I'm leading a discussion on violent video games! Please help!?

Question

heres my questions. Do you think they're good enough? If you think of any more good questions, feel free to submit them.

1. Do you believe playing violent video games is wrong?
2. What rating of video game do you most commonly play?
3. What rating of video game do your parents allow you to play?
4. Why do you think that these are similar / different?
5. If you had a kid, what rating of video game would you want, or allow, them to play? Why?
6. Why do you think we’re drawn to more violent video games?
7. Are more violent video games necessarily more fun?
8. Do you believe violence in these games affects our thoughts? How?
9. If someone mentioned violent video games and children playing them, what would your reaction be?
10. What do you think are the effects of violent video games?
11. Why do you think violent video games make some people violent and some it doesn’t appear to affect?
12. Do you think video games have become too violen

Answer 1

Most of these are good questions. You have some grammatical errors, for instance, you want to ask "What is the rating of video games that you normally play?"

I almost exclusively play violent video games but I'm 32 years old. Be careful about having ambiguous and/or leading questions such as question 5 which doesn't specify how old the kid is. I wouldn't want a 5 year old to play any of the violent video games I play. But you also need a question defining what you mean by violence because I would categorize it to various degrees and types. If I had a 16 year old kid, there are many violent video games that I wouldn't mind him/her playing a game like Halo where they are killing invading aliens.

Some violence shows blood, some is against people, some is less severe. Just saying "violence" can encompass so may things, I think you need to create categories of violence in order to successfully explore this topic.

Answer 2

1. No, I do not think that playing violent video games is wrong.
2. I mostly play M.
3. M.
4. Because I am mature enough to realize that a video game is just a video game and that anything I see should not be redone.
5. Frankly it depends on the age by the teenage years I would let him/her play anyone he/she wants (except the Playboy game).
6. I think we are drawn to more violent video games because they are amazingly fun, I mean who doesn't want to watch a huge mass explosion go off.
7. Yes!!!!!
8. In a way, if you do not realize that video games are nothing more than video games than it could affect you mind in some ways, like the way a character might fight when a kid plays the game he/she might try to fight the same way w/o realizing it.
9. So what, the parent has the ability to keep his/her child from playing violent video games and if they don't it's on their head.
10. I think that the effects are what I have mentioned in earlier questions.
11. Because the ones that become violent are still too young and have yet to mature, those who are not affected are mature and have realized what I have mentioned in other questions (the whole mature thing).
12. No, I don't think a video game can become too violent it all depends on the person playing them.

Answer 3

You know, there's been a lot of talk about violent video games. Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat, Bloodyrayne, The Godfather, The Punisher, etc.
The thing is, a lot of violent video game haters think that kids would act out these games. Let me ask you a question: Has your kid ever done this?

In 2005, Hillary Clinton argued the whole year about Rockstar Games new hot coffee mod. And she demanded them to rate it for Adults only.(AO)
And I think it is completly ABSURD. The only reason its (AO) is because of the sexual activity in the game. As a gamer, I love to play violent video games. And so do other people. But give us a break.

We are just having fun. And that's wrong?
Video games are so interesting. A LOT of people love them. Including me. We have the right to play violent video games. Everbody. Period.
Would I go on a killing rage after playing Grand Theft Auto?NO.

As gamers, we can do want we want.

Thank you.

Answer 4

I'm not too sure I understand what you are trying to achieve but I think that question #1 is how you define a violent game. IMHO, ESRB criteria are certainly great to help parents but are not a very accurate description of how "violent" a game can be. Certain criteria including nudity or alcohol use have a tremendous impact on the ratings, but much less so on the actual game "contents" - compare with how movies are rated. Conversely, there are some games with no blood on screen which put the player in very fragile moral situation. An example I like to use is the classic EA PC game Syndicate (rated Everyone 6) where, in one mission, the player was asked to assassinate the wife of a politician just to scare him.
I think 6 years old is too young to play such a game.

to answer your questions:
- no, although it could be a waste of time
- all.
- N.A
- N.A
- I take time to pick the games he can play, but that's because I really love games and I don't mind doing that. those are E games generally
- I don't think we are. There is numerical evidence that violent games sell less. All things being held equal, if a developer tries to increase the "spectacular violence" level of their game to attract more players, they have to modify their initial game vision, their game loses in consistency and focus and eventually is not as good.
- not in my book, but conversely, trying to remove all elements of a game which could be interpreted as violent can make it very dull.
- that depends on the player, just like the effect of "violent" movies depend on the viewer.
- I'm aware that every kid I know who had a PS2 played GTA San Andreas, most often the parents bought it for christmas 2003. I don't think it's the kind of games that should be played by people who haven't developed a healthy sense of criticism, which is not the case of kids.
- they can appear to legitimate some behaviours which are not ok in the real world.
- that depends on the ability of the player to get immersed in the game world.
- no, I think that publishers are more and more cautious. But I think that some got it all wrong and still believe that violence sells, and lace some games with extra violence hoping to lure a larger audience. This tends to produce very poor games.

Answer 5

Take your censorship elsewhere, this is America and we are not ruled by dictatorship.

