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

[natalayjones]

Originally Posted by wclac

Yeah really, I mean what's the big deal? The only thing that's fun and amusing is video game violence. There's always going to be gaming violence and nobody's going to prevent the violent gaming industry. That's just life. Violent video games rule!

As for hip hop, I prefer old school rap than the modern era.

People who critcize violent video games and hip hop, they don't know nothing of it.

Yeah, all video games have violence in some shape or form. My very first game was Duck hunt and Super Mario Brothers. So I was either shooting ducks (and the dog when I missed) or trying to get a this dragon thing to fall in a pool of hot lava. 10 years from now I'm sure I'll go crazy and randomly start dropping lizards in my deep fryer.

[wclac]

Originally Posted by natalayjones

Yeah, all video games have violence in some shape or form. My very first game was Duck hunt and Super Mario Brothers. So I was either shooting ducks (and the dog when I missed) or trying to get a this dragon thing to fall in a pool of hot lava. 10 years from now I'm sure I'll go crazy and randomly start dropping lizards in my deep fryer.

Yeah, I've been playing the Grand Theft Auto games since I was 13. If any violence occurs among the youth, people wan to blame the GTA series. They're delusional, especially the parents.

I've been a professional gamer for years, beating all GTA games to 100%. Even if I was employed, I think I'm going to stay a gamer even when I past 40 (20 years from now).

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

It focuses on long term behavior impact vs the immediate reaction of folks after playing video games. Could mean that longer time lags after game completion may lead to lessening tendencies towards violent behaviors.

So once again, what flaws did you find in the Anderson analysis?

Please.... its done and over.. you dont have anything...
no CONNECTION..

[NewToCA]

Originally Posted by cjma79

Please.... its done and over.. you dont have anything...
no CONNECTION..

Though you have not provided any critical analysis in your dismissive rejection of the Anderson Study, others have followed up with confirming evidence (don't bother researching this either):

In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) "adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week". The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time show the following behaviors:

1. Tend to be more aggressive

2. Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers

3. May engage in fights with their peers

4. See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004).

The Impact of Video Games on Children


Abstract

Video games have become one of the favorite activities of American children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors. The first goal of this study was to document the video games habits of adolescents and the level of parental monitoring of adolescent video game use. The second goal was to examine associations among violent video game exposure, hostility, arguments with teachers, school grades, and physical fights. In addition, path analyses were conducted to test mediational pathways from video game habits to outcomes. Six hundred and seven 8th- and 9th-grade students from four schools participated. Adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more hostile, reported getting into arguments with teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school. Mediational pathways were found such that hostility mediated the relationship between violent video game exposure and outcomes. Results are interpreted within and support the framework of the General Aggression Model.


ScienceDirect - Journal of Adolescence : The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance

[cjma79]

Originally Posted by NewToCA

Though you have not provided any critical analysis in your dismissive rejection of the Anderson Study, others have followed up with confirming evidence (don't bother researching this either):

In another study conducted by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh (2004, p.6) "adolescent girls played video games for an average of 5 hours a week whereas boys averaged 13 hours a week". The authors also stated that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time show the following behaviors:

1. Tend to be more aggressive

2. Are more prone to confrontation with their teachers

3. May engage in fights with their peers

4. See a decline in school achievements. (Gentile et al, 2004).

The Impact of Video Games on Children


Abstract

Video games have become one of the favorite activities of American children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors. The first goal of this study was to document the video games habits of adolescents and the level of parental monitoring of adolescent video game use. The second goal was to examine associations among violent video game exposure, hostility, arguments with teachers, school grades, and physical fights. In addition, path analyses were conducted to test mediational pathways from video game habits to outcomes. Six hundred and seven 8th- and 9th-grade students from four schools participated. Adolescents who expose themselves to greater amounts of video game violence were more hostile, reported getting into arguments with teachers more frequently, were more likely to be involved in physical fights, and performed more poorly in school. Mediational pathways were found such that hostility mediated the relationship between violent video game exposure and outcomes. Results are interpreted within and support the framework of the General Aggression Model.


ScienceDirect - Journal of Adolescence : The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance

Like I have said... some say yes, some say no...
I believe harvard over yours.. sorry

[Mircea]

Originally Posted by wclac

I know these days, whenever young people or teens do something bad, parents and the media blame the video games for their problems. I mean, why do video games have to be blamed fro all the violence for the younger generation?

