To celebrate Grand Theft Auto's IV release I thought that we should come together and discuss... debate... about all these controversies over violence in video games, the most blasphemous of these being the GTA series and the Manhunt games.


How do you all feel on this subject? Do you really think that video games are to blame for the social problems of today's youth? or is it just a bunch of crap made up by congress to make us think that they're doing something...

Well...I think violence is just human nature. If humans wanted to get violent, they could do it without any help from video games. Gladiators fought to the death without any video game 'corrupting' their minds. I don't think a gew shooting games are responsible for the sad state of youth today. Maybe for a few cases, but not all.

I say that some video games have ratings that are just stupid. Take Fable for example. It has NO blood in it, and it's pretty childish in some parts, it's got no swearing either, yet it's a 16. How thick is that? The only bad thing it has is your guy hitting someone with a sword and them staying exactly the same, even though their health is going down.

I think it definately has something to do with "the state of youth". Because in games shooting is a good thing and at some point it becomes fun.

In my opinion video games are all stupid, violent or not. Why spend your time watching, playing video games, and rotting your brain cells when you could go outside or write and play your music? I understand that some parents let their children play video games but they shouldn't have violence in it. I mean, look at those 3rd graders that were trying to kill their teacher. The experts were saying that the must have gotten the idea from movies and/or video games. So, I am against violence in video games.

There is no proof that video games make people more violent. In fact, let me put it to you this way:
What video games did Hitler plays? How about Stalin? Vlad the Impaler? etc...
None, they didn't play games and they were still violent. It's irrelevant that they didn't have them, since the fact remains that they became violent, angry people from other reasons. I think the major cause of violence has nothing to do with television or video games, but with society and culture itself, with a little biology thrown in. Humans are predisposed to being violent. That doesn't necessarily mean we are predisposed to go around stabbing people, but we do have a tendency to resort to violence, because that's just natural. It's the same in the animal kingdom. The argument that animals don't have wars is absurd because they do have brutal fights. They can't have wars because they aren't intelligent enough to organize for that (most of them...chimps actually do have wars by the way...and they are more brutal than most of our wars since they will intentionally group together and hunt down all the young of another group of chimps...).

Video games are just GAMES and 99.999999999999999999999% of people know this. The nation isn't getting more violent because they are playing games. The nation has ALWAYS been violent. This crap about how the U.S. is becoming more and more violent and we're so much worse than other nations...well when you compare us to countries that are 300 times smaller in size and population it's no wonder you can make those assumptions. Larger cities have a more difficult time of maintaining order and this is historically proven as well. Major cities tend to have greater instances of violence for a good reason: people don't know each other. You'd be much less likely to stab your next door neighbor if everyone in the entire town knew who you were, who your mother was, etc.
Meh, anyway. Nope, not involved in creating violence . Name me one person who went on a shooting rampage that can be proven to have thought that GTA was real...

But what about world peace? I am sure that video games with violence in them could be affect it. I just think playing video games are stupid. I am not going to reply again to this thread. Trust me it's better that way. I don't want to blow up in any ones face.

Originally Posted by Shaun There is no proof that video games make people more violent. In fact, let me put it to you this way: What video games did Hitler plays? How about Stalin? Vlad the Impaler? etc...

Hitler was more organized violence, the kind of violence I think video games inspire are just random shootings, without much thought behind them.

Video games are just GAMES and 99.999999999999999999999% of people know this.

I don't believe that's an actual fact, can you give a source?
A nine year old probably can't differentiate games from reality as easily as you can. Therefore , just because adults/young adults can say PFT..everybody knows it's a game!, it doesn't mean a third grader sees it as simply.

This crap about how the U.S. is becoming more and more violent and we're so much worse than other nations...well when you compare us to countries that are 300 times smaller in size and population it's no wonder you can make those assumptions.

I don't even know how this is THAT relevant

I know I am double posting but I missed this post before:

Originally Posted by Midnight_Moon . I just think playing video games are stupid. I am not going to reply again to this thread. Trust me it's better that way. I don't want to blow up in any ones face.

If you can it'd be cool for you to continue replying (without "blowing up in any one's face") because it's interesting to see other people's different opinions.

Some games can relieve stress. For example, games that involve killing people stop my anger. I just pretend that the person I'm angry at is the person I'm killing.