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Thai Teen Nabbed in 'Grand Theft Auto' Copycat Killing

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AtomSmasher:

--- Quote from: Dartful Dodger on August 08, 2008, 01:12:55 pm ---The boys were play power rangers, it happened in some overly sensitive country and they immediately pulled Power Rangers.  At first I thought that was nonsense, but then started thinking about it and realized that these 5 year olds were just imitating a kids show.

--- End quote ---
If power rangers caused this to happen, then how come incidents like this didn't spring up everywhere power rangers was popular?

Kids have been playing games like cops and robbers or cowboys and indians for hundreds of years (and I'm sure variations of those games for thousands of years) and occasionally the kids get out of hand and seriously injure someone while they're playing.  The problem didn't suddenly start occuring with the advent of violent tv shows or video games.

koolmoecraig:
I'm not saying we should ban anything.  I'm just saying you cannot discount the influence these games have.  Not all people are wired the same mentally.

Why have any limits on games at all? 

Why not have a game where you are a pedophile trying to rape children?  How about games that reenact the the Holocaust where you try to kill as many Jews as possible by coming up with new, more efficient ways to kill them? How about a game where you play as your favorite serial killer?  Maybe a 9/11 flight simulator game?

Where do you draw the line on what is a "reasonable" level of violence? Do you not draw any line and just let the free market determine EVERYTHING?

I'm sure I sound like an old man but I don't think as adults that we can fully understand what these games are doing to kids.  We grew up in a time where there where more innocent games were the norm and then they slowly got more and more violent(and obviously more realistic).  These kids know the most violent games from the time they first pick up a controller.

These aren't just quick, cartoonish violent games like the Mortal Kombat series.  These are basically full immersion crime and murder "simulators".  They aren't cartoonish in their portrayal of violence.  They strive to be as realistic as possible.

Video games are different than watching sports, tv shows and movies in that you are actually participating. You are making the decisions to kills and whatnot. Not just observing which even still can be influencing enough.

Obviously most kids are never going to become violent in real life due to video games but as I said, not all people in this world are wired the same mentally and not all kids have parents who watch over them closely enough, whether it be a single parent or a lazy parent.

You just cannot say that it has ZERO effect.


Dartful Dodger:

--- Quote from: koolmoecraig on August 08, 2008, 01:58:47 pm ---I'm not saying we should ban anything.  I'm just saying you cannot discount the influence these games have.  Not all people are wired the same mentally.

--- End quote ---

That's all I'm saying too.  I like to play these games, but I understand that these games have a negative impact on people and I didn't want to be the cause of that.

Maybe I'm doing just as much harm by supporting these games, but that's a line I don't currently plan on drawing.

AtomSmasher:

--- Quote from: koolmoecraig on August 08, 2008, 01:58:47 pm ---You just cannot say that it has ZERO effect.

--- End quote ---
Well considering that last year the violent crimes among juveniles was the lowest it's been in 30 years, I would say it doesn't have a very significant effect.

I remember reading about research that had just concluded something like a 5 or 10 year study on children and video games, and it found that kids who didn't play games were far more likely to be anti-social, along with several other results which contradict the video game/violence corrilation (it was the first ever long term study on children and video games, and was done by an independent group).  I'll try some google-foo and see if I can find a link with the actual details of the study.

shardian:
Video games do not influence people who are 'wired wrong'. They are already wired wrong - the game didn't do anything by your own arguement. Anything can influence them to do what they do. It just so happened to be a video game this time. It could have been a book, a movie, a tv show, a commercial, something they saw on the news, something someone described to them, etc.

Speaking of books, there is some sick ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- in some books readily available and innocent looking on the shelf. I guess no one cares what is in books though, because dumb ass 'wired wrong' people don't read them.

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