Your a close minded individual, most likely Christian because you couldnt find your own way in life and had to rely on Jesus... stop me if im wrong. But I know im right so ill continue...


Most people like you who preach this stuff just do so to occupy their time. You have no idea about the psychology of the mind, you have no idea of real world problems.

You have no evidence linking violence in videogames to violence in reality.

Why dont you take a stroll down a ghetto and talk to some of those kids, or why not go up in the front lines in Iraq? I bet you voted for bush the 1st and 2nd time around.

Ive been playing violent games regardless of my parents consent since I was old enough to hold a controller.

Im an engineer and I make 80k a year.

Why dont you get back in the kitchen and worry about making food for your kid, people like you who point fingers at random have while making pointless questionnaires are foolish and ignorant.

Obviously you dont know where violence and hatred comes from, it didnt come from a video game, its been part of life ever since the dawn of man. Most of it came from a bible you probably worship.

You are misguided and all I can do is pity your ignorance.

Answer 6

Another question would be this:

13. Did you hit or kill somone after playing a violent video game?

Answer 7

Those look like good questions, but what are your answers based on? Will they be based on your own ideas, or are they going to be based on God's Holy Word? If their your own ideas, your not going to win, because without the Bible (and if we came from slush and monkies) then their is no such thing as right and wrong. It's a man eat man scenario, so anything goes. But if your answers come from Scripture nobody will be able to make a valid aurgument against it. (Now, some will just throw it out the window, but if your going by Scripture, then your right.)

Answer 8

I agree with someone above that your first question should be how someone defines a violent game. To get your juices flowing, I'll answers your questions, even though you only wanted us to comment on their quality:

1. Do you believe playing violent video games is wrong?

A game is essentially always starting at one point, and making your way through a series of challenges to make it to the end. Different games stimulate problem solving skills in different ways; the "violence" that appear in some games is usual just a visual aspect. Blood, or gore, or in the matter someone dispatches an enemy of the player's character. Do I think it's wrong to make a game this way? No. I don't think it's wrong to allow story tellers to tell their tale the way they want. There's nothing morally depriving about fiction, or graphic imagery there-in.

2. What rating of video game do you most commonly play?

I play many games ranging from 'E' to 'M'. Mostly T & M.

3. What rating of video game do your parents allow you to play?

I am too old for that now, but when I was younger my parents didn't regulate my gaming (that was before the ESRB ws a big deal).

4. Why do you think that these are similar / different?

This question isn't very clear. You may want to clarify it; why do I think WHAT is similar / different?

5. If you had a kid, what rating of video game would you want, or allow, them to play? Why?

That entirely depends on their age and state-of-mind. I'd allow young kids to play games meant for kids, or games rated 'E'. That's the point of the rating system, after all; to define age appropriateness.

If you are asking me if I'd disallow them to play M related games at any age, then no. I was 9 or 10 when Doom came out, and I enjoyed playing that immensely; I suffered no nightmares since, and I've hurt no one as a result.

6. Why do you think we’re drawn to more violent video games?

Survival of the fittest, primal enjoyment, anger and stress release. We are human, after all, and projecting ourselves in situations where survival means life or death gives us an adrenaline rush. You could acquaint violent games to thrill-seeking.


7. Are more violent video games necessarily more fun?

Going back to my last answer, it depends; if the violence is implemented as part of a solid game mechanic, then it could make games more fun. Like I said, violence in games - as in movies - gets our hearts pumping. Fast-paced action is an adrenaline-maker.

8. Do you believe violence in these games affects our thoughts? How?

Absolutely not. They affect our feelings for a short amount of times, since we're being absorbed into the action and thrills, but they do not indoctrinate us. As with men who've returned from war, games do not make us more violent or hateful. People who are drawn to violence are that way before they even play games; they are simply drawn to violent games because they illustrate pre-existing feelings of hatred or negligence to life. I think in some ways, allowing a violent person to play violent games lets them vent these frustrations harmlessly, instead of on someone else. Ultimately, though, these people have problems to begin with.

9. If someone mentioned violent video games and children playing them, what would your reaction be?

It depends on the game, really. Some are more extreme than others. I consider violent games close to violent movies; I wouldn't let my five year old sun watch a gory movie, so therefore, I wouldn't approve of a young child playing a particularly violent game.

10. What do you think are the effects of violent video games?

This question is too close to question #8, but I'll answer it anyway; I do not believe that violent games have lasting negative effects on anyone, young or old. No more than a violent movie. If anything, games influence our imaginations, and for kids, games with a protagonist and an antagonist allow them to approach moral dilemmas and ethics they otherwise may never deal with in real life. They can be a learning tool for the naive.

11. Why do you think violent video games make some people violent and some it doesn’t appear to affect?

To answer this, I'd have to first believe that violent video games make people violent. I don't think they do. I just think some people are naturally more violent than others. Like the guy who plays football because he gets a thrill from tackling people, people who get excited about violent games do so because it's in their character.

12. Do you think video games have become too violent?

I don't think they are particularly any more violent than they were a decade ago, they've just gotten better graphics. I don't think depictions of violence are a 'bad thing'.