I think that your logic that violent video games makes people ******* in the head is severely flawed. Kids are doing a lot of messed up crap. But it isn't the video games making them doing it. Right now, way too many parents are taking a way too passive parenting style. Almost every kid right now believes they are special, the world owes them respect, and they don't have to put up with any crap they don't like. They think whatever they want to do is okay. That is on the parents, not the games. The only link between those games and kid's behavior is that kids who behave like that are drawn to violent games. But they were drawn to it before. The games didn't alter their minds.

I also think you use the term racism WAY too loosely. If you think that calling RPG players nerds is racism, feel lucky that you are growing up in an environment where you are not exposed to it. First, the type of video game that you play is not a race. So I think that declaring that a friend called you nerdy to be racism is a pretty big insult to people who have to deal with actual racism.

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I think that you are way off base there.

rcarter2 : Racism is pretty much already wild here...(The racism was a metaphor thingy...)

I'm sorry to put harshness in the first post, too. But you guys can relate to these things, right?

I think there is a lot of assumption and double standards in what you said to them.
You pointedly state its a fact retro is better, yet call them narrow minded for insisting the opposite?

As for it effecting people.
Weed, murder, rape, violence, under age pregnancy, racism, alcohol abuse; all these things were issues before video games.
People learn these tgings from many areas. Society, tv, the media, games.
The godfather was massively popular, yet people didnt start to create mobs because they watched a film.
You were suggesting they were bad people due to playing the games. Thats not fair or reasonable.

Stating that being exposed to violent video games fuels violence, is no more true than saying being exposed to blacks increases crime (another example of incorrect reasons for crime).

steel_attacker : I can see where people get the assumption that violent/inappropriate video games make people do bad things. However even though you assume something doesn't mean that it's true in any way. Also with the whole racism metaphor... that is a very disproportional metaphor. Saying that you play one game on someone else plays another doesn't make you different races. I assume (remember that assuming isn't always right) that you are an middle to upper class white male in a suburban city or gated community and even though you think that you have seen racism, you have no idea what real life racism is. I can tell that you've been heavily influenced by your parents on a lot of your opinions because instead of saying drugs, you say "weed" specifically. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but I think that you worded this very wrong.

But on the topic of the post... I like both retro and shooters equally. I also like strategy games and anything in between. I don't really see your reasons for racing games being violent though... that doesn't really make any sense am I missing something?

jack3604 :
A few are. I think it was burnout that had you flying out of the window.
Also games like Demolition Racer, where the goal is to not only to race, but to destroy other cars.
Twisted Metal wasn't exactly racing, but you get the picture.
And who can forget that ever violence inducing blue shell on Mario Kart XD

Still, those aren't instances of graphic violence
And frankly, while games with graphic violence do desensitize to video violence
I don't believe that translates to actual violence
Unless of course you have trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality, but if that's the case
well you have bigger problems than video games.
I play a ton of retro games, but I play modern games as well.
I don't consider myself ****** in the head

jack3604 : Dude, I'm a mixed from SEA...

baileyface544 :
Burnout paradise certainly didnt have people fly out windows.
Gta IV did, but that was small potatoes.








I remember (I say remember, I never played it at that point)carmagedon was something of the start in regards to violence in video games.
A racing game where you could get points for also running over the people. That (despite its blocky graphics) was too much for most regions, so they replaced the people with zombies and gave them green blood. Pretty pointless since you could just patch the game to return it to its true glory, but that was the extent of video game censorship.

Then titles like manhunt came along, and some of them (predominantly the 2nd) were banned (mostly by retailers, though also by some nations).

Despite that, msot games are now largely uncensored. There are still some things that arent permitted, such as sex (for the most part), violence towards children (surprisingly in deus ex you could kill children), and violence towards animals (there are hunting games etc, but most people dont find it acceptable to shoot a dog).

I expect those boundary's to be tested over time.

You will find most of the advocates for restricting video game violence, also want to restrict movie violence, or nudity, cursing in the media, anything they disapprove of.

That is nothing short of unfair.
There are hundreds of channels on tv I dont watch, if I dont like them, I turn the tv over. If you dont like video games, you don't buy them.

You can argue that games effect everyone, because they encourage violence, but I could argue the same is true by putting a bullseye on a human dummy and teaching your kids to shoot it.
Yet I know most of the people in nations with guns, that are against violent video games, are pro gun.
Im not touching on the morality of guns, but to say video games are a worse influence, with their fake guns? Well thats nonsense, and I make no apologies for saying that.

I feel sorry for people that suffer because others cant leave them be. Australians are constantly complaining about video game censorship.
They lost about 20 minutes of south park:the stick of truth because their idiot government wont let certain things fly.
I believe in Europe certain content was cut because the developers THOUGHT, various nations would block the game otherwise.
Im pretty sure Germany lost the most of Europe, content is always being restricted there.

