I think it has to do with why they are playing them. If the kid get s pure joy out of watching people's heads explode and chopping them up, then I'd worry. But if they can handle it let them play. I don't play Half-Life, and other M-rated games for the violence. Just the same with movies, I don't rent a movie for the gore or nudity (that last part does have some exceptions).

When I was in class, they thought Nightmare on Elm Street (all of them past #2) were the highest of high in cinema. I knew movies like The Godfather, Taxi Driver, etc were great movies. I love westerns, don't see that alot today.

Anyway back to the games, pretty much what JTL said is right. If your dumb enough to imitate a guy in GTA then you do deserve to be shot. Its sheer stupidity and the increasing amounts of kids who are idiots just make that more true. I may sound like an old crooner, but I'm quite young.

[edit on 6-19-2004 by JediMaster]

hmmm, i played violent games. i watch violent movies. i see violence in society all the time and on TV. i see it everwhere.

so why havent i killed anyone yet? why havent i become a violent person?

oh thats right! i know that games arent REAL, they're make believe.

people much like with fact and opinion confuse reality and nonreality.

movies, games, books, fake. not to be taken seriously and if you do take it seriously, get your head examined. those who blame the game and instead of the person who chose to commit such and such crime because they wanted to believe a game was real need to get THEIR head examined as well.

entertainment isnt the problem, a lack of understanding that games movies and the like arent real or to be taken seriously IS the problem. it the same reason why cars now come with about 35 warning labels, people are truly stupid and lack common sense.

do you REALLY need to be told that games arent real?

some sports are violent, incredibly violent, yet we dont blame sports do we? i played football and i know how violent it can be. i know how violent some of those players can get but do we blame the sport or the person?

i strongly question the logic in blaming the game over the person. i also question blaming the game when everyone has free will and decides for themselves what their actions are going to be.



i grew up hearing a lot of vulgar language and while i do use vulgarities on ocassion for the most part i dont. now if games makes a person violent then surely being around vulgarities should be me a person that talks worse than a sailor right? i played violent games, why arent i violent?

i find its people that want to blame games guns, movies, bullies, society for their actions and people who really believe these people's claims that is the problem.

whatever i have done i was held accountable for. i USE to make excuses for my behavior, i was also a kid and thats pretty normal. what isnt normal however is for adults to believe that BS and not hold people responsibly for their own actions.


BTW i read an article some months back that showed that playing video games helped improve the dexterity of doctors in surgery. they didnt reveal what those games they played were but they did show improved dexterity after playing games as opposed to a group that did not play video games.

I know, I've seen it all, heads exploding, people getting chopped to pieces by chainsaws, gunfights explosions and I never went on a shooting rampage at my school.

The people who do go on these rampages are mentally deranged and the media and the parents use violence in movies and games as a scapegoat since they want to deny the truth.

Originally posted by cyberdude78
But anywho I'm just worried because I have a brother turning 9 fairly soon he's very impressionable, has a low IQ and has a thing for violence. That and its probably not a good combonation with him playing Vice City everyday of the week (his favorite weapon is the chainsaw or the minigun).

LOL. I wouldn't worry about it unless he starts Killing small animals.

I also play some violent games but I think one really great thing is that games with realism are getting attention. I figure if a kid needs to play a violent game I would suggest a realistic one to go with something like vice city. Because a realistic game can show you dieing easyly it shows what happens when you do that. But I will agree that video games are a scapegoat it fact I was in this very same position about a year ago defending video games at the school gifted program. But I think that parents need to sit down with their kids and tell them the consequences and tell them whats not real. BTW thanks for easing my concerns.

I think that we are all missing the point. I agree that video games are not responsible for people's actions, however we are talking about the author of this thread's brother who is 9 playing Vice City. The games have ratings for a reason. I think that violent video games can desensitize children to violence if they grow up playing these games.

I play this game and I have played violent video games and have watched violence on TV and in the movies since a young age. I have never acted out violently towards anyone and if I did, I certainly would not blame it on a video game.

I think the bigger issue is the break down of the family unit. All of these other countries have the same games and movies and TV, yet there is not as much violence in these countries.

I think that if parents were aware what their children were playing and watching, there could be a difference. Not to mention all of the single parent household's there are. Just my two cents worth

kids are going to be exposed to violence reguardless if is games, tv or at school.
the real problem is to many parents are to fat and lazy to get off their arse and put that MC fat-arse burger down to be there for their kids.

Originally posted by nyarlathotep
I think that we are all missing the point. I agree that video games are not responsible for people's actions, however we are talking about the author of this thread's brother who is 9 playing Vice City. The games have ratings for a reason. I think that violent video games can desensitize children to violence if they grow up playing these games.

I play this game and I have played violent video games and have watched violence on TV and in the movies since a young age. I have never acted out violently towards anyone and if I did, I certainly would not blame it on a video game.

