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"Do violent video games make people more violent?" is a question that more universities may tackle in the future

Researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia, noted that there might be a link between violence in video games and increased aggressiveness from gamers.  The study claims that people who play violent video games may have diminished brain responses to images of real violence, which correlates to aggressive behavior.   

The debate about the possibility of a link between video game violence and real-life violence is most likely going to be an issue that is debated for years to come.

[ed - I find that when I get killed in World of Warcraft, I really wish I could cast Coil of Death on the other guy behind the keyboard.]

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?
By Mik3y on 1/11/2006 11:20:25 AM , Rating: 3
When I lose in solitare, it just makes me want to papercut others with a 3 of clubs. :/




RE: ?
By Tuan Nguyen on 1/11/2006 11:30:48 AM , Rating: 2
Hehe - in all seriousness though, both my wife and I play games and she never gets angry from dying in a game or by being killed by another player, whereas I may become quite frustrated.

This leads me to believe that there is still no definitive proof to link violent people with violent video games. People's behavior and character are a result of real-life environments and upbringing.

However, on that note I also have been playing shoot'em up games since I was very young whereas my wife only started playing video games after meeting me.


RE: ?
By spwrozek on 1/11/2006 11:57:44 AM , Rating: 2
The fact your wife plays games is just sweet.

I think that debate over this is way stupid. When I die in a game I am pretty mad but once I stop playing the game the anger is gone. It is not like I walk around the next day going, "I was killed in COD yesterday...I am going to beat in this guys face!" I have played violent video games for at least 10 years and I have never been in a fight in my life. I think that people need to leave this one alone because they have been "almost proving a slim coralation" since the ESRB started. Guns kill people not Keyboards.


RE: ?
By xsilver on 1/12/2006 2:14:33 AM , Rating: 2
guns dont kill people
people kill people, what needs to be investigated is the motive... surely video games cant be one of them


RE: ?
By CSMR on 1/12/2006 8:58:13 AM , Rating: 2
You are only one case. People are different. I am happy that you are not violent. But that does not imply that everything that you do cannot potentialy cause violence.


The problem is the question
By Thalyn on 1/11/2006 10:34:41 PM , Rating: 2
One thing all these studies continue to neglect is whether they got the question right in the first place. Unfortunately, while asking the wrong question the answer is meaningless....

I'd like to propose this alternative: instead of videogames being responsible for an increased level of real-world aggression, is it not possible that an aggressive natured person is more likely to take up videogames? Both would allow for the same answer - gamers being more aggressive - but they both suggest this aggression comes from different sources.

Unfortunately, we have no way to verify someone's pre-game state, but perhaps we could take a random sample of people, establish their aggression levels, then determin how much of each group plays violent videogames. I think the results would disprove a lot of the complaints people have towards gamers, and simply remind them that some people are - gamers or not - just plain aggressive.

After all, there's gotta be a bit of a mean streak in you to want to run around taking random shots at the poor "Critters" with a hammer bigger than some small nations.

-Jak




RE: The problem is the question
By Zelvek on 1/12/2006 1:34:14 AM , Rating: 3
I am so fed up with this crap I mean if stupid @$$' like this had their way we would be living in caves because tv would cause vilence then books would then spocken language would then cave drawings would and so on.
The problems with society are that parent have stoped caring they see some violent thing and because they are to useless to teach their child they scream that it must be banned so rather than letting the child know what is wroung they ignore the kid and blam the problem on somthing else they cannot see that they are the problem any good parent will produce a good child.(no I have not had kids but I basicaly still am one at 18)
I know that any time I find somone my age who is a jack @$$ or who has bad moral character that all you need do is look to their parents and you will see why they have developed to this character they are spoiled ignored and never properly punished. I'm not saying life should be all regimented but alot of parents I see are just way to slack.


RE: The problem is the question
By CSMR on 1/12/2006 9:07:34 AM , Rating: 2
no, this study takes that into account apparently


Just want to say one thing...
By bamacre on 1/11/2006 1:44:54 PM , Rating: 2
Hitler never played video games.




RE: Just want to say one thing...
By ninjit on 1/11/2006 2:02:35 PM , Rating: 4
A lot of youth violence is related to gang-activities and low-income areas.

The kind of people who generally can't afford to buy a console and video games in the first place.

In fact I would say if we gave these kids free xBoxs and games, they'd be more inclined to stay at home and play them rather than be out on the street beating the crap out of someone.

I have yet to see any studies related to this that are worth anything to speak of.


Trying to create a spectacle
By mindless1 on 1/11/2006 3:06:09 PM , Rating: 2
Their concept is fundamentally flawed.

"diminished brain responses to images of real violence, which correlates to aggressive behavior. "

All they can conclude is that two different types of events may result in diminished brain response to images of real violence.

