Video games do NOT lead to violence. Period.

originally posted by: SaturnFX

originally posted by: whywhynot
You added the term period to your title, It’s not so period. Better do testing on the ones that are playing those games, kids.

Kids aren't allowed to play those games. ESRB ratings.

Demographics. As of 2016, the average age for a video game player is 35, a number slowly increasing as people who were children playing the first arcade, console and home computer games continue playing now on current systems.

Its okay to be out of touch, gramps.

Hahahahaa kids aren't allowed to do drugs or drink either. And they aren't allowed to watch rated R movies.

looks like someone indeed is out of touch.

a reply to: whywhynot


BLAME EVERYTHING BUT THE SHOOTER OR MURDERERS BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE TO HAVE A REASON WHEN SOMETIMES THERE IS NO REASON. caps for emphasis.

Why else would they train drone operators using the same tech.

Get it kids joining the military that have gaming skills will be used to employ new technology that is based off the same skills gained while playing. Many times the operations carried out behind the screen end with deadly results on enemies in real time warfare.

a reply to: Iconic

Guns don’t kill people, video games do, along with music and movies. Duh!

originally posted by: howtonhawky


Why else would they train drone operators using the same tech.

Get it kids joining the military that have gaming skills will be used to employ new technology that is based off the same skills gained while playing. Many times the operations carried out behind the screen end with deadly results on enemies in real time warfare.

drone operators are usually pilots or have licences. And this isnt like TOYS. i played tons of flight sims. the civie ones aren even close to sim actual flight and reading your aircraft. also the computer goes with that system to make up for the controller inputs.

a reply to: yuppa

are you saying that the military has not used video gamers specifically for their skills? If you are then you would be incorrect. You will even find ps2 controllers hooked up to equipment on ships in many cases. It would be stupid for the us military not to utilize the skills of kids these days. They even used the idea in some of their advertisement at one point.

originally posted by: Iconic

originally posted by: amazing
I think that there will always be a subset of our population with a predisposition to snapping. Most people will not, but some will. What puts them over the edge?

This here, is what I meant by purely circumstantial. The guy who shot up the movie theater, he liked to drink Mountain Dew. So did the Florida shooter; as did McVeigh. Did Mountain Dew contribute to those crimes? No. It did not. It was purely coincidental, circumstantial, that they enjoyed the pop.

It's also purely coincidental, circumstantial, that some shooters play violent games.

How many hours of GTA do somali warlords play before they raid a village?

You miss the point. Playing a GTA game, for instance, desensitizes you to shooting innocents. 99% of us will not snap but for those with mental illness that could snap, this is one of those straws that breaks the camels back. Again, I will never let my kids play GTA in my house. It's kinda weird that you're talking about mt dew...a soda. but the discussion is violence in games relating to violence in real life.

originally posted by: amazing

That's where the video games come in. I don't let any of my son's play GTA and I never will. I don't let them play call of Duty either. I believe there is a link. It's also a lack of empathy that these games bring on.

Settle down Helen Lovejoy, where does video game violence come from? real life. Games like GTA holds a mirror to the real life acts of humans, Jack the Ripper, Jefferey Dahmer, Charles Manson-all preceded violent video games. Blaming satirical violence does not make violent video games an influence.

I recently played Metal Gear Solid V but do I hide in a box and attack civilians? no.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Not you, but I assume you have no hidden or underlying conditions. My friend is having big time issues with his 6 year old, who was allowed to be involved in games since 3, no one can tell me his being overstimulated with that crap has not led to issues, my friend realises it now..a bit late though.

a reply to: Thecakeisalie

Games like GTA holds a mirror to the real life acts of humans

Very odd to be so close to truth yet avoid understanding.

Art imitates life.

To claim total influence would be false.
To claim no influence would be false.

Mental imagery has been proposed to contribute to a variety of high-level cognitive functions, including memory encoding and retrieval, navigation, spatial planning, and even social communication and language comprehension.

pubmed

Interesting report.

I've said this before and I'll say it again. THE biggest evidence EVER to repute the collation of exposure to violence that leads to violent behavior is not what anybody ever refers to. Look, think and collate.
During WW2 there were millions of people ,men, women and children (16 million American service personnel) were exposed to real violent, gory and soul destroying violence. Therefore according to this erroneous theory there ought to have been an avalanche of deadly and violent behaviour from civilians and service personnel. Yet was there? NO, no and no again.
There will always be the odd ones with a screw loose that might be set off by a violent video game but by the same token it might be any innocent activity that flips their switch.

originally posted by: Iconic
I've read in a few posts lately (I just came back to ATS lately, took a hiatus), and saw more than a few people who are STILL pushing the old, tired scapegoat of "Violent video games" being a contributing factor to a rise in violence.

This, is empirically, statistically, and demonstrably false. It has been proven, time and time again, that this is not the case.

Every bit of information, every source, that will tell you otherwise; is completely and utterly either circumstantial or based on a specific happenstance.