I think the bigger issue is the break down of the family unit. All of these other countries have the same games and movies and TV, yet there is not as much violence in these countries.

I think that if parents were aware what their children were playing and watching, there could be a difference. Not to mention all of the single parent household's there are. Just my two cents worth

games didnt always have ratings. you know WHY they have ratings now? a lot of lazy parents didnt want to actually look into what their kids wanted to play so they demanded game makers make THEIR job easier by giving them these stupid ratings most parents ignore anyway as evidence by a 9 year old playing a game i feel isnt appropriate for them at their current age. that and law suits blaming the game makers for someone's actions rather than the person commiting the crime. so game makers were bullied into this and got tired of law suits.


no offense but maybe the author of this thread should have a talk with his parents instead of talking to us? maybe he could even talk to his brother? even a more active role can make a difference.

even destroying the game itself might be a step in the right direction, its just a disc however...violent actions have far more consequences and lives are not as easily replaced as a game. his brother will "get over it" and hopefully with some ecouragement will find a more constructive hobby.

I figured I would put in my comments on this subject. This has been a subject I have thought about for years. Being a teenager myself. I have never really been into violent games. I'm a pretty intelligent guy. Would rather read a good book then play a stupid game. I also believe that different kids have different times in their life when they should be able to play a game that is rated M. I was very mature at a young age, both mentally and physically. So I would have been able to handle a violent game heck I did. I've played Mortal Combat and all the other older games. But i was more or a mario fan. Nothing better than playing a game with two Italian guys in it. But any way. I don't believe that violence in games harm out children. At least not certain children. There are a lot of kids out there who can tell the difference between a video game and real life. Depending on the child's mental state. I will admit that it does have some effect on all kids but not as much as some. It is my belief that if a child goes out and starts to be violent because of a game he played or movie he watched that kid already had an underlying problem in the first place. watching violence on a screen will not make any normal person go crazy. I'm sorry but that makes no sense to me. I have always disagreed with the statement that children will go out and kill someone if they see it in a movie or hear it in music. I listen to rock n roll. Do i worship Satan and hurt little animals? NO because i know better. So if a child plays a game and then goes and kills someone or hurts animals well he was messed up in the first place.

I hate this discussion, because I love violent video games

So, that means I'm going to tell you the way it is.

I have played Postal2, all of the Unreal Tournament Series, Half-Life, etc.

You know what? It's just a game. You know where these games get these violent images? My guess is real life.

Let's look at Postal2 for an instant. It is funny! That's what it is, a comedy piece. Any other gamers out there that played it? If so then admit it... you laughed atleast once.

These video games take some skill to play Unless its GTA.. I have played GTA but to be honest, I didnt like it... Mainly becuase it seemed pointless, just running around stealing cars.

Anyway, at the same time this games get your mind thinking. Its interactive, unlike watching a movie, you get involved with the story and act the part. They contain a lot of puzzles and stuff that you got to figure out.

Kids arent mature enough until they are at least 13-14 and maybe not even then

Whoa there... I know plenty of people in their 20's that still need to grow up. I myself am 20 years old but I consider myself mature...along with authority figures such as my bosses and a couple of years ago my HS Guidance counselor told me that i was more mature than a lot of 20-30 year olds that he knows. I'm not bragging but the point is, I play video games, ,the ones people are afraid of their kids getting a hold of.

If you care about your kid, turn off the game system if you don't like it, and read them a book. Talk about their day

Lol.. What a way to p*** them off

They can fry brains! I am going to 8th grade and I know kids who can't talk about anything other than video games. It must be the only thing they do

I know when I was in High School, just a few years ago, video games werent that big. It was a small town school, in Hickville texas. Almost everyone, except for me and a handful of other "nerds", played football. Now, they were obsessed. That's all they talked about was the upcoming game. Coaches made the teachers let the football players sit infront of the classroom so that they would get better grades (supposedly)... Coaches bailed kids out of jail without telling the kids parents, as long as they ran laps around the football field. Kid gets busted and jailed for marijuana, but is let back into school. He's the star running back. Other kid gets caught with a can of snuff. He didnt play football, so he was expelled.. Never allowed on school grounds again. I could go on and on about the insaneness of that **** but its a completely different topic.... and to think my dad calls me a loser because I work a minimum wage job, yet he raises me in a town like this?!?! Anyway back on topic,

Just the same with movies, I don't rent a movie for the gore or nudity (that last part does have some exceptions).

This reminds me of a friend of mine, 21 years of age. I'll ask him if he wants to go see a movie. I think the last time I asked him was when Analyze That came out in theatres... He asked me what it was rated. I then found out he doesnt watch anything over a PG rating!!! He's an adult for crying outloud but his parents have him so whipped that he's afraid of a little nudity or cussing... I always tell him, I dont go see the movie because of the nudity or cussing, I got to see it because its a darn good story.

