Video games are bad: Heres why

reply to post by R9e9l9o
That's pretty much how I feel as well. Imagination is key when reading a book and can therefore be much more influential. I myself have written some pretty horrific scenes in my short stories and role plays and I can tell you, that most people are disturbed more by the description of the event then if they saw it first hand. The description forces the mind to envision it as if it were real.

Oh yeah about Shooters being used for military training: it's true, they use them on occasion, but they aren't just playing the game like any other gamer. When the military uses games it is coupled with mental conditioning.

Video games being harmful is such a broad, generalized, and lubricious statement. How anyone could honestly believe it just goes beyond me.

I understand why politicians say it - they try to stir people up and think they will hit some demographic that will get them more votes... but for the common individual to believe such things, like I said, boggles the mind.

I used to work for a major wargaming company, and one of my regulars was this young kid who wanted nothing more than to fit in. Even though we talked mostly about genetically engineered super humans and space bugs (both small and made of plastic, in this case), video game conversation would come up all the time. I noticed after awhile that this kid never had much if anything to say on the subject of some games.

His dad wouldn't let me play a lot of genres.

Shooters were apparently training him to kill for the government.

Racing games taught him brand recognition, and branding was evil. It also taught him speeding was ok.

Sports games made him overly competitive.

But yet...

Fantasy games were fine, because they were obviously fake.

Horror games were fine, because they dulled him to fear (As long as they werent shooters)

The only game he played a lot of? Minecraft. It basically is all that fit into the narrow world view of his father.

And his father wasn't religious. That was the biggest shocker to me in the whole thing.



VIDEO GAMES, AND PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY ARE HAMRFUL - A ton of variety in each.

Originally posted by josh2009s
Video games are bad, mmkay?

It's not the platform, it's the content.

I am surprised that people here have either condemned (all) or defended (awful) video games.

I mean, there are good games and bad games, just like there are good movies and bad movies. Books? Why do so many people mention books? Could it be so that they could have a handy reference to all those times when books were burned, and to show how they are for liberty and freedom of speech, and so on?

Books and video games are inherently different. You can go nuts reading awful books, but the difference is that usually kids don't read a lot of books (young kids can't even read yet). But they already play video games.

Books happen inside of you, when you voluntarily read them, and they happen at YOUR pace, at your frequency, without any kind of external influence, except ink figures on paper. That makes it relatively harmless, no matter what is written.

Video games are a different thing - they are externally immersive - I mean, they use all kinds of sound effects, musics that alter the frequencies that you would otherwise naturally adhere to, they bring the 'vibes down' very easily, distorting your living aura, and affecting your lowest, most animalistic urges and desires, and draw you closer to the level of demons.

Video games happen in real-time, so you must be, stay and remain completely focused. They require you to keep your eyeballs aimed at a fixed place (monitor/TV) all the time, while they flicker all kinds of visuals - exciting or gory, that syncs with the sounds and the musics. This puts you into a trance that downward-spirals your consciousness towards an unintelligent half-zombie-animal that lusts for (at least virtual) blood, gore and killing.

I mean, that games with low vibes, horror, gore, and all kinds of nightmarish imagery can even exist, is a serious bunch of symptoms of very, very serious and awful sickness.

Don't people realize that video games are used just like movies and TV shows, to bring people down to their most animalistic or demonic lusts to turn them into as horrible beings as possible with such methods, and that the NWO-style horror-and-murder-worshipping, the Nazi death cult skull+crossbones-symbol is applied to almost every modern game?

People who claim to know about 11.9. being an inside job (yes, that's how the date is written in certain places), who claim to know about NWO and their evil intentions, and how they are pushing their masonic symbolism to people, starting from kindergarten, and ranging from music videos to magazines and regular TV shows, still wear black clothes, they still stupidly and 'brainwashedly' (not a word, I know), almost touchingly loyally continue using those evil brands, playing those evil games, and doing all the evil deeds in the games, as if those are natural things to do.

Sure, it's only simulated, sure, it's only video game - it's only polygons, pixels, and such. It's not as bad as the real thing as far as immediate consequences are concerned. Sure.

But the long-term consequences might be more severe than people know, and if the pre-"video-game-murderer"-self of someone could quickly visit the "murdered-in-videogames-for-20-years"-self, they might actually be shocked in horror and disgust, as what they have changed into.

People are of course different, and their tolerance level to atrocities, 'metal music' and all that demonic, downbringing stuff varies, but I bet many depressions have begun with innocent shoot'em'ups. I used to be able to play those games a long time ago, but then I started feeling disgusted at the constant loud gun sounds and screams and all that other stuff, and I stopped to wonder: what the heck am I doing? It wasn't even fun! It was slightly addictive, I wanted another 'fix' after awhile, but it had stopped being fun, and so I examined my life and asked whether I really want that kind of games in it.