Similarly, we can see that most people who get sprayed with a hose will have wet pants and most that pee all over themselves will also have wet pants, but not that most people who get sprayed with a hose, pee all over themselves.

In short, they're either brain-dead or looking to create a spectacle with biased research.




RE: Trying to create a spectacle
By CSMR on 1/12/2006 9:05:51 AM , Rating: 2
It is not fundamentally flawed to answer a specific question. Academic research often answers very specific questions. The larger questions that we want to answer and are more difficult are made easier by this research.


RE: Trying to create a spectacle
By mindless1 on 1/13/2006 11:51:37 AM , Rating: 2
Only if the research were appropriate towards that answer instead of flawed. When one tries to answer each question OUT of context then apply each in turn to yet another conclusion, the margin for error becomes astronomical unto the point of being only another exercise on how to be retrospective about crude and rushed research.

In short, the hypothesis itself is obviously flawed and needs no further research before reformulation. Anything else is just ineptitude which would later be defended for egotistical reasons. Man seldom makes a great effort then concedes it was all a waste when that's the case, which is a pity.


I've said it before, and I'll say it again.
By Bull Dog on 1/11/2006 1:57:37 PM , Rating: 3
Violent video games do not make my violent in the real world. The complete opposite it actually true. I can be very violent and nasty in the virtual world, and that helps drain me of violent outbursts I may want to have in the real world. The study does correctly (at least in relationship with me) point out that playing "violent" (how about gory here or does that not sounds as "catchy"?) video games makes people them less sensitive to seeing pictures of gory/violent situations. I think this is true, but it is really a bad thing? And besides, it STILL isn't really a real world situation.




By VIAN on 1/11/2006 2:06:39 PM , Rating: 2
It only desensitizes you from the media. I don't get scared in horror movies and don't mind most gore because all it is.. is preparation. Horro movies have patterns and it's very easy to predict a scare and it allows me time to prepare myself for it. But if it happened in real life, I'd be puking everywhere. I know the difference between reality and BS.


Yet what about....
By Chadder007 on 1/11/2006 3:48:15 PM , Rating: 3
Yet what about the news that teen violence is at an all time low since the 1980s?....this video game crap is BS.




RE: Yet what about....
By TheWarden on 1/11/2006 5:15:31 PM , Rating: 2
Here is a link to an article about that exact thing. It is an excellent article that every gamer (and anti-gamer, too, though I'm dreaming there) should read.

http://gr.bolt.com/oldsite/articles/violence/violence.htm


Hrm
By Araemo on 1/11/2006 1:03:16 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The study claims that people who play violent video games may have diminished brain responses to images of real violence, which correlates to aggressive behavior.


Well, great.. so being aggressive can be correlated to dimished response to real violence.

So can playing video games.

Correlation does not imply causation, even when the correlation is not two steps removed like this.

If anything, it's likely that being agressive/violent could cause one to be less 'stimulated' by violent images, and playing violent video games can also cause the same symptom.. but that doesn't mean that symptom causes violent behavoir, only that that symptom can come from violent behavoir.




RE: Hrm
By CSMR on 1/12/2006 8:59:56 AM , Rating: 2
According to the BBC the study attempted to examine causation. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4594376.stm


Biased research
By Lyman42 on 1/11/2006 1:35:11 PM , Rating: 2
That is biased research. This was not a random sample at all, rather the researches performed this experiment on "39 experienced gamers." Why would they want only experienced gamers? Why were there no other subjects chosen, such as people who have never played video games?
quote:
Subjects with the most experience in playing violent games displayed lower response rates to the violent images.
Lower response compared to who? An average person? What data could they compare the participants response rate to if all the participants were in the same group? For this type of research to be relevant, there should be some null group to compare to. The researches may have done this, but this article did not reference to it. I remain skeptical of this research until more specifics are released.




RE: Biased research
By CSMR on 1/12/2006 9:02:47 AM , Rating: 2
A comprehensive study would have a more complete sample no doubt, but it is not necessary here because the question is not whether games affect everyone but do games cause violence at all, or do they not cause violece in anyone.


OK?
By VIAN on 1/11/2006 2:00:54 PM , Rating: 2
Right, so because I want to kill the Wendy's Drive-thru clerk for getting my order wrong, that means that there is a link between using a Wendy's drive-thru and real-world violence. Come on, who get's paid to write this BS (lucky bastards). People can't get frustrated anymore, when did this happen?