Do you want your kids growing up to never watch some of the greatest movies like The Godfather? Or do you want him/her watching Finding Nemo (Great movie by the way, not making fun of it)

Of all things a person should do in life, one of them is to watch the Godfather series and Scarface. Man, I feel bad about your freind, sounds like one of the kids who live in their parents basement until they die. Well, sometimes even after they die, only discovered when someone realizes that Mr. And Mrs. whatever haven't been outside lately so they go in and check on them only to find them dead and rotting while the kid still lives in the basement.

Originally posted by James the Lesser
Of all things a person should do in life, one of them is to watch the Godfather series and Scarface. Man, I feel bad about your freind, sounds like one of the kids who live in their parents basement until they die. Well, sometimes even after they die, only discovered when someone realizes that Mr. And Mrs. whatever haven't been outside lately so they go in and check on them only to find them dead and rotting while the kid still lives in the basement.

Great Visual man. Glad you thought of everything. Have you had an experience like this before?

Dude, it is from a movie called Silence of the Hams, yes, a parody of Silence of the Lambs.

Originally posted by James the Lesser
Dude, it is from a movie called Silence of the Hams, yes, a parody of Silence of the Lambs.

Never seen it before. Or heard of it for that matter.

i needed to be told that video ganes werent real. once. when i was 4 and i never forgot. ive been playing m rated games scince i was 5. instead off shooting people in real life im actully afraid of sharp knives and guns. if somebody is told the game/movie/etc isnt real and still belives it is then theyere just not right. also cheak out my topic kids are messed up not the media.

Naw games dont fry the minds of kids... dedication to being just like the person on the screen does..

now as for movies... its all abour violance/sexual comedy now adays... i remember when i was a little younger and alph alpha was asome and the power rangers was all the violance you need and all the Goosebumps was like watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre for kids

yup they like to make kids know what everything means when they turn 4.... the other day i walk outside to look around and a kid pulls on me shirt and says...
BEND OVER!!!
and i ask where he heard that and he says to me.. "Tv said that, I was funny!"
i ask him if he knows what it means and he tells me so i got me eyes big went to his parents and they say "Sure all kids should now stuff while they are young so they dont forget and learn alot faster" yup can you say... screwed up parent?

I say keep Sexual Comedy to the shows only adults watch

Now for Violance... jeebus goryness to the max
i turned to a kids show and a guy gets gutted by a fripping mutant cat and then a buncha super heros go after then and splode him

yup thats teaching us some bad stuff but its the dedication kids give to stuff like that is whats bad

Thank you and goodnight.... woot almost to 10th post!

video games do not mold maniacs. neglagent parents who let there kids play all day without communicating with them do. parents are the sole reason behind every mad man in history. when parenting is substituted with television and other forms of media it will take over their brain. some intelegent kids dont need parents because they can conclude that media is fantasy. the reason those kids are intelegent are probably because their parents took initiative with molding their brain patterns into sensical logic solvers. when parents are too busy watching entertainment tonight and bill o reilly that is when the $hit hits the fan. when i was younger i loved the violent games. they did not corrupt my soul one bit. simply because i have a strong backing of moral descency. i would totaly get off to mutant chronicles doom troopers one of the most violent games ive ever played, when i was about 11. fountains of blood oozing out of every orifus and decapted mutants i loved it! i have not gotten into a fight since grade school and am probably the one of the most level headed fellows around. violent games do nothing except expose wat happens when u unload a magazine into someones neck. there is no better solution to violence then to show the outcome. todays media is so bent on censoring anything remotly violent, that is not the answer when kids do not know that blood comes out of ur face when u are punched they will be more desensatized then we could imagine. to show blood in a cartoon is to help the kids grow so they can understand the fundamental values of why we should not be violent people. when you blind kids to the truth they will not grow properly and they will become freaks with little understanding of human nature. i hate how dumb people are these days they try to blame everything else for their own neglagent parenting it is truely sickening. well i have much more thoughts but i drank too much last night and now my brain is lazy. 2 cents from a truely hardcore violent comic reading action movie wacthing game master. current favorite game is halo on PC. there is nothing as satasfying as popping a head shot from 200 meters and nading the fellow sneaking up behind you.

I think that technology as a whole has made us not use our brains as muc- an i think it is really bad for young kids to play on video games instead of interacting with other kids- i never played on video games when i was younger- i must admit now i do have a ps2 and i do love it.

Video games may very well fry brains, I prefer a hibachi or chunking them up and stir frying in a wok. With my wok i drizzle extra virgin olive oil, some garlic, black pepper, minced onions and maybe some slivered citris rinds. Then when they get a nice golden brown they are ready to serve.

Anyone else have better recipies?