Violent games is yet again said to lead to real-life violence - The return of the old scapegoat

"As of lately Donald Trump caused quite a lot of media buzz when he brought up that video game violence needs to be addressed (the statement was done in the wake of the Florida school shooting aftermath). In other words, violent games is yet again being blamed for real-life violence. So here's my take on the matter" - P Albert, TGG.

[strayanalog]

Every generation has one: rock and roll, television, movies, and now video games. The one thing they have in common is being misunderstood.
So it is, and will always be, easy to point at what we don't completely understand, but like each one of those mediums before games time is on our side.‎

[TGG_overlord]

If video games didn't exist, they would just find something else to put the blame on instead...I've been playing video games since 1988, and I got no criminal record whatsoever.

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Games have been scientifically proven to not cause violence. However, the current ruling body of politicians in the states seems to be illiterate to science, thus, they will likely keep bringing out and pushing the old scapegoat.

[TGG_overlord]

That's correct, and I added a lot of links and resources to prove that to be true. Furthermore, look at Japan, they don't have the problems with violence as the US has (and that even though there lives +128 million people in Japan). So video games is just a scapegoat to take away focus from the REAL problems in America (just the fact that parents don't take care of their kids and pop them full of pills speaks volumes of its own...).

[ccgr]

But in Japan they're too busy playing video games that they don't procreate ;)

[TGG_overlord]

Correct, and just a way for the media to get easy clicks and for politicians to put blame on something instead of actually solving the REAL problems. This is nothing new, we've seen this in the 80s and 90s already.

[Profchaos]

There's still politicians out there blaming marijuana for the opiod epidemic with literally zero proof and studies that prove the opposite. Politicians don't care they only care about where they get their meal ticket stamped

[TGG_overlord]

Dude, we had a really stupid Swedish politician (Beatrice Ask) that claimed that 100 people had died from smoking pot. Well, guess what? The moron in question didn't do any fact checking at all. So it all turned out to be 100% false.

[Gh05t]

Unfortunately you cant just de facto say that "Games have been scientifically proven to not cause violence." and expect to be taken seriously. It sounds like you haven't actually tried to prove anything scientifically before.

When I was in college I did many a papers defending violence in media citing study after study that found "Violence in media is not a direct cause of aggression in children" what a lot of them did find is that personality traits and other factors mixed with violence in media did tend to lead to more aggressive behavior. There were also many other influencing factors like personality, poverty, family life, parental control, and social quality.

But there are certainly plenty of studies that show that playing violent games can lead to more aggressive behavior especially in children facing other factors as well.

There is no scientifically "PROVEN" anything on this topic. There are lots of hypothesis and many studies, but PROVEN... Please, its far from a scientific "Fact"

For one most the studies are just bad to begin with, they lack a sufficient timeline (effect over long periods of time) or observation and rely heavily on self reporting over short periods of time 6 months to a year.

Basically my papers boiled down to, its more than one thing that causes extra aggression and media in and of itself is rarely if ever the sole cause but mixed in with other factors can absolutely have an influence. And if you dont believe that then maybe go read some more studies because they are far from conclusive.

[rainslacker]

While your right, it's not the video games themselves that are causing the aggression, but there being an aggregate that causes a person's aggressive tendencies to be provoked. This doesn't necessarily have to be media, but could just be some guy on the street talking hostility.

So, in this case, the problem itself isn't the media, but the person's aggressive tendencies. That's the real root, and that root can indeed stem from many things. however, I think that these things stem from things that happen before a person is actually exposed to video games....although that may be less true today than it used to be as very small children are playing on their parents phones or tablets.

[TGG_overlord]

@ccgr
"But in Japan they're too busy playing video games that they don't procreate ;)"

- Yes, they also got very strick gun laws and their law system is not to be messed with (the Japanese prisons is anything but a nice place to be at, just like it should be).

[Gh05t]

The irony that you believe video games dont cause violence and then bring up guns, an inanimate object in a discussion of CAUSE... You sound as radical as these politicians.

[Derceto]

Pretty sure he's making the simple connection that stricter gun laws, equate to less mass destructive violence. Why this had to be explained to you? I have no idea.

Unless of course, you think an unarmed person can cause as much damage with their bare hands, as someone with a semi-automatic gun. That would certainly be a comedic conclusion indeed.

[Gh05t]

@Derceto

Or maybe read between the lines, if he was on topic then his statement is absurd. If he was as you say "making the simple connection that stricter gun laws, equate to less mass destructive violence." Then he was off topic as the discussion is about cause not about the method. That is what I was pointing out, try to keep up.

