shootings.

I think that to blame all of this on video games, TV, and music is just a cop out because everyone dances around the obvious that the problem is that parents aren't raising kids right anymore.

I don't know if that's gonna help with your paper, but that's my opinion. Thanks for listening.

~Ming

[Therin]

I agree wholeheartedly with Ming.

However, I cannot leave the video game industry completely free of blame either. There are many, many games out there nowadays whose sole purpose, it seems to me, is to attract players with the promise of excessive violence and gore.

Manhunt.
Grand Theft Auto, particularly GTA III and GTA: Vice.
Mortal Combat.
Twisted Metal is heading that way as well.

The reason: Just like sex, violence sells. And since violence isn't as looked down upon as sex, it sells better. I place blame on the gaming industry for permitting things like this to exist. I place blame on the designers for trying to line their own pockets, rather than to create a good gaming experience. Hell, I could point fingers all day long, but I won't bother. All it takes is a bit of reasoning, and you'll figure this out on your own.

[Faye]

You know where my place stands, but I am going to have to argue with you on this one general. I have owned all of those games except for Man hunt(but I heard it was good too) and I still own all the GTA searies. If I am not misaken all of those games have a big fat "M" plastered across the front of them. If the parents buy it for their 6 year old kids that is their fault, not the Video Game Industry. It is only good business to create games bassed on what their audience likes..... it just so happens that their target audience wants violence. If developers didn't make violent games then they prolly wouldn't sell games. So if you want to get technical about it..... its our fault that their are so many violent video games out there..... hrmmm I think I'll use that.

[Therin]

To a certain extent, you are correct. However, I feel that consideration for people has fallen to a certain extent by the wayside in favor of better business.

[Shino]

I will stick to saying it's the parents fault.

Parents should know what their kids are watching, playing, and listening to.

But, if blame was to be placed, I believe it should be more on the music industry than the other two and here is why...

Like what was said earlier, Video games take place in a world of fantasy. And I agree by the "preteen" times of a child's life, they know the difference between real life and fantasy.

Same with TV and movies. Unless you are watching the news, or some stupid reality show, you can still say "it's just a movie" or "it's just a TV show."

But what about music. The lyrics in some cases are horrible. More than anything I'm pointing at "gangsta" rap. These "artists" are real people. And the kids see that. They are real people talking about all kinds of stuff and who is to say that it is or is not really happening in that "artists" life.

Children may know the difference between fantasy and reality, but they also believe what adults tell them. No matter who it is. Parents or some dumb ass rapper. Parents tell their kids that the movie isn't real. The kids believe it. They tell their kids that the game is not real. The kids believe it. A rapper says that it's ok to kill someone who calls you a name or "disses" you. Some kids believe it.

So there you have it.
As far as I'm concerned, Video games don't do anything to children as long as the parent monitors what they are doing. The only thing that Video Games do is positive... Increases hand/eye coordination, encourages to read (You ever play a FF game... or better yet, Xenogears). To say that Videogames are damaging children is an uneducated statement.

People should leave the Video Game industry alone, you want to attack someone, attack the Music industry... Mainly the companies that publish all this "gangsta" rap bull shit!

[/rant]

[Nogrick]

Totally. The blame here needs to be place on the uneducated caretakers of the kids. If you know your child wants a game that you don't think they should have, make damn sure that every one in charge of that child knows that too. Some kids will look for alternative grown ups to buy games for them if their parents say no. Parents today don't seem to see that.

They also take games and the like out of context. Some see video games as a babysitter, while others see them as the spawn of Satan and the degradation of America's youth. To tell you the truth, half of these retards never play video games extensively. They always focus on one controversial game, and base all their opinions on that.

Example: My mom always got pissed off at me when I was playing Final Fantasy Tactics for hours on the weekends, telling me I should do something productive like watch a movie or read a book. Unknown to her, FFT emphasizes on reading and teaches critical thinking skills, math, and strategy. Now there aren't many movies or books that can do the same things.

Also, FPS especially, and many other real time games train eye hand coordination and reaction times which in the real world can help avoid car accidents and hones senses to be more alert. No wonder the army used to use games like Doom to teach soldiers these exact same things. They keep people alive.

The uneducated her are to blame, not the game companies and such.

[Faye]

Well the paper is done and I'm pretty sure I did well on in. But this thread is getting really interesting. I'll share some of my experiences with the "uneducated".

About a year and a half ago I worked for the local Sams Club in the Electronics section. One day I was rearanging the PS2 section and a woman walks up to me and asks me if we have GTA Vice City. I said yes and picked up one of the copies I had strewn about while I was rearanging. She didn't exactly look like the Gamer type to me, so I said "Thats a good choice, I had it reserved and got it the day it came out." She said "Oh this isnt for me, its for my son." Her son was 8 years old....... So I proceeded it inform her about a little thing called the ESRB rating system and describe to her some of the less ethical content in the GTA series. Needless to say she decided against buying it. I for the love of god look at the game case, it has the words MATURE plastered all over the front of it.

Another happend just the other day at work, Daijaga and I were discussing our misadventures on FFXI and our boss who is 4 years older than us walks up behind us and says "You guys realize that it isn't real.... right?" I dont think I have wanted to slap someone any more in my entire life. I am hoping Dai will reply with what he said..... I cant remember it exactly but it was good.

[Daijaga]

Oh, yeah, I remember that. I quoted Morpheus. "What is real. how do you define real. If real is no more than what you see, taste, touch, smell - then real is electrical signals inturpretted by your brain."

Of course, I did this well out of ear shot of said boss.

I went on to extrapelate (sp?), regarding how real it is to me. Whats the difference between watching an episode of CSI or something else for an hour or two or me playing a video game. To me, video games represent a better media format than television in many respects. Dont get me wrong, Im not saying I dont watch TV from time to time, but I dont even have cable - nor am I implying that TV < Games, but I just have certian opinions.

1: Video Games can have large, sprawling plots amd deep moving stories. See example above ith Nogrick. I dont mean to harp on your mom, or the great literaryl classics as Im a reader, but FFT has one of the best political stories, nay stories period, of many of the FF games. It is certainly a fine example of Square's acheivements on the Playstation format. Id advise Nogrick's mom to play FF Tactics.

2: Video Games offer interactivity Tv cant.. Watching a perticular soap or crime show, etc and watching characters develop is good, but actaully being there, chracter by chracter, level by level, NPC to NPC in RPGs or even in grand stories like MGS; thats something all to itself. Who else felt more than stirred at the death of Sniper Wolf? Who didnt shed more than a tear or become angry at Sepheroth in the middle of FF7?

3:Video gamee offer human interaction. While you can discuss TV or watch TV with other persons, experiencing a 4 player blastfest on an FPS or the excitment in a game of Mario Party or Wario Ware is irreplacable to me. In particularlly the advent of online RPGs has refined this. Is my adventure with Faye, Jitabita, and Ladybug in the Valkrum Dunes any less real than watching TV with your spouce? Than reading a book?

Anyway, theres this two cents.