Video games promote violence?

[Liquid]

http://m.joystiq.com/2013/02/20/ct-senator-proposes-bill-to-ban-minors-using-fake-guns-in-arcade/

I'm very interested to know what you think about the supposed link between violence and video games.

Do you think impressionable minds are skewed by playing violent games to the extent of commiting atrocities? Or do you believe there must be somthing wrong with the mind regardless of content available to them?

[Anonymous]

This has been going on for years & nothing has ever been proven, it all became over hyped with the gta series & that scandal involving the game manhunt

[version7point0]

We have lived in much more violent times than the present.

There have always been stories of battles, wars, murders ect but with time it has evolved into a world we can be thrown into, but just because we choose to play violent games, in my opinion, does not make us more likely to act these out.

If I had to categorise people into some kind of groups I would imagine it would be like this:

Ineffective upbringing - not instilling the correct values, or teach the skills of reasoning / right and wrong.

Impossible upbringing - where there is some medical background to as why the individual can not reason correctly.

Environmental factors - if some one breaks into my home and I feel my family is at risk, be rest assured I will allow my standard reasoning to be overcome for their safety. The same situation I would apply to a victim of a mugger or armed forces or indeed people born into a world of violence.

The "snap" - where something triggers a sudden loss of our standard reasoning.

Finally, the plain ol crazy - but to be honest I think they would have just got there the same without videogames.

So yeah, in conclusion I place little to no weight on the video game argument.

*disclaimer - coffee shop ideas only 😛

[Liquid]

Very well reasoned:)

[Anonymous]

To me it's not so black and white. There are many shades of grey.

For example - I play games. I'm not a violent person and have no desire to be.

However, I do believe there are impressionable people who could be desensitised and incited to be violent based on playing violent video games.

Also, there are mentally challenged people and people who have violent personaliity traits who commit terrible acts without the aid of violent video games.

I don't think a link can ever be 100% proven.