Turns out, I really didn't need such games at all. And I would never play a 'horror' game of the modern kind (maybe an older game, like 'Alone in the Dark', because it was fun and innocent, and didn't have that "downbringing style" yet, though it did give me a good scare at one point, a long time ago).

When you think about it, is it really -relaxing- to murder people in a game, or is it stimulating something animalistic in you?

There are good video games, there are lots and lots of good ones. But they can't be compared to books, and yes, it IS the parents.

If the parents are just kids, then it's those kids' parents! A parent IS responsible, but this happens, when more and more women decide they don't need a man in their life, but they would LOOOVE a baby. So they get pregnant and kick the father out of their lives (or don't even tell him). The single mom is the worst parent in human history, and criminal statistics back up this claim. Misandry destroyed civilization.

Games break through the barrier between our mind and the world. Books can't do that because you can't interact with them. Games are like a trojan that gets deep inside and infects you. I'm not saying here books can't negatively influence people, but they're not as dangerous.

Soon they'll be regulated just like cigarettes or alcohol. There's already lots of evidence of gaming addiction and its negative consequences. Games are what drugs were in the 50's and 60's.

I believe the MMO's are having a huge subtle affect on our society. There're so many people that play them now. Not hundreds or even thousands, but millions of people in the US alone! This is an experiment and I'm concerned what kind of consequences it will have down the road.

It's not what happens in games that's bad, it's instead how they break through the barrier and trick your mind into associating them with survival. Now, this is not the kind of association that's obvious. If you ask anybody whether a game is real or not, they'll be able to tell you it's not. I'm referring to something below the conscious mind. It's not only where the addiction starts but where the negative effects begin. This is where the user becomes detached from reality and loses their grip on things. It doesn't matter what they do in the game, it only matters that their mind is detached.

Let me try to explain this idea some more by describing somewhat how the mind works and then I'll explain how games sabotage it. Essentially, our brain is a learning computer and we're rewarded for what we learn by receiving streams of neurotransmitters that give us feelings of well being and security. This is how we survive. Beneath this generalized statement it's much more complicated, but I don't want to detract from my message. Now, games are a platform for learning and surviving, just like reality. It's kind of like how some viruses look like a normal everyday immune system defender to evade natural defenses. Seems ok because it's not real? Not so. Our brain, for whatever reason, at least in some individuals, is unable to distinguish between the rewards it grants you in a game and the rewards it grants you in reality. This means your brain is rewarding you for survival behavior IN A GAME and giving you the false indication things are good. This is not true because while you're enjoying your game you're missing out on real life survival. Unfortunately, to correct for this we must eventually come to the conclusion that people cannot correct their behavior without outside help. Their own brain is unable to distinguish between survival behaviors in games and in reality.

This doesn't happen to everybody. Some people are more susceptible to addiction and some people are probably more susceptible to gaming addiction moreso. For example, we've found some genes specifically linked to alcohol addiction. I wonder if we'll find something similar for gaming?

The prevalence of gaming addiction is a central matter. If there're a lot of gaming addicts then it will be hard to regulate just like it was hard to regulate cigarettes, at least early on. However, if we can establish that it's a smaller portion of the population then its well in our grasp. One must also keep in mind the cultural prejudice. Some cultures have a strong feeling for certain things, including the use of tobacco or other drugs. Note that caffeine has an addictiveness AT LEAST as potent as marijuana and yet our culture very nearly welcomes its use!!! It's a fact, look it up.

Here's a trustworhty link that explains gaming addiction some more:
www.webmd.com - Video Game Addiction...

.......
Bakker agrees. "The person is trying to change the way they feel by taking something outside of themselves. The [coc aine] addict learns, 'I don't like the way I feel, I take a line of coc aine.' For gamers, it's the fantasy world that makes them feel better."

The lure of a fantasy world is especially pertinent to online role-playing games. These are games in which a player assumes the role of a fictional character and interacts with other players in a virtual world. As Young puts it, an intelligent child who is unpopular at school can "become dominant in the game." The virtual life becomes more appealing than real life.
..........
Too much gaming may seem relatively harmless compared with the dangers of a drug overdose, but Bakker says video game addiction can ruin lives. Children who play four to five hours per day have no time for socializing, doing homework, or playing sports, he says. "That takes away from normal social development. You can get a 21-year-old with the emotional intelligence of a 12-year-old. He's never learned to talk to girls. He's never learned to play a sport."

