[dudeitsme]

I have heard a lot on this topic. I do have my own biased opinion, and will share it, but I would like to hear what everyone else thinks on the topic. It also doesn't just have to be about if they are evil or not, but do they create satanism, or do they rot your brain?



"If everyone cared and nobody cried. If everyone loved and nobody lied. If everyone shared and swallowed their pride. Then we'd see the day when nobody died....." If everyone cared by Nickelback

[cwes99_03]

I know that I had an Atari for a short while when I was a kid. We would come home and play it and my grades didn't slip too much, but my dad got rid of it just a couple of months after we got it because he thought we were playing it too much when we could and should be doing chores (lived on a real farm with animals and stuff). I ended up reading a lot more (anything to avoid chores) and doing really well in school.
In college I started playing a lot of games (computer and console) after my freshman year and my GPA dropped from a 3.7 to a 2.7. I cut back and my grades improved once again.
Were the games the problem? Directly I would say no. It was the laziness that accompanied the games. I procrastinated, and hey what better way to do that than to sit in front of a game for like 4 hours.
They certainly do not help.
As to whether they make us more violent. I would say yes, there is the propensity. Watching violence like in a movie or something like that rarely gets the individual directly involved on more than a subconscious level. Playing a video game and pulling the trigger to blow somoene's head off, or to beat someone to a bloody pulp, gets the individual to take one additional step, not just passively watch, but actively participate.
Go bump into a kid after he's played mortal combat or Navy Seals for a good hour and see if he doesn't react more aggressively than had he been reading a detective novel.

[Racoon]

I think the answer to question is No.

However the Psychological studies that have been done prove that violent video games DO increase aggressive behaviors! There is Positive correlation. (about .3 - .4 If I remember)
To the degree they do so is also dependant on the personality of the gamer.

Surprisingly, Women and Girls show greater increase in aggressive behavior, than do traditionally more aggressive Men and Boys.

Did a reasearch on this in basic Psych 101.
Damn I wish I wouldn't have sold my textbook back.

I do not play video games at all. Only very rarely with my Nephews when I babysit. Violent or not, they're a complete waste of time!!! Get out there and ride your bike or build a model or SOMETHING!

Occasionally they are OK, when weather is bad and there is nothing to do.

[dudeitsme]

I would agree and disagree. As opposed to the point of your grades dropping, it depends how much you actually need to study. I don't consider myself smart, because the school I go to doesn't really teach, so I don't really have to study. I love to play video games and I am planning on becoming a video game programmer. I play them at least 2 hours a day and my grades have never been affected. I also do not consider myself a violent person, but I do play a lot of violent games. They can make you more agressive immediately after playing, but I don't think it will actually stick. Now there are stories about people who have committed suicide from video games and I don't totally believe them either. I guess it might depend on how stable your mind is, and if you have a tight grip on reality.


Mankind has a great aversion to intellectual labor; but even supposing knowledge to be easily attainable, more people would be content to be ignorant than would take even a little trouble to acquire it. Samuel Johnson

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Racoon

I think the answer to question is No.

However the Psychological studies that have been done prove that violent video games DO increase aggressive behaviors! There is Positive correlation. (about .3 - .4 If I remember)
To the degree they do so is also dependant on the personality of the gamer.

Indeed on the individual differences issue. However, I think many of those studies had some sampling errors, whereby the sample was not an accurate cross section of the population.

Originally Posted by Racoon

Surprisingly, Women and Girls show greater increase in aggressive/violent behavior, than do traditionally more aggressive Men and Boys.

Are you aware of any information showing correlation by age? I'd be led to believe, for example, that teenage boys differ from men in their 30s... likewise, women in their 30s may be more aggressive than girls in their teens. That sort of thing...


IMO... anything is evil if you let it be, however, there's a bit of a forbidden fruit concept at play whereby if you make something taboo, it becomes that much more attractive to the youngins...

[Racoon]

True InfiniteNow!

They Use College Students who want to earn easy Credits!
Not a typical cross section, but its hard to study otherwise..

[Jay-qu]

They deffinitly arent evil - but if parents dont moderate how much their kids use it then it can get out of hand. Possibly leading to obeasity, poor grades and even violence. But otherwise they are fine - I love a good game.

[Mercury]

Nay, video game aren't evil.

Originally Posted by Racoon

However the Psychological studies that have been done prove that violent video games DO increase aggressive behaviors!

Well, I always thought that it is the other way round. Video games tame down your violent tendency. You vent all your anger and frustration through zapping aliens and such. My favourite is games with lots and lots of mazes. This particular game, for example, has so many dungeons that needs one to commit most of his or her attention so to not get lost in any one of its levels. And there is this immense sense of accomplishment when you finally outwit an enemy or beat the game.

Video games = great stress reliever / entertainment.

[Tormod]

Originally Posted by Jay-qu

They deffinitly arent evil - but if parents dont moderate how much their kids use it then it can get out of hand. Possibly leading to obeasity, poor grades and even violence. But otherwise they are fine - I love a good game.

I agree. If video games are to blame for violence, then we should look into *why*. Is it lack of parental supervision? What can parents do?

The last study I read here in Norway (sorry, no link at hand) suggested absolutely no link between computer game violence and violent behaviour.

[orbsycli]

ok so i just sat down
and played video games.
Was it evil?
Absolutely not.

the sun is almost up and i just pooped.