RE: OK?
By VIAN on 1/11/2006 2:08:09 PM , Rating: 2
I don't even know why I'm talking about this here where it does little. We should have a televised debate.


blah blahblah blah blah blah blah blah = BS
By KHysiek on 1/12/2006 2:27:29 AM , Rating: 2
Concluding this "test" -
"Subjects with the most experience in playing violent games displayed lower response rates to the violent images. These players also were discovered to be more enthusiastic about "punishing" an opponent in subsequent gameplay."
WTF, this is supposed to be a science test. What a joke :(. How they tell how these experienced players would react BEFORE playing games ? Maybe in the same way. Maybe people are not changed by playing games. This means nothing.
NExt thing - lower activity in brain some areas means literally nothing to real world behaviour. For sure it doesn't mean that people would actively react in violent way in situation where normal people would just do nothing.
Last line is the best joke, maybe they are just best players.
Crap.




By CSMR on 1/12/2006 9:09:55 AM , Rating: 2
Brain activity is not unrelated to behaviour.


Worst topic Evar!!!
By EtherealDragon on 1/12/2006 3:26:38 PM , Rating: 3
Reading articles about this topic always makes me laugh... In all of the English classes I took in college, there was ALWAYS a "choose your own topic for your paper", and EVERY TIME, someone would choose to "show" how violence and video games are connected. IT IS A JOKE! I too, like many of the posters before me, have been playing games since back before the original NES hit the shelves, and I am not voilent. Quite the contrary actually... never really got into any fights in school, or anything like that.

Sure people get frustrated and angry when playing games, or celebrate their frags, etc. etc. etc.

Why is it I never see any articles linking sports to voilence? Anyone ever see what happens (at least in the past) when sports teams lost the 'Major' event, like world series, superbowl, etc. Or even when teams WIN... look back to the Bull's years ago... (small) riots in Chicago... But hey, I am SURE that violence was due to video games.

I bet people only write about this stuff so that some of the hot heads out there reply with hate mail and e-threats so that the authors can go "SEE?? they ARE violent.."


LOL


WHAT A JOKE!




And in other news...
By segagenesis on 1/11/2006 11:34:48 AM , Rating: 2
Recent study shows that owning a gun may increase the likelyhood of you shooting someone.




That study is just plain useless
By gnumantsc on 1/11/2006 12:45:59 PM , Rating: 2
But this is a study on Americans, and as a society there is much more violence in that industrial nation compared to any other ones.

This study does not take into account the person's IQ or anything. How do we know those people aren't violent beforehand?

Studies like that are just a joke. You didn't see people running off cliffs after watching Bugs Bunny or trying to run through a boulder being the Road Runner.




A long time ago...
By MScrip on 1/11/2006 2:42:21 PM , Rating: 2
There has been violence for thousands of years... long before Pong and video games in general...




??
By methodlessman on 1/11/2006 8:02:59 PM , Rating: 2
As anyone ever considered that people who like to play violent video game, are the same people who have a predisposition to be less affected by violence?




Sure...
By SubKamran on 1/11/2006 8:24:52 PM , Rating: 2
Right, first off...

I'm 17, been playing violent games since I was 8 years old. I'm not violent or aggressive at all, I'm a damn push over, hell, I hate physical pain.

I have five friends, including my girliefriend (to shatter all stereotypes: a hot girl who loves fashion and writing and is way too wise for her own good, and can own on Halo. Damn, that's "fashion," "hot," "smart," and "video games," what more could you ask for?), and they all have play violent video games. From Halo to Call of Duty to Quake. None of us are violent... except one of my friends, but he's not "violent" per se, he has been in Tae Kwon Doe for years and he's not a "violent" person in the way they make it out to be in the study, he's really affectionate and caring, just add-on that he likes Martial Arts and combat. It all depends on how people were raised, I think... we were all raised with good morals and we know right from wrong. My brothers play games, my little six year old brother plays Morrowind and Dungeon Siege II. My twelve year old bro plays CS:S, HL2, etc. But none of us are violent people...

These studies are just crap. I know so many gamers, some girls, some guys, and no one is violent. Weird, but not violent or aggressive.




Does anyone remember Heat.com?
By Arawn on 1/11/2006 9:03:56 PM , Rating: 2
Not the actual one... NBA?...

It used to be a gaming site, a few years back. I liked their moto:

"Kill pixels, not people."




What is this really about?
By timmiser on 1/13/2006 7:06:54 PM , Rating: 2
Apparently the study is about a gamer having diminished concerns about violence when he sees it in the real world because he is so used to seeing it in the game world which may be true but I don't see how they draw this correlation to the gamer becoming violent himself.

I think watching the news on TV gives people a more diminished concern on violence than games do because at least in games, you know its not real, but the TV news is. When the TV news reports about a murder of someone in your state, do you cry? Feel sad? Probably not.

I'd say if you watch the news everyday, you tend to become used to this and don't have much reaction to it.

-Tim




"We shipped it on Saturday. Then on Sunday, we rested." -- Steve Jobs on the iPad launch









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