In older addicts, compulsive gaming can jeopardize jobs or relationships. Howard, a 33-year-old project manager who asked to be identified only by his first name, started playing an online role-playing game about six months ago. He plays for three to four hours almost every day -- more on weekends -- occasionally putting off meals or sleep. His fiancée says he's addicted.
..........
According to the Center for On-Line Addiction, warning signs for video game addiction include:

Playing for increasing amounts of time
Thinking about gaming during other activities
Gaming to escape from real-life problems, anxiety, or depression
Lying to friends and family to conceal gaming
Feeling irritable when trying to cut down on gaming

In addition, video game addicts tend to become isolated, dropping out of their social networks and giving up other hobbies. "It's about somebody who has completely withdrawn from other activities," Young says. "One mother called me when her son dropped out of baseball. He used to love baseball, so that's when she knew there was a problem."
..........
Young and Bakker say the overwhelming majority of video game addicts are males under 30. "It's usually children with poor self-esteem and social problems," Young tells WebMD. "They're intelligent and imaginative but don't have many friends at school." She says a family history of addiction may also be a factor.
..........
The key, he says, is to show gamers they are powerless over their addiction, and then teach them "real-life excitement as opposed to online excitement."

How well do you think my take compares to the link? My take on gaming addiction is partly based on my own video gaming experiences and on some of my knowledge of the mind.

Originally posted by Shoujikina
It's not the platform, it's the content.

Actually, it's the individual. As I stated before, there are well upwards of 800,000,000 people who play video games. If the content was the issue, we'd all be dead. 800 million people with improved hand/eye coordination and faster reaction times would have already waded across the world and filled the oceans with corpses. The fact that we haven't is a testament to harmlessness of video games.

Books and video games are inherently different. You can go nuts reading awful books, but the difference is that usually kids don't read a lot of books (young kids can't even read yet). But they already play video games.

It isn't the fault of video games that parents aren't encouraging reading in their children. As has been said, that's on the parent.

Books happen inside of you, when you voluntarily read them, and they happen at YOUR pace, at your frequency, without any kind of external influence, except ink figures on paper. That makes it relatively harmless, no matter what is written.

Hah... wow. Okay, I can tell you now that for me, personally, books don't happen inside of me. I happen inside the book. They don't happen at my pace, I get swept along as though I've been caught in a current that I literally cannot get away from. There is no external influence. The only reason I don't read 24/7 is because I have to literally force myself not to. I've done more harm to myself through reading than I have through gaming.

Video games are a different thing - they are externally immersive - I mean, they use all kinds of sound effects, musics that alter the frequencies that you would otherwise naturally adhere to, they bring the 'vibes down' very easily, distorting your living aura, and affecting your lowest, most animalistic urges and desires, and draw you closer to the level of demons.
Video games happen in real-time, so you must be, stay and remain completely focused. They require you to keep your eyeballs aimed at a fixed place (monitor/TV) all the time, while they flicker all kinds of visuals - exciting or gory, that syncs with the sounds and the musics. This puts you into a trance that downward-spirals your consciousness towards an unintelligent half-zombie-animal that lusts for (at least virtual) blood, gore and killing.

So, what you're saying is, they use sound and pictures to alter the way you're thinking and you're mood? In exactly the same way a TV show, or a movie do? Cause it's essentially the same thing.

Don't people realize that video games are used just like movies and TV shows, to bring people down to their most animalistic or demonic lusts to turn them into as horrible beings as possible with such methods, and that the NWO-style horror-and-murder-worshipping, the Nazi death cult skull+crossbones-symbol is applied to almost every modern game?

Oookay.

Originally posted by jonnywhite
Games break through the barrier between our mind and the world. Books can't do that because you can't interact with them. Games are like a trojan that gets deep inside and infects you. I'm not saying here books can't negatively influence people, but they're not as dangerous.

I can name three books that have collectively been responsible for the deaths of millions, and continue to kill today.

It's not what happens in games that's bad, it's instead how they break through the barrier and trick your mind into associating them with survival. Now, this is not the kind of association that's obvious. If you ask anybody whether a game is real or not, they'll be able to tell you it's not. I'm referring to something below the conscious mind. It's not only where the addiction starts but where the negative effects begin. This is where the user becomes detached from reality and loses their grip on things. It doesn't matter what they do in the game, it only matters that their mind is detached.

That is indeed the main issue, however that is an underlying psychological problem. The inability to distinguish between reality and fantasy is not a product of gaming, just as it's not a product of dreaming. It may be exacerbated by playing games, but it's certainly not caused by it.

Snipped nonsense about addiction

Now, allow me to say why it's nonsense. Firstly, any simple search will tell you marijuana is the LEAST addictive out of cannabis, caffeine, coc aine, alcohol, heroin and nicotine. Secondly, the main form of addiction in caffeine/cannabis abusers and 'addicted' gamers is a habitual one. Caffeine addicts 'have' to have a coffee in the morning, cannabis ones 'have' to have a smoke after dinner, game addicts 'have' to have a play before bed. Habitual addiction is addiction to a routine.
Also, the guy in your link, Howard, who plays 3-4 hours a day? Pfft. On my days off I happily clock in 7 hour shifts. And still haven't killed anyone.