200°

Chilling truth about the video games your children got for Christmas

Scenes include women tied to train tracks and a man's kneecaps drilled

One five-year-old was bought Grand Theft Auto to bond with his father
Another child spent two days in his bedroom playing 11-plus reward game

Study found violent games can make 12 to 14 year olds more aggressive
13-year-old boy in Glasgow slashed a rival's throat before quoting a game

Read Full Story >>
dailymail.co.uk
Axonometri3767d ago

It is never the games fault. Ever. Study all you want. Blame all you want. Games do not kill people. Games do not make people kill people.

NicSage3766d ago

Games do not kill people.

I do think games enhance underlying issues with said human being.

Could be anger or anxiety, frustration, depression. Whatever the issue I truly feel games, music, movies being out issues & most people can deal with the issues that arise, others are not as stable and they lash out in the unstable state they are in.

ziggurcat3766d ago

No, the issue is the irresponsible parent buying an adult video game for their child.

thorstein3766d ago

@Zigg Exactly. I love how the article leaves out all the peer reviewed scientific research that shows violent gaming and media DO NOT make people more violent.

darthv723766d ago

The influence of the various mediums is dependent on the willingness of the individuals mind. A person can be smart and know the difference between right and wrong.

there are weak minded individuals who are more prone to letting these outside influences dictate their actions as opposed to using their own natural response. Then there are those who are smart enough to know when something isnt meant to be taken in literal but more figurative response.

Music, movies, tv...games are being used more and more as placeholders for the youth instead of real social interaction. Now even in a real social environment there can be the influence of others that try to sway a persons view or belief but again it is really up to the willingness of that individual if those influences take hold.

i see gaming as a way to escape the events of the day. unwind with a game or two regardless of the content of the game, i know full well that it is just another form of entertainment. i may get upset that i keep losing or i will get excited because i finally beat a level i kept losing at. either way gaming has greatly improved my eye to hand coordination as well as dexterity and problem solving skills.

In life there is no game genie to cheat but you can sure use one in a game.

LeCreuset3766d ago

@thorstein

Not only that, but the article is very questionable in the way it presents the studies it referenced.

1) There are no links to the studies.

2) #1 could be forgiven had they actually included the names of the studies so that the information could be independently analyzed by readers. Telling readers that research, or a study, was done by a university, or appeared in a journal, is not very helpful, considering that universities do a lot of research and journals publish a lot of studies.

3) There is a difference between "aggression" and "violence." Playing air hockey increases my aggression, or as we are used to saying, it makes me more "competitive." Most games are competitive, whether you are competing against another player or against the game itself. Of course a competitive endeavor will increase aggression. That's a far way off from linking video games to VIOLENCE as this article attempts to do.

saber000053766d ago

It's the parents responsibility to say NO to their child if they want an M rated game.

Edsword3766d ago (Edited 3766d ago )

There are two types of parents, those who want the government and society to regulate their children's morality and those who take the responsibility to do it themselves. Why in the world you would play GTA games with children is beyond me. Parents need to be parents. Anyway, kids left to society and the government typically don't turn out as well as those who have parents that actually give a damn about them.

joab7773766d ago

What parents are buying kids as young as 5 gta5 and payday 2? That isn't the games fault...its the parents. I doubt they bought them Eyes Wide Shut and the Sopranos to watch.

MajorLazer3766d ago

If you cannot do your job as parents, don't blame it on someone/something else

boneso823766d ago (Edited 3766d ago )

This article is written by a retard with an agenda!

"Yet nine out of ten video games like these are bought for children by parents."

9 out of 10, really? So only 10% of video games are bought by video gamers for themselves? What a pile of horseshit!

This sort of article makes me much angrier than any video game ever could, disgraceful, uninformed and filled with naivety and hate. Makes me sick.

nveenio3765d ago

Shortly before Christmas, my older sister asked me if Call of Duty Ghosts had parental controls. I said, "Yeah, the parent controls whether or not they put it in their child's hands."

I don't think video games make anyone violent, but they can—like anything else in the world—feed mental instability.

