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Not to be too rude and insensitive but have you ever thought that the Video games aren't the problem, but instead they are what is affording them some release and allowing them to live? That they are using the games as a means to excise their anger and resentment? Also is it not also more likely that your children have some under lying problem beyond what you or your wife are aware? While I truly am sorry that you have to deal with this situation and honestly hope that it improves for everyone involved. I feel to foster the blame off onto video games without first exploring every possible avenue is simply unfair, unfair to the child and unfair to your wife and yourself.
originally posted by: bally001
a reply to: Iconic
Okay, yeah, do you have any kids. I have 7. Last 2 love their violent videos especially when they are killings cops, ambulance people, welfare, fire brigade and anyone else that step in the way of them achieving crime stats. One of them now is contemplating suicide.
Now, I don't advocate this violence and self harm. I shut the internet down. The last 2 living at home have become the most antisocial, violent and self harming kids I know. Give me some cred. Its the internet. No respect for human life.
Perhaps educate me as a father that real life deserves living and not shooting up cops and slashing your wrists. For crying out aloud. One life is worth saving as opposed to the internet where living normal is just getting dusted.
Perhaps you'd like to be one of the people that my child snuffs. Or in the case of the other, getting wasted so they can waste others. It's all educational on the net. Ohh! To snuff the net while they are swearing and cussing only inflames the hurt they direct to me and their beautiful mother. Stuff the internet and its games.
kind regards,
bally
originally posted by: rickymouse
No issues with either daughter, the young one owns a business and employs maybe thirty to forty people, the oldest one is a live at home mom, her kids play violent video games. I can tell by talking to them that I will never teach them to shoot, both boys are wreckless with even toy guns, shooting disks at each other and some sort of darts with no tips, they do not even wear the goggles they are supposed to wear. I have to pass on my guns, I am probably not giving them a gun, my brothers son also is not responsible. He played too much video games too. I doubt if any of these kids would go out and shoot anyone purposely, but they would be extremely hard to get to be safe with a gun. Their instinct is to just swing the gun around, that could be dangerous with a real gun.
So, from first hand knowing lots of kids who have played a lot of violent video games, I definitely see that these people are not safe with a gun, mostly in that they are wreckless. They cannot properly comprehend that they can easily hurt someone by accident. My youngest daughter will probably get all my guns and she can take care of distributing them. Most of my guns have been in my family for at least three generations.
Ok and what about the MILLIONS who play games DAILY and DON"T go out an create a mass shooting, or don't we count? Yes there are crazy people, I know shocker right? And Crazy people tend to do crazy things, sometimes without provocation or outside stimuli. If one looked hard enough one could likely argue a link between Coffee and mass shootings, or like another poster pointed out Mountain Dew. Just because a few people consume these drinks and then go on to cause a mass shooting. Does that mean that coffee or mountain dew are responsible for the shootings? Did they cause it? Did their product induce a radical shift in their thought process that caused them to act out? Of course not! It sounds stupid even as I type it. But this is the logic and mentality of the people who want to blame video games. Use your head for more than a hat rack, actually employ some critical thinking.
originally posted by: jjkenobi
So you are completely unwilling to admit there is even a possibility that 8 to 13 year olds playing Grand Theft Auto will become desensitized to stealing and violence? Or that the same age range shooting and blowing up others in first person shooters couldn't even have the remote possibility of leading to violence? Because if you watch youtube there are plenty of examples of kids going into a complete psycho rage over just minor things that happen to them in the game.
How about the nine year old who just recently shot his sister for not giving him a controller. There's zero chance the video game had even the slightest impact on this behavior? Another boy in Cleveland shot his parents when they wouldn't let him play Halo 3.
There's no shortage of stories like this. I think you're crazy not to think there is even a hint of influence from shooting people in video games all day and shooting someone in real life.
There is even more money to be made from false studies showing a causation between violent video games and violence in general from the sales of anti-psychotic, anti-depressant, and ADHD drugs... gee I wonder who makes bank then?
originally posted by: hombero
There is more money behind funding studies pro video games. The video game industry is huge. Fact.
Concerned parents struggle to pay their bills, and are probably the most concerned and on the other side of the battle lines. Fact.
Of course there are more studies that show there is no correlation between violent children and video games. It was the same with tobacco.
Critical thinking.
originally posted by: yuppa
a reply to: howtonhawky
Brainwashing a person with a game you mean.
originally posted by: looneylupinsrevenge
originally posted by: rickymouse
No issues with either daughter, the young one owns a business and employs maybe thirty to forty people, the oldest one is a live at home mom, her kids play violent video games. I can tell by talking to them that I will never teach them to shoot, both boys are wreckless with even toy guns, shooting disks at each other and some sort of darts with no tips, they do not even wear the goggles they are supposed to wear. I have to pass on my guns, I am probably not giving them a gun, my brothers son also is not responsible. He played too much video games too. I doubt if any of these kids would go out and shoot anyone purposely, but they would be extremely hard to get to be safe with a gun. Their instinct is to just swing the gun around, that could be dangerous with a real gun.