[rainslacker]

The guns don't cause the violence any more than video games do. But it's not wise to make it easy for one with violent tendencies to gain instruments that can cause great harm to others. You can't really harm someone with a video game....at least not easily. A knife isn't or other sharp(or blunt) instrument that can be used as a weapon are nowhere near on the same level of easy destruction that a gun is. We don't make it easy to get explosives, although it's not hard to make them, but if you look at the deaths in explosions, it's usually not as high as with a mass shooting, as most of the damage is collateral and not direct. I'm curious why guns would be any different. Explosions are meant to be destructive. Guns are meant to be destructive. They can be used for sport sure, but anyone responsible shouldn't be against responsible ownership, or laws which make sure that only the responsible are getting guns.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

Is anyone really surprised that Donald Trump is using a tired scapegoat rather than addressing something in a substantive manner?

[TGG_overlord]

I think that Trump has caved in to the lobbyists. So his just tossing them a bone to keep them calm. Nevertheless, I don't agree with his statement on the matter.

[LucasRuinedChildhood]

Everyone knows he has taken over $30 million from the NRA so I suppose you are right.

[Blu3_Berry]

Ah yes. Go ahead and continue to point fingers at someone instead of owing up to your mistakes and whoever raised them.

[TGG_overlord]

I would recommend everyone to read up on the Japanese gun laws, school system and law system (it's also a matter of bad Vs good parenting). My point would be that the US problems with violence have zero to nothing to do with violent video games. So it's just like you said yourself, "pointing fingers".

[season84]

Nothing's new. Politicians always use violent games as an excuse to not solve the "real problem".

[TGG_overlord]

Yep, I've seen this bs happen since the 80s. I don't know your age, but in the early 90s it was all about ninjas, Metal music and VHS violence (TMNT and "Ninja Gaiden" got banned from my school due to the fear of Ninjas).

[KillZallthebeast]

Lol war and violence have existed before we ever even thought about recording history, but yes it must be the video games

[TGG_overlord]

Correct, and back then it was books, folk tales and art that ended up being blamed for everything of evil nature.

[AizenSosuke]

Oh Trump I wish I was out prison, just to get rid of your filthy soul.

[TGG_overlord]

@Gh05t "The irony that you believe video games dont cause violence and then bring up guns, an inanimate object in a discussion of CAUSE... You sound as radical as these politicians."

- Guns don't kill people; people kill people. In this case, bad/evil people use guns to kill innocent people.

[Ittoittosai]

Thats a false statements. If guns dont kill people we wouldnt use them, just because people and firearms are a dependent relationship doesnt mean either or both isnt part of a larger problem.

[Averyashimself]

I suppose we should start banning spoons to help the obesity epidemic then. /s

[Gh05t]

Except a gun without a person doesn't do anything. The dependency is one way. Without people guns are harmless. Without guns people still kill people. The only consistent thing is that people will kill people like they did well before guns and will continue well after we have moved onto a different form of weaponry.

[Bobafret]

I don't think video games ultimately cause someone to go on a shooting spree, but the knee jerk reaction from gamers to not even have a duscussion about it is telling.

[rainslacker]

Seems everyone is willing to have a discussion about it. In fact, we've been having this discussion for over 20 years now. But the conversation isn't going anywhere, and we still seem to be exactly where we were 20 years ago....although I feel that most of the general public doesn't really take this kind of stuff seriously anymore, because a lot of the general public nowadays did grow up with video games.

What I don't think is happening is that there aren't many, or any, in the general public who are calling out these politicians for their posturing on this issue, but we are seeing an increased drive of people who want the politicians to actually get to the root of the problem.

If anything comes of what Trump intends to do, I do hope it's actually informative, and maybe he will be responsible and say that there is not enough evidence to support his original claim, and that the issue is much more complex. Just one major politician actually admitting that the issue is complex, and is multi-faceted, then maybe the actual issue can be addressed with constructive discourse, and ultimately positive change.

Maybe wishful thinking though.

[CrimsonWing69]

Why don’t movies, music, and books get blamed, too? I mean carnivals have had shooting games? We have freaking ratings for a reason so people that can handle certain content can differentiate reality from fantasy.

It’s not games that are to blame it’s the people and their mental stability. I had played violent games since I was in elementary school and never once had I had the urge to harm another human being.

[Ittoittosai]

Historically they have. Today is games because it is the biggest form of media but also on a certain level and interactive form of media.

[rainslacker]

They have. Then people realized that it was stupid. Rock & Roll had it longer than video games did, although it was through different genres in music. Books used to get them for the longest time, but again, through different genres and eras. movies got them for probably the shortest time, but that was likely because movies became pretty mainstream before violent one's became more common, so it was a more respected art form before hand.

[antikbaka]

or maybe agressive ppl just tend to play those...

[Vanakka]

Please do this make MA game 21 I would love to not have squeaker's on any games I play PLZ!

[rainslacker]

You'd see a lot fewer M rated games then. Publishers want to maximize their potential audience, not restrict it. Since games don't actually cause violence, I don't see the reason to restrict them further.