Are video games a cause of the violence?

[Mauser KAR98K]

I ask this because of an Op-Ed I skimmed through that has "researchers" saying the violent video games do not lead to aggressions, or that there are no "scientific proof" that video games lead to violence.

http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion...isopedxml.html

Then explain to me Jonesboro, Arkansas? Explain to me Paducah, KY in 1997? Explain Adam Lanza and his trove of video games in his room?

Violent video games may not necessarily lead to aggression, but as David Grossman pointed out in On Combat, they do teach killing. He calls them "Mass Murder Simulators." Carneal, the shooter in Paduch, was 8 for 8. 8 shot, 8 hits. As Grossman described, Carneal had no real firearms training, but he was an avid first person shooter at the time. The only firearms training he had was the day before the shooting when he shot through two magazines through the gun he had just stolen.

The other thing to point out is that these games are creating a "high score" effect on these mass shooters, killing as many people as they can to get the highest possible score, the winner getting their face on Time Magazine.

Then there is Lanza. Lanza was reported to have changed magazines during his mass murder spree, only firing 15 rounds in some mags before changing out. As was reported, this is a "gamers" tactic: reloading right after a kill, or before going in to another room. Granted, through many tactical schools, during a lull in the gun fight, top off the weapon. But this was very different. And where did Lanza learn to do that? I'm leaning on games with maybe some youtube commando training (or the bit torrents of Magpul Dynamics...yes, they are out there). But there is only two ways he learned how to do that in a repetitive motion: either practicing with the actual firearm several times--and by some accounts, Mom kept the AR locked up--or through the games.

Granted, I love FPS like the next guy. I use them to have fun but also train on the cheap side. I will not get weapons manipulation down, recoil management, or proper shooting positions ingrained in me without having hands on and repetitive practice. I do, however, gain reaction, shoot/no-shoot, understanding sight picture, and minor tactics like when to top off mags. And those skills are the big fundamentals in shooting to start with, and the most cruical

If any of you all play Call of Duty and the like, they show how to manipulate the weapon from changing the magazine, to pressing the release button. Americas Army, a FREE FPS sponsored by the U.S. Army actually goes down to the charging handle, SPORTS, and marksman skills. With a little Youtubing from other Internet commandos, you can achieve the basic software to run the hardware at a basic level. With unarmed targets that do not shoot back, and a multitude of them, the impact is limitless, even with a 1911 and a bag of several 7 round magazines; or a revolver. Shooting the teacher in a room full of kindergardners, or 4th graders will zap all motivation to tackle the gun man when they are reloading. The heard mentality will take over and it is the most lethal component in these situations.

The gun lobby does not have the power that the Media and the left would like people to think. It is the Entertainment industry and Big Pharma that has the power and money. We have not heard zip about the meds the shooters were on before their sprees. And now video games are not the answer. From the article posted, they are looking in the wrong damn place. Anybody can be aggressive. Teaching them how to channel that is what is attributing to the mass killings. Not to mention Gun Free Zones; sheep pastures where sheepdogs are prohibited from bringing their teeth.

Last note to point out: Lanza shoot those kids multiple times, with some reports saying over ten times. How many shoots do most CoD games need to take down other players?

[Arctic1]

That is the same conclusion Norwegian researchers have reached.

Saying that video games cause violence is akin to saying that guns cause violence. If you look at it statistically, the ratio of non-killers who play video games to killers who play video games is greatly favoring the non-killers. It is not possible to say that a person playing a violent computer game has an X percent chance of going ballistic at one point in his life.

I would say that blaming video games is taking focus away from the real issue; mental health.

Those cases are where video games can compound whatever issues the individual has. If a person is undiagnosed with say "antisocial personality disorder", an environment where that individual stays isolated from society playing games, receiving social stimulus not experienced in his outside life and so forth, is not healthy for that individual. There might also be several other conditions as well, such as anxiety, depression and so forth.

As has been stated in these discussions before, many people close to the perpetrators of these incidents (parents, friends, teachers) have more than likely seen indicators that would have caused a psychologist or psychiatrist to react. That is also the problem, laymen aren't qualified to analyse behavioral signs in people, and very few parents, siblings etc would readily think or admit that someone close to them is probably a danger to society.

The guy you referenced in Paducah, Michael Carneal, suffered from paranioa, diagnosed after the fact. The shooters in Jonesboro seems to have had some issues as well.

[domestique]

I feel the bigger issue is in the home, and kids being raised without morals, without a sense of ownership for their actions and without a strong male influence in their lives.

Video games are not the only thing to be balmed but every venue of mass media. The current graduating seniors are exposed to over 18,000 murders by the time they reach the age of 18 (TV, video games, movies, music etc.). That level of desensitization can only have a negative effect on an individual.

I remember being a child and when I shot my first rabbit (around the age of 5 or 6) and the importance my dad put into the power that a firearm has and the responsibility we have when it comes to living creatures. I’m afraid that many of the youth of this current generation do not share that same respect for life and just think you can get a “do over” by hitting the reset button or waiting until the next re-spawn.

[Koshinn]

The problem is people often confuse correlation with causation. Let's assume every mass murderer since the 90s plays many hours of violent video games on a daily basis. Can you assume that video games cause mass murder? No, because millions of people play those games and do not commit mass murder. But there is correlation, so what is the relationship? People predisposed to mass murder are drawn to violent video games. One doesn't cause the other, but a third variable (mental illness of the sort and severity to create a mass murderer) leads to both.

Also, the only video games I've ever seen to teach real world skills are certain racing games (not arcade racers like GTA or NFS) and certain flight simulators, and both only if you have the proper equipment like a wheel, pedals, sticks, throttle, etc. And even then, it's much more effective if you race or fly in the real world first and use games to keep sharp rather than learning the skill from the video game itself.

Everything you can learn about shooting from a video game you can learn better from YouTube or a Google search.

Funny story, in Counter Strike 1.6, to charge the M4, you pull on the forward assist, which is located on the left side of the weapon.

[SMETNA]

http://m.ign.com/videos/2013/01/11/g...n-is-important

[Kenneth]

Ok I have played just about every FPS under the sun since I was old enough to hold a controller. Too blame video games entirely is just crazy but if you look at violent video game they are rated age appropriate. So to all of the parents that are letting tshirt young children play a game meant for 18 year olds and above I say that they are a bigger concern than the game itself. A lot of parents don't look at anything they just buy it and shove their kids off to their rooms to play a game for days without actually seeing what they are playing. Plain and simple it's a baby sitter for them.

[polymorpheous]

Schools, television, Internet, and video games are raising our children.
Parents are not.

The answer doesn't need to be anymore complicated than that.

[Failure2Stop]

Schools, television, Internet, and video games are raising our children.
Parents are not.

The answer doesn't need to be anymore complicated than that.

Agreed.

Typos brought to you via Tapatalk and autocorrect.

[Bolt_Overide]

Personally, I believe it is a combination of lack of moral fiber being taught at home, school, and in society in general. Nothing is taboo, or wrong anymore.

Add to that this crap of we are all special little flowers, and the are no winners and losers, and you get people who get VERY disappointed with reality when they are finally forced to face it.

[SPQR476]

Schools, television, Internet, and video games are raising our children.
Parents are not.

The answer doesn't need to be anymore complicated than that.

That's the issue. Instill a moral code, responsibility, and respect for others...and viola...your young man doesn't grow up to be a doucherocket.