i don't think video games make a person violent, i think its the enviorment they live in and how they and there families interact(or if there an adult how they grew up and what lessons were learned).

I heard something interesting today on the radio just 10 minutes ago in my car.

People are like "videogames are making kids violent.. ect ect", back when rock and roll was comming out they carried on like it was the end of the world. When elvis was on tv, they would only film him from the hips up because he girated his hips and that was a horrible thing.

This means, all this stuff about video games will pass.

I actually believe that in really young people, like 10 years old it does. But after that its not really an issue.

It really doesn't. If you think about it, violence will always be part of human instinct. That part of you that lives within the confines of your brain, never to be let out unless our society as we know it is eliminated and we are forced to revert. Thus, violence and killing really won't have any effects on a developing brain. Mind you this is very controversial and can be argued to the ends of the earth. But thats my hypothesis.
In any case, America and the world, seems to be unable to go on without a issue. Thus, to make the news exciting, they publish total bullcrap such as "Violence in Video games". Just watch, they'll be boning Otakus next.

Just giving my late two cents to this thread...

There is absolutely no concrete evidence, whether implied or actual, that a link exists between violent behavior and violent media. Not just video games, but all media. There IS, however, repeated studies documented that prove that violent media encourages violent behavior in a person who already has a penchant for violence. Like so many other things, you cannot make such a blanket statement and think it's going to apply to every single person. The vast majority of game players are not psychotic and understand the difference between fantasy and reality. It's that incredibly small percentage of people that are already violent who are driven further into violence by violent media.

Video games are the new scapegoat, perpetrated by the media over the last decade or so. Since the rise of the video game, the youth of today are watching less television, which translates into fewer advertising dollars. Television had to strike back somehow, so it was time to find a new scapegoat. Anyone remember how rock n roll was "evil" in times past? How it was "causing all of our children to become murders and s***s"? Complete BS. And yet now, the same kind of propaganda is being passed around, and some people still buy it up like cheap penny candy...Orochi was right when he said that nothing's changed in 1800 years and that we humans can't be saved...

I think any kind of violent media has an effect on behavior, be it books, TV, video games, or music. I also think parents should keep an eye on their kids' activities.

Video games do de-sensitize people. I really had trouble sympathizing with the friends of a girl in my school corporation, even being called 'cruel' by one of my friends.

I think the blame should go on the parents and the children. A kid drowns trying to find Spongebob. Whose fault is that? Sure as hell isn't Spongebob's. He doesn't exist. What'll they do? Cancel Spongebob and take it off the air? I don't think so. That'll probably be good for society, but it's not happening.

A kid starts a school shooting. Same principle. It's not Master Chief's or Solid Snake's or [insert other character in an M-rated game here]'s fault. They don't exist! It's the fault of the family, the child, and society as a whole. What'll they do? Ban those games? I don't think so. That'll start riots where I live.

The responsibility is not on the video gaming industry, but the rest of society.

You have a few good points there goldenryu. Any violent media does indeed effect behaviour. Parents need to take responsibility also, play a huge role on determining how their kids turn out. If they're letting their kids play games that are meant for adults, of course those kids are going to become a little corrupted but it's their parents fault, the game companies can't control who plays their games but parents can and should.

I belive if your not violent tempered (like me) you could play video games and not be effected by them. But a kid with violence problems, possibly bad family history shouldnt play violent games, else they get ideas.

Yeah, and your older too Bigbob so it wouldn't affect you as much but when a young kid is growing up playing/watching that stuff and doesn't have parents to teach him right from wrong, the kids gonna be all f'ed up.

But as i've said before, think of the realism to games we had growing up, compared to today. Does realism add more endulgence, and potentialy life changing behaviour?

http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2008/07/grand_theft_argument-2.html

Nice little article.

Phew...I'm here a little late, but let me drop a couple of coins in the bucket.

I think that violent music has more of a chance of bringing out violent behavior than violent video games. I also think that it depends on what you're killing. If there was a game that I might tag as increasing the chances for violent behavior, it's be the GTA series. Even then...there's so much violence and the level of it is so over the top, it would take a lot to push someone who wasn't already crazy enough to try to imitate it to do so.

Other than full-on crime sims, I don't see violent games as being dangerous at all. People jumped on Mortal Kombat back in the day - excuse me, but do you know how long you'd have to lift weights before you're strong enough to rip someone's head off their shoulders with your bare hands??? It's ridiculous.

There aren't that many violent games that have realistic enough content that you could do everything you pulled inside the game and take it, and transfer it over to real life.

On the contrary, I think - for someone who's in their right mind, I think it can provide a level of catharsis. When someone gets under your skin, I'd think it'd be nice where you could go into a fictional place and blow up stuff without actually killing anybody and getting thrown in gel. It's hard to feel guilty about blowing up computer polygons on a screen. So, as long as you know the difference between computer polygons and real-life people - something that 90% of people who play video games know - you're fine.

True, violent video games can also teach someone how to do stuff. And not only violent video games. Video games period can do that. I learned most of my vocabulary playing RPG's an I heard a story about a 10 year old kid who drove himself to the airport and flew on a plane to his grandma's and he learned how to drive by a video game.

The video game companies can do nothin' about it. People stated earlier that it is the parents fault if a kid takes a violent video game and does stuff that it does and that is very true. If you see that your kid is watching Power Rangers and it doin the punchin' moves and stuff, then they parent should be smart enough to not let them play those games. The game companies are right when they would an age limit on games because younger kids don't really know better and they learn from their environment, so it can effect them, but if they grow up a little to where the age limit is, they should definately know better by that time.

Let's blame the people that are whining about violent video games....THE PARENTS! Hah....yeah....

If the kid is watchn power rangers, would that really be any different to playing a power rangers game?

Me and my friends as kids used to playfight as power rangers, none of us are violent now.. so..

I'm just saying. It's more likely that a kid will mimic what the violent games do if they would mimic a simple show like power rangers.

Pretty funny... pretty much all cartoons consist of violence too along with everything on TV and in movies. Media is Ultra Violent these days

Yeah, it depends on how well the Parents protect their kids from it I think.

Cookieman003, kids would playfight as power rangers before 'video games' were even around. Surley this problem of turning kids violent has been around for ever.

Think back at music trends that have caused violent generations and stuff. Its the same thing, different generation.

Look back at midevil times, they didn't have video games but they were brutal and hacked up others with their rusty swords and stuff

Yeah. I suppose, it doesn't matter about the video games. Kids will be violent whether it is natural or not. The means of which they do it make it easier, I mean, they didn't have guns in midevil times.