Are Violence And Games Linked?

This has been an ongoing debate ever since Mortal Kombat hit the gaming scene back in the 90s. Since then there have been school shootings where video games were targeted as the cause and countless studies that claim there is some link between video games and violence. So what is the link if any? We at Pixel Judge are trying to find an answer.

[Sarobi]

brb, gonna go commit a crime and blame it on video games.

[thorstein]

Exactly. Once again, there is no debate. The earth is not flat, it is spherical. If violent video games created violent individuals then murders all over the world would have increased over the past decade. They did not. Not even in the USA, in fact, they have decreased in the USA.

[Larry L]

And even contrary to what this author states, this "debate" (more like typical left wing Nazi-ism, sometimes even coming from right wingers.....more proof that behind closed doors both sides have the same agenda) started long before even Mortal Kombat/Doom days. I remember when they were trying to say the same exact thing basically about Dungeons and Dragons. These people were really arguing that D&D was making us Satan worshipers and murderers sacrificing children to our secret Moon Gods in the woods.

They then moved on to Heavy Metal, but when Dee Snider made these politicians looks like complete morons they kept their fool mouths shut for a few years until they once again could use gamers as scapegoats to blame for humanity's failings.

These are the same losers who are going after guns now....again instead of actually trying to making society better they just try and take away rights and fun. And the gun nuts who are all defensive now are in turn being even bigger losers and saying "no, guns aren't the problem, video games are."

It's rediculous. IMO people in general were more violent before video games existed as an outlet for many. And if you look into the rates nationwide of violent crime over the decades, you'll see it's actually gone down at almost exactly the same rate as violent video games have released.

And look over the world.....the most violent societies across the globe, are societies that don't have access to video games, or it's very limited in that part of the world. Do you reckon more Arabs blow themselves up that hailed from the moutains in Pakistan or Abu Dahbi? I would almost bet there's never been a single terrorist from Abu Dahbi.

These are the same government lowlives btw that drop bombs on people overseas....which I'm not critiqueing......what I'm saying is these people trying to take away my rights to play any game I damn well please need to look in the mirror and ask exactly who the violent ones are. Because all the people I know who grew up playing D&D and video games from the 70's through now.......havn't dropped any bombs on anyone or accidentally killed any civilians in doing so. The only ones that have were ordered to do so by THE GOVERNMENT.

I guess it's too hard to understand that some people are just psychopaths that want to kill people. Video games don't cause that. Name all the most violent episodes in human history, and they happened either LONG before video games were invented, or in a part of the world people don't have video games.

[slazer101]

I doubt video game have anything to do with it. When America is 5% of the worlds population with 50% of the guns the statistics are going to be higher no matter what. All I know is when the zombie apocalypse happens I want my 6 year old son with me because he is a zombie killing sumbitch. Lol

[Linsolv]

Note: There is no statistical correlation between guns per capita and murders per capita. Though there is a strong correlation between guns per capita and gun murders per murder (that is to say, when guns are readily available, pretty much nobody kills with some other implement)

On the other hand, there is a strong correlation between people living in poverty per capita and murders per capita. So...

[00]

one point in time people thought pinball machines made kids into ruffians.

[Big_Boss91]

more like hooligans

[Commandar_Shepard]

Video Games are just the current scapegoat. Rock Music was blamed before. TV as well. Even many books were blamed for everything. These people can't realize that they are at fault and instead of admitting that they are wrong they find something to blame it on.

Also, if over 100 million people play shooting games and 20 of these people go on a violent rampage, how large of a percent is that?

But then again we live in a world where Mass Effect has full frontal nudity and the iPhone 5S will "kill" the PS4 and Xbox 720. God I hate the media.

[thorstein]

If you read the newspaper articles from the era, you wouldn't be surprised to see some of the same ignorant ideas bandied about when Ulysses by James Joyce was going to be brought to the US. It was claimed that it could corrupt young adults that were old enough to read it.

[zerocrossing]

I'll say this, it is possible that certain individuals who are prone to violence, play violent games and can then move on to commit violent crimes in the real world.

Whether or not the violent games are a significant contributing factor in these particular instances of real world violence however, is still widely debatable.

But that's about as much as I care to comment on this tired old argument.

[thorstein]

It isn't debatable at all any more. The science has been done, and done well for 20+ years. The conclusion is that if one spends time with their children, they are less violent.

Games, movies, books, music etc etc etc have no impact.

[zerocrossing]

Nonsense, a child becoming violent has way to many factors and variables involved to claim it's entirely reliant on the parents involvement.

