FiremanJoe Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Does violence in video games affect a person's behaviour? I think it's fairly widely accepted that it does, to different degrees depending on the individual. One of the main I wonder is- where does one draw the line? At what age does a person know the difference between reality and fantasy? If you've got any links to research papers done on this or other good sources, they'd be greatly appreciated. Miyamoto Wants Happy Games Violence in Video Games - Sirlin.net An assessment of the ESA's research on gamers Sorry to bring up the topic for the millionth time, but yes, I've got a school report to write on the topic. =P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygecko Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 It's no different from any other form of media. It just gets more attention at the moment because it's a relatively new industry and the older generations don't understand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizyr Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Ok, if you're writing a paper on this, the first thing is to know what format. High school papers are pretty brief and superficial, so you wouldn't need to delve that deeply into the topic. College papers, you'll generally need more research put into it. A thesis paper, that's another matter. Anyway, the best place to begin is to start at what you mentioned, the distinction that develops in someone's mind between reality and fantasy. That typically begins at a very young age (e.g., little kids playing house, or cops and robbers, etc.). From there, it'd probably be useful to go into the subject of video games as a specific medium of entertainment, with highlights on things that distinguish it from other media (e.g., the level of interactivity, for one). Then, you'll have two questions to answer: first, to what extent does entertainment in general affect someone's behavior, and second, do the distinguishing characteristics of video games contribute to that affect? Even if that's not how you structure it, it'll be a good start to get you thinking about how you want to make it. And, by the way, I don't know about you, but video games have certainly affected <i>my</i> behavior. Ever since I picked up Phoenix Wright, I keep yelling OBJECTION! every time I hear a contradiction in someone's argument. They keep slapping away my finger when I point it in their face, though... Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, also, has given me a lot of ideas on certain things to incorporate into my work. KF EDIT: Also, that Miyamoto article you linked is pretty good... That's one of the (several) reasons I like his games. Making a hit game based on violence is relatively easy; making one that's just plain fun can be a bit more challenging. KF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FiremanJoe Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share Posted July 21, 2007 How brief is brief? This is to be about 5000 words. Any research and articles or other information on the topic would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Coop Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 Does violence in video games affect a person's behaviour? I think it's fairly widely accepted that it does... Right there, your paper's already off to an iffy start. It's not fairly widely accepted, but rather, it's very widely debated, with both sides pointing to studies and personal experience that they claim backs up their angle on the argument. There's been no consensus on this issue (be it regarding violence, personal mannerisms, or what have you), despite how many times it's been looked into by those pro and con. Edit: Try picking up the new EGM. They have a multi-page article on this subject in the August issue. It's nothing in-depth like a full blown study, but it does bring up a number of points on the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuskyFerret Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 How brief is brief? This is to be about 5000 words. Man, that's a bit steep for high school.... Living in Aus, I'm guessing you know at least a bit about violent video games, considering all those that they've banned here. It's all to do with the fact that our highest rating is MA15+. I guess you could get some articles about some of the banned ones, Bulletproof is one for starters. I figure I'm somewhat close to this topic considering my bro has delved into this for one of his public speaking thingos. Some names that often pop up with these issues would be child psych Michael Carr Greg and family minister Noel Macnamara (think thats the spelling), he's kinda like our Jack Thompson in a way, well ... maybe not as extreme. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doulifée Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 It's no different from any other form of media. It just gets more attention at the moment because it's a relatively new industry and the older generations don't understand it. i concur. violence was not invented by video game. there is also disturbing book, movies etc. and movies are far more realistic than video games. Of course some argue that VG are interactive and that different than movies. my point of view is violent people tend to play violent video game, but the opposite is not true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Shadow Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 I think it's fairly widely accepted that it does, to different degrees depending on the individual. violent games keep me from being violent in the real world so if "nice and tolerant" is included as one of your 'degrees,' i'll agree Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Lime Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 You know the saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"? The same is true about violence in any form, whether its books, movies, video games, television shows, etc. I view violence in games as a good thing. Some games are good without it, but after a while of not killing anything, its nice to pop in God of War and slice up some mythological creatures. This just popped up into my head. You notice how politicians only go after games with human-on-human violence? EX: Grand Theft Auto, Postal 2, Manhunt, Bully. Why not God of War or any other game of the sort? Because mythology and fantasy isn't real and 3D rendered humans in an imaginary location are? If you have seen Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine", it shows that the American society is such where we have violence everyday. But why pick on video games? There is something violent happening right now, as you and I read this. Someone is getting stabbed, some house is being broken into and the owner is beaten an inch to death, theres a car accident with 2 or 3 fatalities. And yet the politicians choose to go after games. Please find any faults in my post, as I just woke up and this is "wake up anger" release. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperion5182 Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 My response to this debate is simple. The rating groups allow many violent and graphic...near war like graphic images to be allowed to gamers. Move anywhere however near nudity no matter how circumstancial it might be or anywhere near higher levels of romance in general and it gets squashed in a picosecond. I dont give a crap about ratings if i ever have kids. I will be the one making the decisions on what games my kids play. A lot of events in violent video games (Certain FPS) i would go to 18 or 21 and above. Thats me. The fact is the people who rate games are nothing but hypocrites. Violance has been around a lot longer and in FAR GREATER ACCESS TO CHILDREN! I point to the typical comic book from marvel or DC over the past FIFTY FRIGGIN YEARS. Movies past 1960 and TV past 1970! For many people myself included video games are a friggin release from the crap that is normal life. I can be as annoying as i want i can throw something right back in someone's face when online and i dont have to deal with them getting their buddies to beat my fucking head in or key my car. Personally i consider them a moderating influence in older people. In developing children however...anyone under the age of 16 who is allowed to play most M rated games today shouldnt. Their parents are idiots and dont have a clue. This all comes down to one thing. Parrential responsiblity. The two words the anti violance lobby HATES WITH A PASSION. If parents actually give a shit they wont be playin these kind of games. Good luck on your report. But honestly play up the parrential responsibility angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kutrayn Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 I don't know if it is academic enough for you, but here's something from one of this topic's previous incarnations. http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/violence_and_videogames http://economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?Story_ID=4246109 The second seems to require login these days. Here it is anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricklozen Posted July 21, 2007 Share Posted July 21, 2007 It's no different from any other form of media. It just gets more attention at the moment because it's a relatively new industry and the older generations don't understand it. I agree. The same ideas and stories are communicated in all the other media. The main difference is that most video games demand constant attention. It's the interruption in concentration that may cause violent behaviour in some people, and again, because some games demand constant attention, players may not act out their frustrations immediately, but I don't see it turning people into something they weren't before. Another point is that most parents don't want to understand game concepts, such as save points/save games, and become frustrated with their kids for not turning off that damn video game when told to do so, and the kids become frustrated for not being understood. (I focused mostly on kids, not people in general.) See Alan C. Kay's talk at the American Film Institute. The main point builds up from around 5+ minutes, but see the whole thing (with annoying muzak). Keywords: media, normalcy, education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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