Violence in Video Games: Why the Fuss?

Thanking you for bashing the media, they're the reason why ESRB got stricter and need to taken off their high horse and stuck in a pile of crap. The media is the main reason this country has gone downhill, not video games.

 

Personally I think the age on the M rating should be ignored.

Because M stands for Mature and when you are 17 doesn't necessarily make you mature.

I've been playing M games since I was 6, and I was one of the most well behaved kids in my class.

so I think if a 6 year old is mature, let him play Halo (maybe not GTA though)

,but if a 13 year old is a real punk, then the parents should be strict with him/her.


P.S. By the way, I die a lot in games...so why would we want to imitate something that will get us killed?

 

No idea why,violence should stay in video games....

Who is really stupid enough to imitate what they see in a video game?..the question kind of answer's itsself since the media makes such a big deal about a little nudity in an M rated game. I think it was called Mass Effect.

 

So you think letting a six year old know about sex, drugs, and beating people up is great?

Most seventeen year olds know what the listed are, and why they shouldn't be done. Under some circumstances, though. Unless you don't like babies.

Anyway.
Six isn't mature. Thirteen isn't mature. Some seventeen year olds aren't mature. But they're old enough to know what not to do in their life.

Well...you dying in games may come from the fact that you're not too good, but you have to remember that humans are human, and our thinking doesn't need to be justified.
Look at America's Funniest Home Videos, Stupidest People & Pets, and other shows where you send in proof of your idiocy on camera to win money.
Welcome to America.

 

Halo has no sex and drugs,and your beating up aliens with weapons that dont even exist,and that a 6 year old could never get their hands on.but I still see where you are coming from. No age is mature,YOU make yourself mature to handle the situations you see,though its a common fact that little kids are exposed to a high amount of immaturity in schools and such.

 

Oh, yeah I forgot about sex and drugs, I was mainly talking about violence

the M game I played when I was 6 was the original Turok, no sex there, but yeah I suppose maybe Dead or Alive, God of War, and GTA could be too intense for a 6 year old

But I didn't say all 6 year olds, just ones that parents think are mature enough for M games

 

Hey! I've been away from this thread for awhile, but in the meantime, I found this site that gave a fun way to prove my point.
The Media: And so, we can conclude that video games are bad and should be-
Me: http://objection.mrdictionary.net/go.php?n=2553578

 

i know the the majority of ppl know the difference betwen reality and video game and know what not to do in real life. i doubt that many ppl are learning violent behavior from video games but i'm POSITIVE that people are learning profanity from video games. because to learn profanity, all it takes is exposure to it, and i think the games should tone it down some (and racial remarks can be removed too). tho i believe the parents should NOT buy those games for children unless they are certain that their children are mature, if they are mature enough, then i say: why not let them play? i understand their argument of why it could affect people's minds tho, it can POSSIBLY cause them to not be able to realize that killing is wrong, but then again, not everyone is like that.

my solution: BETTER PARENTING. they should not be buying rated M games if their kids are not mature enough to not become ******ed from playing them. and if their kids are bad....hit them (half joking).....

 

Hmm... I don't think I'd let a 6 year old play Halo...especially not Halo online. They cuss and are really obnoxious there with all sorts of racial slurs, gender remarks and sex comments. I don't think any 6 year old needs to hear that crap.

However, I do think video games themselves are not bad for kids. Video games are entertainment for people of all ages, and though I do think some games are inappropriate for kids, I think as others have mentioned, PARENTS are the key here. It's parents who tell kids that GI Joe is for imagination, that you can't go out and be Link, he's pretend, etc. Also, I'd be a bad parent if I say 'Here's GTA4, Jonny!" and Jonny is only 6 years old. There are some 16 year olds I don't think should play GTA because they are immature. There are some 13 year olds that I can say I would let play the game because they are mature enough, know better and would not even -think- of doing the things in the game in real life as acceptable. Parents really do need to watch their children and what games they get for them. Unfortunately, there's no way to monitor such a thing.

However, there are many sources of 'entertainment' people condemn and try to ban constantly. There were 2 or three serial killers, including the man who murdered John Lennon, who had an obsession of the book "Catcher in the Rye". This book has been attempted to remove from schools because of it and the notion that it is about a teenage boy and there's mention of sex, angsty emotions, cussing and anti-social disorders. The main character does turn his life around, but naysayers don't even -read- the whole book to know that.

In an era that continues to me to seem to take the fun out of being a teenager away because there are adults that actually 'fear' a group of teens anywhere, let people have their video games. As an adult, I can say I don't want to go out every other night and party and get wasted at bars, but it seems often that's all to do on the public scene unless I go hiking or do something of meandering about in malls. Video games are entertainment that lets me relax and not go out and be stupid. I think for teens it's become that way too. No one wants them loitering at McDonalds in the parking lot. Not every teen is in a gang etc. The opinions some adults have of teens is stifling to me and I've had very many arguments about it lately. Teens do know what's going on out there even if they don't get it completely and at least if they are playing video games and getting out some aggression trying to beat the snot out of some villain, they aren't out being bored and being coaxed to do bad things by their peers or older people that try to sucker them into lifestyles that ruin their lives.

To me, video games give kids something to do and no, I don't think it should mean they should be inside playing them all the time etc. I can say it's a stress reliever too. There are tests that psychiatrists try to say, video games make aggression levels go up while playing and it can last after. This is also 'adrenaline'. I know I get frustrated fighting some boss that won't keel over...but I tell you what...when I defeat it, I'm like WHOO HOO! It feels good. I am not angry. I'm energized. So aren't -most- people. Also, we all know that the digital baddie is just that...a character. It's like watching the Rocky movies and getting into the fights and yelling at the screen for Rocky to kick the other guy's butt while moving around. We're part of the story, the scene, the moment.

Most people are just fine with this stuff. The only people that aren't really are a small percentage of society. These people may have mental disorders that are very severe such as schizophrenia. If someone is chronically depressed, they have problems with real life that need addressed. A video game isn't going to make the person worse. Real life avoidance is, and if parents paid more attention....... So yeah, it takes someone pretty blind to not realize the kid is depressed or has something wrong day in and day out. That's neglect. In the end, some mental conditions such as ADD can actually be alleviated when playing video games and help someone focus better in real life. There are no negatives to video games that I can see other than 'some' games may be inappropriate for minors, which then adults should deal with and obsession which those who are obsessive about things any way chose video games for it, and need some help.

All in all, nice report you did, Keyblade Spirit.

 

I don't mean to interject here, but what he was pointing out was that if you were six years old and you were mature (like the member says he was), then letting the child play it may not be so bad. In his case it was not. But not everyone is like that, as you know.

It is circumstantial.


As for an answer to the poll, it is also completely circumstantial. However, the percent in which crime happens because of video games is not that high (or at least we here). It is just politically inflated to make video games get more media bashing. I do think it affects EVERYONE, REGARDLESS of how old you are. I don't care if you're 5 or 50, you will be influenced in, quite literally, the most large and/or small ways. Or maybe you don't get influenced at all; it is based on who you are and what you perceive to be taken seriously and out of the virtual world.