Its neither good for the economy, or democracy. And im sorry to say, I dont believe these issues would go away without videogames. Frankly, given that video games are for many, an outlet, theirs every possibility these issues would be worse without this market.

Now if you will excuse me, im off to jack a car and kill a hooker. Because that, is apparently what I am obligated to do by society's reckoning.

steel_attacker : See, that's a perfect example of why you shouldn't assume things.

Let me start by portraying a scenario that can very likely happen: Guy pulls a GTA, cops gun him down, perpetrator is dead so he cannot argue, everyone blames GTA and Black ops and Hilary Clinton gets a field day.


Actually, they aren't violent enough or graphic enough. Make these games more violent and graphic, make GTA more epic. I must be crazy for saying such things but here are the reasons why. Movies are rated R so theaters kick kids out. Oh TitaniumOxide I see where this is going...Games are rated M so kids don't play them blah blah but kids will still get their hands on those games (and movies!). This makes me come to the conclusion that ratings are a joke. A 15 year old can go on any X rated site and your 7 year old can have a Facebook profile. Nothing can block people from getting what they want if the only thing between them and their wants are puny age restrictions. How lame is that? So lets do away with the stupid age restrictions and leave it up to people. Have anyone watched Dexter lately? That show with America's favorite serial killer? My gosh, are these shows getting more and more gory or what? And to top it off now we have a show called How To Get Away With Murder. I have never watched a single episode but the name says it all. It isn't about RPGs or MMOs or FPS. It isn't about any of that. It is about sanity and self control. You do it in a game because you know you can blow someone's head off or chop them repeatedly with a EBOTD (Ethereal breath of the dying [Diablo II anyone?]) Berserker Axe. You are allowed to. You get to live your evil dark fantasies of mutilating or blasting away good/evil for your own personal gain. So let's make these games more violent, more real! So they can be more realistic so people just do it in the games and not in real life. That is a problem you say? It is a problem because kids and psychopaths will emulate it? No doubt that will happen, no doubt at all. That is why there are people we call crazy. Most of us are sane enough with a smart enough brain to not be crazy. It doesn't matter if you have video games, movies, shows, etc, people will find a way to act out what they want. It is just that nowadays we have games that depict such violence so now we can blame it on something else, victimize the games and movies when there is only one person to blame. The problem is now you have this scenario: Guy pulls a GTA, cops gun him down, perpetrator is dead so he cannot argue, everyone blames GTA and your mom is celebrating with her peers in her anti violent games forum. The problem is that it is easy to blame violent depictions because IT IS EASY TO BLAME. It is as simple as that. You want to kill terrorists but don't have enough guts to join the military? Live it out in your Playstation. Want to shoot some ugly aliens in a futuristic world while being a badass hero? Play Halo on your XBOX. Guess what? That is already what most people do and only a fraction of a percent will reenact them. Just like only a fraction of a percent will readers of Lord of the Rings will actually go out with their own halberd looking for evildoers to slash. In the end, this is only a debate of self control and sanity, not whether stuff is portraying more violence. Saying violent depictions leads to similar reenactments is like saying every girl who gets kissed by a handsome rich white guy while passed out indefinitely may go running off with him on his high horse because it seems like fun and a very interesting thing to do. That was such a peaceful Disney example but despite many girls who would definitely say "HELL YEAH" there aren't that many girls who would actually go through with that so stupidly. Makes you wonder how some broke as a joke dudes have such hot girls right? 

Upwards and onwards,
TitaniumOxide

The gaming industry is clearly evolving at the moment which means you have more realistic graphics and more blood in games. People especially young kids like the idea of having such amazing graphics which convince them to buy the game. Whatever catches you eye, you are more likely to buy it. It is an advertisement sort of thing.

I somewhat agree with young kids think that shooting games or any other new console that isn't Nintendo related, are like the best thing in the world in general. There are many factors that play a role into their opinions. They haven't grew up with retro gaming systems and games nor have they used them. Popularity and items that selling are also another factor as well.

 I am not taking a side to this argument because one, everyone is different from another and two, I have experienced both retro games and new games and I think that they are both great in their own ways. Isn't the point of gaming to appreciate what it has to offer? Do not force your beliefs onto someone else and start a fiery argument. Everyone's gaming experience and tastes are different from one another.