Bullying, learning disabilities/difficulties and stress at school can and does factor in greatly, scientific study is not 100% conclusive on this issue.

[Whitefox789]

My two cents on this subject is, video games can be linked to aggression, similar to how people can get aggressive in sports or being stuck in traffic.

Video games however absolutely do not hypnotize or brainwash an individual into committing violent crimes.

It's just as you said there is plenty of other factors that can be contributed to people committing these crimes one of them that's common is mental health status.

I will also agree with you on parents needing to be there for their children,if they are exposed to this content (in which is the reason ESRB exists in the first place) to explain the situation that is happening in front of them instead of A. Not caring or B. Letting a video game or TV be a parent for them.

[Hicken]

This.

There's a difference between aggression and violence.

Many, MANY things cause aggression. But it takes ACTING on your aggression to cause violence. And the video game can't act on your aggression; only you can do that. We all experience aggression FAR more often than we commit an act of violence; why isn't everything else being looked at under a microscope like gaming?

[snake_eater]

Yes.

After 15 years of playing videogames i've raped and killed countless of children, raped their moms, obliterated over 9000 schools, etc

Im pretty badass

[zerocrossing]

OVER 9000!!!!

[OneAboveAll]

Are violence and movies linked?
Are violence and fox news linked?
Are people just fucking crazy?

[isarai]

Every major study points to no, or inconclusive. Proof of otherwise has yet to be proven, so no

[clintagious650]

I learned how to be a boxer playing mike tyson's punch out. Well i got my azz kicked by my older brother & I think im going to sue mike tyson for false advertising making me feel like a i was the best boxer ever.

[MrDead]

If parents spent less time worrying about what their kids play and watch on TV and more time worrying about what’s going on in their kids’ lives the world would be a much better place.

Stan Marsh, South Park.

[contradictory]

for the last time: no.
it has been researched plenty of times
and the results are always the same
violent video games do not cause violent behavior

i know that there's also alot of talk about parents not giving a crap about age ratings with the games they buy for their kids.

when i was a kid i played violent video games
also all of my friends also played violent and non-violent video games and none of us have had violent behavior
hell, i readt Devilman which was seriously messed up
gorefest and i have not even once in my life punched anyone on purpose

if you are desperately trying to find scapegoat
then blame the markets that allow you to just purchase a fire arm if you just feel like it

when did we have a school shooting last?
since never.
we can't just buy a gun in a shop for fucks sake.

i have been talking alot about this lately
something about having protection...
if you need to purchase guns to protect yourself
VIDEO GAMES ARE LEAST OF YOUR FUCKING WORRIES!

ahh....sorry for everyone who had to read that shit
but i'm seriously pissed off that we still
STILL in year 2013 we still have to explain this to people
just like when Doom came out there was this kind of discussion...but the difference is
that this is not 1993
this is 2013

[_LarZen_]

After playing Forza Horizon can I jump in to my car and drive just like in the game?

NO...

Can I after hundreds of hours playing Fifa 2013 do tricks with the football and play like a pro?

NO...

Can I after playing a game like Call of Duty pick up a assault rifle and shoot like in the game?

NO...

Do games effect me? I sure hope so! The day they don't why continue to play? I play to be effected, I want my adrenalin pumping when playing Call of Duty or Forza Horizon.

I want to experience the feeling of downing a big boss in games like Guild Wars 2 or other mmorpg games.

Games DO effect us, and that is a good thing.

But games do NOT make people in to killers.

[thorstein]

I think you may be onto something with Forza though... I mean, since cars kill more people than guns, drugs, and leaping off of tall buildings combined...

;D

[zerocrossing]

I can't argue with that, well said sir.

[Whitefox789]

Very well said.

[mercury228]

Wow I wrote this article and am pleased to see some intelligent comments. We gamers are passionate are we not? I completely agree that video games are not the cause fo violence. One reason I wanted to write this article was to bring it out into the spotlight that gaming is not making people commit horrible crimes.

[born2live]

"Mental health should be the real topic of discussion because if a game can cause someone to murder children in their school they already had issues that were undealt with. In fact America’s mental health system is a failure in many ways."

I could not have said it better.

[ShaunCameron]

Yes they are. And this is yet another attempt by politicians liberals and conservatives alike (read: wimps and white knights) to throw men under the bus for brownie votes.

[Max-Zorin]

Only Jack Thompson thinks video games are linked to violence.

[skyrimer]

If videogames were the cause for all the school killings, it would happen everywhere, but it only happens 99% of the time in the US, and everyone around the world plays videogames, so it has to be something else.