Violent Games Cause Violent Thoughts

[GameBanshee News]

It is that "studies prove it" time of the year again, as once again violent games are shown to cause violent thoughts. Shame on you, non-sentient object, for causing me to do stuff even though I am sentient and you are not.

Researchers this time claimed that games about violence increase aggressive thoughts and desensitise you to real-life violence.

The argument is fairly simple. Clever people (who went to university to learn this, remember) used brain scans to prove that a game about violence - presumably something like a gory shooter - causes more arousal than a non-violent game - presumably something like a role-playing or adventure game.

Which is quite true, unless it's a lesbian alien sex scene.

"Exposure to violent video games, even E rated video games, increases aggressive thoughts, increases pro-social behaviour and increases general arousal," Dr. Greg Snyder told KETV7.

[DesR85]

But will anybody be prone to perform them? Very unlikely, unless if the individual lack any form of self-control.

[fable]

The old cry. The truth: a society that promulgates *anything* pretty much universally is going to see those traits or beliefs show up in its people. And violence isn't found alone in games, but in the television, movies, and even on radio, in the form of hate call-in shows that never would have been tolerated 25 years ago.

But nobody will say that the problem is owned by an entire culture, because that doesn't allow for instant scapegoating, does it?

[Siberys]

Yeesh, this again?

I love how all of these two bit research articles have about as much merit and social commentary for their evidence as the Lipozene weight pill commercials.

"Researchers claim," yeah don't care what they claim. First instinct, who are these researchers, what are their credentials, and how do I know they are impartial?

[Claudius]

Even if they are impartial as long as they ran their study exactingly the results speak for themselves. So its the study that matters and you have to read exactly how the study was conducted.

Of course there is no such thing as proof though in any study set up. The study only suggests a possibility. And a community accepts an idea based on how widely the phenomenon is predicted by various studies and models I guess.

There is not proof that smoking causes lung cancer. Rather there is a high statistical correlation. And a proposed mechanism(s). At least thats what my biology TA once said and he sounded serious as that was what he decided.

[Siberys]

Originally Posted by Claudius

There is not proof that smoking causes lung cancer. Rather there is a high statistical correlation. And a proposed mechanism(s). At least thats what my biology TA once said and he sounded serious as that was what he decided.

Umm...yes there is. Doctors have used MRI machines on patients to document the changes from a starting smoker and someone who's dying of lung cancer and happens to be a smoker, and found a direct relationship to that. Granted, it's not saying smoking WILL cause lung cancer, but it MAY cause lung cancer, which is why the surgeon generals warning was printed on the side.

[Brother None]

You guys talk so angrily.

Must be all the games.

[Kipi]

After doing some searching through the links provided in the article, I found this site. It seems that the person of that site is linked to the research. And it seems he is on some kind of holy war against violent games

Some of the article found from that site are actually quite funny

[Loki[D.d.G]]

Originally Posted by Brother None

You guys talk so angrily.

Must be all the games.

That was so cynical it wasn't even funny.