So, from first hand knowing lots of kids who have played a lot of violent video games, I definitely see that these people are not safe with a gun, mostly in that they are wreckless. They cannot properly comprehend that they can easily hurt someone by accident. My youngest daughter will probably get all my guns and she can take care of distributing them. Most of my guns have been in my family for at least three generations.
I would argue that it is lack of forethought on your part that precipitated their carelessness with firearms. You have apparently never taken the time to show them the difference between a real gun and a toy or digital gun (that's how your post made it sound). It's not their fault that the only "gun safety lessons" they have received is from video games, that's your fault (and the fault of your family). Maybe if you took the time to explain and educate them in the dangers of what a real gun is capable they will see reason and learn to be responsible. In the end, if you want them to be safe with guns, you have to teach them to be safe with guns, period!
I am a product of the 80's, so I was raised around guns, big pick ups, and violent video games. I can tell you my father and brother made sure I knew how to properly handle a gun, before I was ever aloud to shoot one. They also made sure that I knew what I was seeing on screen was in no way real, and that what would happen in real life would be very different, and stressed it to me every time the idea of target shooting came up. It was very important to them that I understood the differences. As a result I knew from a young age the difference between a gun and the plastic toy I was wielding.
Also while I can understand your point about how they handle the disk and foam dart shooters, you have to realize that the velocity of those rounds isn't enough to cause any real damage. Yeah your eye might sting for a while (maybe even a black eye if you were point blank) if you got a dart directly too it, but you aren't going to loose an eye (the glasses are really only provided to reduce the possibility of law suit for the company). This is of course assuming that they aren't the type to affix tacs or pins to the end of the dart (for more excitement) as that would obviously cause damage above and beyond what the company/country considers safe. Disk shooters do tend to hurt a bit more than the darts, but that is mostly down to how they are shaped and how a small edge focuses the point of impact. However I again must point out that the velocity of these disks is much to slow to cause any sort of serious injury... unless intentional.
originally posted by: rickymouse
Well, I know that I am not going to teach them to shoot, that is my choice. Unless I see a drastic change in their attitude, I will not give them any of my guns either. That is my choice, not yours. I would tell other people if your kids exhibit these behaviors that they should also not take their kids or grandkids to the rifle range and teach them to shoot too. Now everyone has their own rights to have guns, I will not force my beliefs on others, but I am just trying to caution people to beware of things and trust their instincts.
If you want to teach your careless kids who do not believe in self discipline with guns to shoot, then that is your privilege. I have always assessed situations to try to properly evaluate the future problems that can occur.
You can knock out an eye with one of those disk shooters, that is why every one of the guns says that safety glasses should be worn with them. If the kids do not follow the safety instructions than they should not be allowed to have them. Hopefully you do not have kids, I know two people who lost an eye when they were young from fooling around, one lost his eye from a friend shooting a BB gun.
You say you were taught from young by your parents, that is good, my grandkids were never taught respect for a gun when they were young, now they are twelve and fourteen, they are set in their ways already and way harder to train. My daughter did not want me teaching them to do shooting when they were young, She sensed that they were desensitized by the games they play. I believe she is correct in her assumption after observing the way they are acting. Next window of oportunity will be when they are maybe in their thirties, after they learn how their actions effect their future.
originally posted by: rickymouse
a reply to: looneylupinsrevenge
www.nydailynews.com...
www.cbsnews.com...
www.telegraph.co.uk...
www.tapinjury.com...
The disks the daughter bought online were a harder rubber or plastic like product, but they got like fifty of them for the cost of ten Nerf brand ones.
I can keep adding lots of these links showing these things can be dangerous.
I fear we will have to agree to disagree my friend, as I can't see us actually coming to an agreement. Our view points are just to different. And you know what, that's fine! we are both aloud to have our own opinion. I hope you have a great day and everything works out for the best with the grandkids.
I can see the depersonalization in the kids after playing the games, it is easy to spot if you actually look for it. Constant playing of the games seems to make it stick more, especially the online war games where they play against another person. Maybe you are blind to this, I do not know, but pay attention someday and you will notice it. It is not just my grandkids, in fact they are milder than some of the kids I have seen who play these a lot. The kids are saying they are going to kill another kid when they get pissed at them...words do not always mean they will do it but it is an indicator of improper social behavior. Listen to the kids talk once in a while, I know adults tend to zone out what the kids are saying, I did when I was younger, now I am puzzled how come I wasn't paying attention. I think I may have been compromised myself when I grew older not to pay attention to what the youth were saying. I guess a lot of the entitled do not pay attention to their kids, yes, I at one time was entitled and ignorant , I am now aware and concerned that others are unaware that they are entitled. Ignorance if pandemic in this country, it has been by people for a long time, but the number of people who ignore what is happening in their own lives and analyzing if it is correct are increasing. Big increases.