When violent video games came out on to the market, there has been a steady decline in violent crime since. That's a BASIC fact. That alone defeats the entire argument, but don't just take it from me. Here are some links.

No Evidence to Support Link Between Violent Video Games and Behavior - ScienceDaily

The findings suggest that there is no link between these kinds of realism in games and the kind of effects that video games are commonly thought to have on their players.

It's Time to End the Debate About Video Games and Violence - The Conversation.com

A key element of that problem is the willingness of professional guild organizations such as the APA to promote false beliefs about violent video games. (I’m a fellow of the APA.) These groups mainly exist to promote a profession among news media, the public and policymakers, influencing licensing and insurance laws. They also make it easier to get grants and newspaper headlines. Psychologists and psychology researchers like myself pay them yearly dues to increase the public profile of psychology. But there is a risk the general public may mistake promotional positions for objective science. In 2005 the APA released its first policy statement linking violent video games to aggression. However, my recent analysis of internal APA documents with criminologist Allen Copenhaver found that the APA ignored inconsistencies and methodological problems in the research data. The APA updated its statement in 2015, but that sparked controversy immediately: More than 230 scholars wrote to the group asking it to stop releasing policy statements altogether. I and others objected to perceived conflicts of interest and lack of transparency tainting the process.

That's a blanket statement on 2 different groups
to do a meaningful comparison you need to compare violent crime rates of violent video game players past and present
.What if non game players are fueling the decrease in the crime rate?
what if more people are playing more violent games and committing more violent crimes, but the increase is smaller than the decrease attributed to non game players?
this is far from settled

originally posted by: crayzeed
I've said this before and I'll say it again. THE biggest evidence EVER to repute the collation of exposure to violence that leads to violent behavior is not what anybody ever refers to. Look, think and collate.
During WW2 there were millions of people ,men, women and children (16 million American service personnel) were exposed to real violent, gory and soul destroying violence. Therefore according to this erroneous theory there ought to have been an avalanche of deadly and violent behaviour from civilians and service personnel. Yet was there? NO, no and no again.
There will always be the odd ones with a screw loose that might be set off by a violent video game but by the same token it might be any innocent activity that flips their switch.

Lol

They avalanche you claim should have happened did indeed happen.

It is called war.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie

originally posted by: amazing

That's where the video games come in. I don't let any of my son's play GTA and I never will. I don't let them play call of Duty either. I believe there is a link. It's also a lack of empathy that these games bring on.

Settle down Helen Lovejoy, where does video game violence come from? real life. Games like GTA holds a mirror to the real life acts of humans, Jack the Ripper, Jefferey Dahmer, Charles Manson-all preceded violent video games. Blaming satirical violence does not make violent video games an influence.

I recently played Metal Gear Solid V but do I hide in a box and attack civilians? no.

Listen up Helena Lovemonkey...(not as original as yours but funnier? ) You won't and I won't but someone who's mentally unstable might. That's the correlation.

a reply to: amazing

Same could be said with guns or cars, no? A mentally unstable person who gets their hands on a gun or car might end up killing people, does that mean they (guns and cars) are the reason people are killed? Nope, just like video games aren't the cause or reason.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: amazing

Same could be said with guns or cars, no? A mentally unstable person who gets their hands on a gun or car might end up killing people, does that mean they (guns and cars) are the reason people are killed? Nope, just like video games aren't the cause or reason.

I hear what you're saying but we're talking about two different things. A gun is a tool a video game is the influencer in this context. The Gun doesn't influence the mentally unstable to kill, but the video game influences him to use the gun to kill.

Violent movies, anime, music, manga etc could also influence. I'm not saying ban everything, I love Heavy Metal, like Slayer, i'm just saying that we need to be aware of how our media influences us, especially the mentally unstable.

a reply to: amazing

A mentally unstable person is mentally unstable before they play a game though. Playing a video game is no different than taking a gun to the shooting range or driving a car at high speeds for fun, they all influence people in different ways.

Maybe shooting a gun at a gun range inspires someone to practice on live targets or driving a car really fast on an open road influences someone to test their skill even more on a busy street? You can't say that driving cars fast and shooting guns at a range don't influence mentally unstable people any more or less than video games.

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
a reply to: amazing

A mentally unstable person is mentally unstable before they play a game though. Playing a video game is no different than taking a gun to the shooting range or driving a car at high speeds for fun, they all influence people in different ways.

Maybe shooting a gun at a gun range inspires someone to practice on live targets or driving a car really fast on an open road influences someone to test their skill even more on a busy street? You can't say that driving cars fast and shooting guns at a range don't influence mentally unstable people any more or less than video games.

There's a psychological aspect and a desensitizing aspect. When you're shooting people, even pretend video game people, it desensitizes you to real violence. You become less empathetic to real life violence victims.

Here's a link showing how violent video games can influence

www.center4research.org...

Here's a link showing that violent video games can decrease empathy

www.vocativ.com...

a reply to: howtonhawky


he saidAFTER THEY CAME BACK!you are being given evidence but refuse to read it properly. we call that a troll.