How much does virtual violence influence the all to real violence we see today?

Question

Is the ultra violence of x-box and play station shaping the children of tomorow?

Answer 1

It's hard to say, i think it certainly is a contributing factor, but not for all children. As far as psychological research into this is concerned, the results have been pretty contradictory. Here are just a few examples.

Research for the idea that the media contributes to aggressive/violent behaviour...

Parke et al (1977) - Conducted a field experiment. He used American and Belgian male delinquents in his research – first, he measured their baseline levels of aggression and then he showed one cottage 5 violent films in one week and the other cottage 5 non-violent films in the same week. He found that those who’d watched violent films showed higher levels of violence in some categories.

Belson (1978) - He analysed the amount of violence 1565 13-16 year old boys who were located in London had been exposed to. They did this using retrospective interviews and the boys also gave self-reports of violent behaviour. Belson found that those boys who had lots of exposure to TV violence committed 49% more serious acts of violence than those who had been exposed to less.

Research against the media contributing to aggressive/violent behaviour...

Milvasky et al (1982)

Did a correlation longitudinal study (over 3 years), using 3200 participants. Young children were rated for aggression levels by their friends and teenagers conducted self reports. There was a checklist for both age groups to record what programmes they watched. No firm evidence linking the 2 was found. Family background seemed to be a better predictor of aggression.

Naturally these experiments have their flaws which ultimately obscures the extent to which environmental factors such as viedo games etc influence children, but they're certainly worth thinking about. Messanger Davies (1989) suggested that “What children get from TV depends on what the children bring to it” - suggesting that what is important is the children's attitudes towards violence,their parents attitude etc, so perhaps the same is true of the extent to which so-called virtual violence is influencing the youth of today.

Answer 2

I play Grand Theft Auto and other games with violence in it. But even among GTA players you don't often see players running round the game and taking full advantage of the ability to kill everything you see. (Plus if they did the police then the army in the game would soon turn up and put an end to it).

I don't go round starting fights- in fact I'd say I try to bring peace. But I agree with age limits on games, just like films. And also you will always have the nutters that believe they are the character etc. But that could happend with anything- movies, theatre etc.

Gratuitous violence isn't good and most people don't play these games in order to kill people in the game. It's the gameplay and the relaxation of driving cars, the plot etc.

Answer 3

Hello,

(ANS) As far as my understanding goes there seems to be two differing schools of opinion on this subject.

The first range of opinion says kids can tell the difference between "real" actual violence (real world) and the fantasy violence of virtual worlds like XBox360 games or other types of computer games that also include violence. That such computer generated violence doesn't necessarily lead to violence in the real world. (OK! I fully accept that there may be the odd case that disproves this). But research hasn't proved a direct link between screen based violence in computer games and kids acting out violence.

The second range of opinion suggest that computer & screen based violence tends to numb children to violence in the real world. i.e. that computer game violence has a desensitizing effect towards real violence. But I don't know if this has been proved in any way by actual research. The implication is that if a child is desensitized to real violence then they are more likely to see violence as more acceptable as a way to deal with a situation or other person. i.e. more likely to resort to violent behavior or act out violence more readily.

I think computer (virtual violence) or screen based violence has less impact than violence shown on TV on a daily basis. Mind you there was thought to be some circumstantial evidence of a link between violent & horror films in the Jame Bolger case where the little boy was murdered by two older boys who had spent many hours viewing horror films with considerable violent content. These x2 boys were not supervised by adults as I understand it and that this was thought to have had an influence on the abduction & murder of Jamie.

Ivan

Answer 4

i'm outraged besides. What they don't evaluate is the certainty there are literally thousands of persons interior the worldwide that play violent video games and don't commit crimes. basically factor you could blame is that the guy who dedicated the crime no remember if or not that they had a psychological ailment or not. terrible crimes exceeded off till now and video games the two did not exist then or had no impact in any respect. @ Victor Are you intense? no remember how sensible a sport is the innovations can nevertheless distinguish between genuine existence and delusion. How could desire to it not? you're sitting in front of a television demonstrate screen with a controller on your hand and yet you're saying it may desire to impact genuine worldwide violence? in simple terms supply up please.

Answer 5

I dont think virtual violence makes people violent or causes them to commit crimes but I do think it numbs them to alot of it. Things that people should be shocked by are brushed off now a days and thats a result of all the stimuli they're receiving at such a young age.

Answer 6

I think it only influences young children and adults not in their right mind, I have seen lots of virtual violence, violence on films and TV but I am not tempted to repeat it.

Answer 7

I suppose it can desensitise children to violence, but look on the bright side; they will all be fat, couch potato social retards with an aversion to bright light and a snack food weakness. Although their grip will be strong, their flabby corpulent bodies will collapse under the strain of breathing fresh air. They will have great hand eye coordination but a stunted and withered intellect and imagination. Easy Meat for us thinkers! Heh heh

Answer 8

Video games, movies, music have little to do with the way we act. The problem is with the parenting. People today do not want to take the time and energy to raise their kids, teach them right from wrong and how to be a proper gentleman or lady.

They instead us TV, video games and toys as a babysitter.

People are the problem, not the tools and gadgets around us.

Answer 9

Nope - there is no connection. It's liberating for people to take stuff out in the fantasy world that they know is wrong/illegal in the real world.

A very few (pyschos) are the exception... but without video games the politically correct crowd would be blaming comic books or horror books for their crimes.

Answer 10

or does the violence we see on the news like the wars in the middle east or is it the fear the media instills on us?