Dr. Jeffery Zimbardo is well-known for his prison-guard/inmate experiment, but there's another important experiment he conducted that proves that videos and all media affect children.

In the experiment, a group of children were brought into a living room environment and shown a 30 minute television program. In the program, children of similar age were shown playing with a very distinctive toy doll. The children talked gently and lovingly to the doll, hugged the doll, kissed the doll, and treated the doll as another child.

Later, the children were taken to a play room which had the same toy doll. The children mimicked what they had seen on the television program and hugged the doll, kissed it, had a "tea party" with it, and otherwise treated it lovingly.

A second group of children were taken into the same living room environment to watch a 30 minute program in which the same doll was abused. The children in the program verbally abused the doll, and physically abused the doll by spitting on it, punching it, kicking it and throwing it around.

The second group of children were then taken into a play room that had the same doll, and they treated it exactly as they had seen on the television program. There were verbally and physically abusive toward the doll, so much so, that they destroyed it.

There's no doubt that children mimic the behavior they see on television and that it does affect them, and that includes video games also.

[natalayjones]

Originally Posted by Mircea

Dr. Jeffery Zimbardo is well-known for his prison-guard/inmate experiment, but there's another important experiment he conducted that proves that videos and all media affect children.

In the experiment, a group of children were brought into a living room environment and shown a 30 minute television program. In the program, children of similar age were shown playing with a very distinctive toy doll. The children talked gently and lovingly to the doll, hugged the doll, kissed the doll, and treated the doll as another child.

Later, the children were taken to a play room which had the same toy doll. The children mimicked what they had seen on the television program and hugged the doll, kissed it, had a "tea party" with it, and otherwise treated it lovingly.

A second group of children were taken into the same living room environment to watch a 30 minute program in which the same doll was abused. The children in the program verbally abused the doll, and physically abused the doll by spitting on it, punching it, kicking it and throwing it around.

The second group of children were then taken into a play room that had the same doll, and they treated it exactly as they had seen on the television program. There were verbally and physically abusive toward the doll, so much so, that they destroyed it.

There's no doubt that children mimic the behavior they see on television and that it does affect them, and that includes video games also.

Somehow I don't believe that every child in either group followed the patterns of something they saw on television. If they did I'm wondering if the tape said "this doll represents a bad person. If you see it; you should kick, verbally and physically abuse it"

My son can watch television all day and he has yet to play with one single toy in the way it was meant to be played with. His cars become monsters and his crayons become airplanes

[nitokenshi]

I grew up playing street fighter, gta, and mortal combat. I have never in my life fought anyone, hijacked a car or beat up a prostitute.

[Nomander]

I should be a serial killer by now with all of the stuff I grew up with. When I was very young, my mother used to take me to all of the horror movies and when video rentals came out, I watched numerous ones with her as well. Everything from alien invasion, insect invasion, slasher, etc...

I read books on various topics that contained much violence and oddities (Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft) and I even had a subscription to Fangoria in my youth.

I played video games of various themes starting with the old text based ones on up through FPS types all involving shooting, killing, and some even with extremely deranged acts.

I have never committed a serious crime, only received two infractions for speeding in my life. I have never harmed anyone outside of self defense and consider my moral actions within society to be far above that of the average person.

Why am I not an aggressive, hateful, killer who steals, rapes and pillages people without any moral remorse?

The only thing I can come to as a conclusion is that I was raised by a good mother that taught me right and wrong, fiction from fact, and reason as to the "entertainment" of these various things I enjoyed throughout my life.

So while a person might be influenced by these things (I do not deny it is possible), I think the key is that weak wandering minds are easily influenced and that presents the problem of not the video games, movies, etc..., but the fact that kids are being raised with little to no interaction and responsibility from their parents.

For that matter, if we are to attack video games as being the cause of violence and upheaval, then we must also look to the internet today with its rampant gossip, slander, and liable concerning events in all areas of life.

In the end, who is responsible? The individual is and no amount of forced legislation, indoctrination, or obfuscation of elements will solve the problem as those solutions treat the symptoms, not the cause.

[JHusseinMoore]

Originally Posted by Mircea

There's no doubt that children mimic the behavior they see on television and that it does affect them, and that includes video games also.

How old were the children?