Personally, I do have a co-worker at my job who is a Gamer apparently, but most of the games he does talk about is Xbox 360 / Xbox One games which you all know that 85% of those games are all shooters, including the games he mostly talked about recently is the game Destiny and already looking forward on getting Halo, The Master Chief Collection. He told me that he much preferred the Xbox over PlayStation because he thinks the Xbox is the best console ever (*cough* Xbox fan-boy *cough*). The thing is how Xbox fans acts because like I said, Xbox are 85% shooters, and that is why I don't like shooters. Most of the Xbox fan-boys are hypocrites, the reason why I say this, just look at it, 75% of the Xbox gamers (mostly shooters) are kids between 6-14, and they say that PlayStation and Nintendo games are to "kiddy", look, to put it that analogy, All platformers (like Mario, Sonic etc.), all RPGs (like Pokemon, Final Fantasy, etc.), and a lot more non-shooter and sport games, those kids that only play shooters ain't been around when we were that age, maybe if they spend time on the good games which are the retro games, then maybe they can be real gamers.

And also, if it wasn't for Nintendo getting us out of the Great Crash of 1983, they wouldn't be any Shooter games for Xbox nor PlayStation let alone those consoles existing, Those gamers need to watch what they say to Nintendo fans, plus isn't the first shooter game was released on a Nintendo Console (Doom)? So to my point of view, these so called fan-boys need to realize who they are dealing with. Ok, this also seems like to be a little bit of a paradox, but didn't the Xbox got influenced from the PlayStation (PS1) and the PlayStation got influenced from Nintendo (NES/SNES), then why don't Xbox fans like the PlayStation and PlayStation fans don't like any Nintendo products, it doesn't really make any sense.

But on topic about the whole games being too violent, people need to realize, I have said this a million times before and I will yet, say it again, People have been violent since the beginning of time, but nope, according to the media, violence never started until video games were being made. This is how I view them, "oh, this game looks like it has a gun in it, oh we got an idea, let's make up a story on a mass shooting in a public place like a school or a mall, and blame it on this game", like seriously, people on both sides of the argument needs to realize they both have no common sense, that's why I never watch the news anymore, too many killings and too many finger-pointing and that's why most of the games that has guns, I don't play (except GTA games).

I've been playing video games since I was 3 years old. Some of the first games I remember playing were Mario 64, Star Wars Rogue Squadron & Shadows of the Empire, Banjo-Kazooie, Turok 2, Zelda OoT/MM, and Goldeneye. When I was 7, I played GTA Vice City. It didn't change me, because I'm smart enough to differentiate the difference between fiction and reality. It goes in line with people who tried blaming video games for Sandy Hook. You don't try to raise someone with mental issues with video games, let alone violent video games. Poor parenting is to blame, not video games

Personally, I think gamers are divided. Too many people act like fanboys when it comes to certain games or consoles and if someone just so happens to like something different than everyone else, then it's a problem. Let me say this:

A. New games DO NOT suck. While some are violent, they DO NOT make people f'd in the head.

B. There are variety of games for people to enjoy. No genre is better than the other.

Also, it's not racism if they are discriminating against a category of gamers. That's the wrong term to use. Anyway, this issue sounds like a common situation where people blame the thing itself instead of their actions. People have behaved in corrupt and bad ways since the dawn of time. A video game is NOT going to change how some people act. Good people (parents, friends, siblings, etc.) are supposed to do that.

Classic games are superb. Today's games are just as good.  Let's leave it at that.

steel_attacker : I myself am a retro gamer, even though my date of birth would put me with the "new gen" I was born and raised on the good old super nintendo. Right now, I only have a wii u. But that does not make me a new gen gamer. This means that I love classics like pacman, metroid, megaman, sonic, and donkey kong, and i appreciate the modernized capabilities of gaming. I'm an all around gamer, but I definitely hate shoot em up games, and I absolutely despise any game with, about, or pertaining to any sort of magic. I do enjoy some fighting (super smash bros, transformers) racing (mario kart) action (metroid other m) fps (metroid prime series) retro arcade and more. I do feel that too much junk is put into the new games, and what goes in will eventually come out. In other words Garbage in, Garbage out. So yes, I would agree with you on this single point.

steel_attacker : They don't mess with your head. There have been plenty of studies that show that video games do not make you any more likely to do any criminalistic things.
Unless of course you're stupid or mentally insane. (not saying you are)
Besides, don't act like violent games didn't exist back in "the day" either.
Mortal Kombat?
Doom?
Wolfenstein?
Goldeneye 007?
Splatterhouse?

In a way, not much has changed other than graphical quality.

On the topic of violence in video games : Violent people are more likely to play violent video game over some other game. Violent video games do not make a person violent. People who feel the need to take out there aggression via violence can use video games vent there frustration instead of taking violent actions in the real world. People can get new ideas from all sources of media including but not limited to video games.

On the topic of gaming genres :  There are a wide variety of video games out in the world. Just because you like or dislike one is not a reflection of the person you are. You should not limit yourself to one type of game genre. You should not judge people by the games they choose to play.

Certain videogames can be quite bad for certain people. The problem of videogame violence is only a small part of a larger culture problem.