Can video games really to blame for violence among the younger generation? (dollars, school)

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

10. The claim has been made that in terms of the general public's beliefs about media violence effects, we are currently in a situation that is very similar to where the public was some 30 years ago in the tobacco/lung cancer issue. In what ways are these two cases similar? Dissimilar?

The medical research community knew that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer long before the general public came to hold such beliefs. In fact, there are still sizable numbers of smokers who don't really believe this to be true. The tobacco industry was quite effective keeping the public confused regarding the true causal effect of tobacco on lung cancer. Among other tactics, they promoted "experts" who claimed that the research was badly done, or was inconsistent, or was largely irrelevant to lung cancer in humans. The media industries have been doing much the same thing, seeking out, promoting, and supporting "experts" willing to bash media violence research.
The tobacco industry successfully defended itself against lawsuits for many years. There have been several lawsuits filed in the U.S. against various video game companies in recent years. As far as I know, none have been successful yet.
One big difference between the tobacco industry case and the violent media case is that the main sources of information to the public (e.g., TV news shows, newspapers, magazines) are now largely owned by conglomerates that have a vested interest in denying the validity of any research suggesting that there might be harmful effects of repeated exposure to media violence. The tobacco industry certainly had some influence on the media, because of their advertising revenues, but the violent media industries are essentially a part of the same companies that own and control the news media. Thus, it is likely to be much more difficult for the general public to get an accurate portrayal of the scientific state of knowledge about media violence effects than it was to get an accurate portrayal of the tobacco/lung cancer state of scientific knowledge. Given that it took 30-some years for the public to learn and accept the tobacco/lung cancer findings, it seems unlikely that we'll see a major shift in the public's understanding of media violence effects. Indeed, a recent study that my colleague Brad Bushman and I published ( American Psychologist,volume 56, 2001) suggests that the media violence/aggression link was firmly established scientifically by 1975, and that news reports on this research have gotten less accurate over time.


Video Game FAQs

The difference is simple.. the medical research community knew....
The behavior research community still doenst know for sure.. some say yes some say no.. is not the same...

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

I don't dispute Wiki stuff, too many authors (and flakes). Give me a specific study by a credible source and I'll take a look at it.

I have.. what more do you want???

[Huckleberry3911948]

when people are violent we need to stop lookin for a cause and lookin at the assailant and deal with it. if your kid is in your face & has a weapon he is not your baby boy no mo.
i have a dream.

[wclac]

Originally Posted by cjma79

I have.. what more do you want???

Yeah, WikiPedia is a reliable source if you want more information.

[chielgirl]

Video games are more addicting than tv to me, so I'll speak from personal experience.

Are video games the cause of violence. Probably not directly, just as viewing 1,000 murders and acts of violence against women on tv by the age of 6 is probably not the cause of all of the violence in the US.

However, it does desensitize people towards pain and reality, as does overindulgence in anything. That does not absolve people from the responsibility of their actions.

The US watches TV and pays video games more than any other country in the world. Our rate of violent crimes is the highest in industrial nations, I can draw that correlation.

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by cjma79

I have.. what more do you want???

This is pretty rude and misleading.
You didn't provide sources until after he asked.

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by wclac

Yeah, WikiPedia is a reliable source if you want more information.

Thanks

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

This is pretty rude and misleading.
You didn't provide sources until after he asked.

What???
Please read,, the wiki wasnt me....
I provided the links of real research.... just like another person provided real research.

here is again...
Ok, and now look at the problem
I can do the same..
Department of Psychology University of Toronto
Evaluating the Research on Violent Video Games

U. of Illinois
No strong link seen between violent video games and aggression

Study downplays link of video games to violence | Technology | The Observer

And I only provided source once he/she provides source...

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by cjma79

What???
Please read,, the wiki wasnt me....
I provided the links of real research.... just like another person provided real research.

Not until after asked.

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

Not until after asked.

same goes the other way... not until asked