If you ask me, people blame video games because they don't want to blame parents and bullying.

Salooh3765d ago

I have been playing violence ..etc games since i was 8. Why didn't they effect me ?. Because my parents teach me the purpose of life. I recognise what's good and what's bad , in this case reality and fiction . Nothing can effect me if i have standards. A lot of people don't have standards so they don't teach their children's that.

It's also not a good thing to let your children play adult games . Or at least before you teach them that. When you see your child get smart then let him explore life but always remind them with their standard. Some things must be forbidden to them though because even adults sometimes can't handle it like nudity..etc

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 3765d ago
ElementX3766d ago

I believe conditioning could play a factor in violence. Whether somebody is abused, hangs out with the wrong crowd, or acts out violence in a game could be an issue. I'm not saying there's an excuse, however there are many factors in behavioral development.

SilentNegotiator3766d ago

These studies are always crappy. Many of them forget things as simple as a control.

One I remember reading about had people play violent games and non-violent games and then tested to see how they would solve fictional problems. And surprise, surprise; the people that had just played the violent games had more frequently violent solutions to the entirely fictional story that affects nothing in real life. And of course, they decided that transferred to real life aggression.

static52453766d ago

I've been playing violent games and watching violent movies even with nudity as far back as i can remember (thanks to my older cousins)and I'm not a murderous psychopath or even shows any true aggression. But my parents knew i enjoyed being scared and in return they knew I could handle violence.

These games need to be regulated by the parents. I don't think any 5 yr old should be playing video games in this day and age unless it's Dora the explore or something. Where's riding bikes? Playing ball? Go outside. Parents are too lazy. Stick them in front of the TV and walk away but as soon as something happens they point the finger to the ones showing the content.

And there's a big difference between 80's kids, 90's kids and 2000's kids. Parents are overly protective and expect TV, Games, and the internet to deal with the kids. It's sad really

3-4-53766d ago

If playing games made people kill people, when why didn't 600 million gamers go out and shoot somebody the other day?

Exactly. You can't prove against that.

Case closed.

Wouldn't even fly in court.

v6volume3766d ago

I guess Super Mario made all the 80s babies to bounce around for coins....well looking at the strip clubs/twerking videos..I guess that's pretty accurate

ZombieKiller3766d ago (Edited 3766d ago )

WOW! How about we change that title to
"Chilling truth about the video games YOU GOT your children for Christmas"

Since when is it the games fault?!

Oh wait...apparently it's always been....and we wonder why.... SMFH

I wish these parents would monitor their kids. In the worst way....but only because then I won't have to listen to their dumbasses spitting out curse words they don't even know the meaning of.

JsonHenry3765d ago

If you are prone to violence or someone who has a hard time separating reality from fiction you're a walking time bomb anyway.

Playing video games, listening to music, watching TV, or even reading books does not make you do anything.

Just think of the BILLIONS of people that do one or all of the things above and then look at the actual number of rapes, murder, and violence in general.

Yeah, its a very small percentage of the population.

100% of violent people also take a crap and breathe oxygen. Should we ban those?

Evilsnuggle3765d ago (Edited 3765d ago )

I have been in gamestop so many times and have seen parents of young children 12 and under buying GTA 5. I have seen many times children asking for extreme mature games with there parents standing next to them. The gamestop I go to never tells the parents the game's are for adults . But have been in other gamestop and they have warned parents of content in Mature games but it's the parents responsibility to know what their kids are playing.

ZombieKiller3765d ago (Edited 3765d ago )

My Gamestop warns the parents but the parents always look at the kid like "You swindled me into another one" look. Then okay's the transaction.

That tells me right there the kids get what they want when they want. If not, a few tears and raising your voice should do the trick.

Mission Accomplished....

It's the idiot parents that spoil their kids, let them F-up majorly, then blame something like this as the culprit because god forbid their lil' baby messes up....

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 3765d ago
stuna13766d ago

The fact of the matter is, there will always be someone out there lobbying against something whether it's one day found to be good for you, and the next day found to be bad for you.

Parents have a responsibility to their children to moderate every aspect of their growth, whether it be physically, mentally, or spiritually. Parenting is a learned action! One does not automatically become a good parent, it's a learned experience! Anyone saying otherwise is lying, not only to themselves, but anyone who is willing to agree, but in the same instance it is the parents responsibility to use good judgement when it comes to raising and nurturing their offspring, relying on past experiences to act like a compass of sorts to ensure that their children don't repeat past mistakes that their parents may have made.

Anything done in excess can be bad for any individual, that why moderation and wisdom are key elements in raising children, but communication is always a element that needs to be included in every situation. Communicating the difference of Right from Wrong can go a long way in making informed intelligent decisions.

OtakuDome3766d ago (Edited 3766d ago )

I love how parents and media blame the games. Look morons the rating system is in place and PLAIN SIGHT for a reason. So idiotic that this "video game violence" business is still in the news when it comes to kids who are underage. It's your job to censor your child from this, if you don't pay attention to ratings, then it's your fault I know no one wants to say "I'm a bad parent", but don't go looking for a scapegoat for yourself either.

Whitefox7893766d ago

Indeed, once the parent ignores the ESRB, PEGI, CERO, rating then he/she deems the material to be viewable to their child.

Contrary to most popular belief video games are not strictly for children considering the median age of players is from the their early 20's to their mid 30's.

3766d ago
tanookisuit3766d ago

I've seen many parents (mostly moms) go into EB Games, and just grab a M-rated game off the shelf for their kid(s).

They don't even bother looking at the description(s) on the back, let a lone the M-rating logo in the front. That, or they chose to be completely stupid about it.

OtakuDome3766d ago

Exactly, it's usually the same crap. The kid tells the parent what they want, then they buy it. They're responsible for doing the prerequisite work on the game, such as ratings research and what not. Obviously the kid won't be honest about what the game contains.

SilentNegotiator3766d ago

The article should be "The irresponsible purchase you made for your child for Christmas"

saber000053766d ago

Amen to that SilentNegotiator!

ErryK3766d ago

I'd like to call out these people who blame games when it is not the game's fault, it is the person who is buying the game. It is their own responsibility to account of how they are raising their children or themselves.

Blaming the game is like blaming the calculator.

Whitefox7893766d ago

Lets throw a nice quote from Rockstar,

"If you're a parent and buy one of our games for your child you're a terrible parent. We design games for adults because we're adults. There's a lot of kids games out there that we're not interested in playing. Just like you enjoy watching movies and TV shows with adult themes and language and violence that's the kind of thing we seek to produce."

The material they produce is not their fault, the fact their games are popular is not their fault, so the fault in the end lies with the parents for not being their to explain what their children are viewing and to help differentiate from fantasy and reality.

HarryMasonHerpderp3766d ago

Daily Mail again.....
Just ignore and move on.

donwel3765d ago

I was thinking the same thing.
How anyone still takes anything written by the Daily Mail as fact is beyond me. Actually, how it's still in print is beyond me.

Show all comments (79)
90°

Comedy Central New Animated Series Based on Golden Axe

Get the scoop on Comedy Central's exciting new cartoon show inspired by the iconic Golden Axe video game

Read Full Story >>
retronews.com
Knightofelemia1d ago (Edited 1d ago )

Golden Axe is a great game I enjoyed it on the SMS, Genesis and in the arcade. Great game but it truly was a quarter eater back in the day. I wish Sega could get the rights to the arcade port of Moonwalker another great arcade game I enjoyed. Collect so many monkeys and become Robo Michael lol.

70°

The Best PS2 Games of All Time [2024 Edition]

GB: "With this feature, we will be taking a look at 15 of the best games from the PlayStation 2's vast library."

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
70°

Exclusive Monster Hunter 20th Anniversary Event with Themed Stays

Toyohashi, Japan is set to host a large-scale Monster Hunter event to celebrate the franchise's 20th anniversary, complete with themed hotel accommodations.

Read Full Story >>
retronews.com