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

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dailymail.co.uk
Axonometri4205d 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.

NicSage4204d 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.

ziggurcat4204d ago

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

thorstein4204d 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.

darthv724204d 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.

LeCreuset4204d 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.

saber000054204d ago

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

Edsword4204d ago (Edited 4204d 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.

joab7774204d 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.

MajorLazer4204d ago

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

boneso824204d ago (Edited 4204d 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.

nveenio4203d 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.

Salooh4203d 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 4203d ago
ElementX4204d 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.

SilentNegotiator4204d 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.

static52454204d 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

3-4-54204d 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.

v6volume4204d 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

ZombieKiller4204d ago (Edited 4204d 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.

JsonHenry4203d 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?

Evilsnuggle4203d ago (Edited 4203d 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.

ZombieKiller4203d ago (Edited 4203d 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 4203d ago
stuna14205d 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.

OtakuDome4204d ago (Edited 4204d 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.

Whitefox7894204d 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.

4204d ago
tanookisuit4204d 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.

OtakuDome4204d 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.

SilentNegotiator4204d ago

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

saber000054204d ago

Amen to that SilentNegotiator!

ErryK4204d 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.

Whitefox7894204d 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.

HarryMasonHerpderp4204d ago

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

donwel4203d 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)
290°

The Real Enemy of Gaming Isn’t DEI. It’s the CEO

From Horse Armor to Mass Layoffs: The Price of Greed in Gaming. Inside the decades-long war on game workers and the players who defend them.

Read Full Story >>
rushdownradio.net
jambola21d ago

maybe a real enemy is people who use terms like "the real enemy"
there can be more than 1 bad thing, t's not like a kids show with 1 big bad

senorfartcushion20d ago

This is very much a “dummy who volunteers themselves to the middle” comment.

The real enemy is a common phrase, people use it all the time.

Calm down.

jambola20d ago

i'm very calm
you seem very upset however

Notellin19d ago

You don't seem calm at all. Don't take this so seriously, you seem desperate responding to others defending your opinion that lacks any value or critical thought.

jambola19d ago

stop projecting
i'm not desperately dong anything, i'm tapping at keys on my keyboard bud

PapaBop19d ago

It's not like kids show with one bad guy? I present to you.. Bobby Kotick

ABizzel119d ago (Edited 19d ago )

DEI was never the problem and it was an ignorant take to begin with.

DEI is why games like Kena Bridge of Spirits, South of Midnight, and Ghost of Tsushima exist.

DEI is why we have a huge resurgence in Japanese, Chineses, and Korean developers producing games like Stellar Blade, Black Myth, and why Nintendo & Sony exist.

DEI is why more and more games have HUGE accessibility options with both Sony and MS fully behind this.

DEI was never a bad thing, the entire purpose of DEI is representation of all people, genders, disabilities, etc…

The problem was people used DEI as a default derogatory term to describe what they believed was forced representation, which allowed colorist, racist, sexist, misogynist, homophobic, and xenophobic fools to run away with the negative DEI narrative.

jambola19d ago

you don't get to decide other people's motivations
sorry to break it to you

ABizzel118d ago (Edited 18d ago )

To each their own, however, nothing you said invalidates why some people take offense to DEI incorrectly.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 18d ago
Sciurus_vulgaris21d ago

Executives seem to often have an obsession with perpetual revenue growth. There is always a finite amount of consumers for a product regardless of growth. Additionally, over investment is another serious issue in gaming.

Killer2020UK20d ago

The fact that they also rarely have any real expertise in game development compounds things. They'll look at what's been successful elsewhere, lack the knowledge to properly understand why they have been successful and then force a team to 'reproduce' their badly interpreted idea of that success.

We see it so often with sequels to games that were successful too. The team are left well alone, they have a break through hit and all of sudden the money men descend on the IP and completely railroad the dev team's ideas. Usually winds up being 'make the same game but MORE'

LoveSpuds19d ago

This is true throughout all of the corporate and public sector organisations to be honest. CEO's generally move amongst the corporate world without any need to have experience of a particular industry, they simply need to rely on their senior leadership credentials. A CEO of a retail giant will just as easily transition to a CEO role in the energy sector for example.

Not defending CEOs here to be clear, I think it's a huge part of the reason the western world is so fucked up. CEOs don't need to care about the sector they work in, in fact it's better if they don't care if they want to screw everyone to make profits.

GhostScholar20d ago

Companies don’t hire executives to break even. If the goal is breaking even then why start the company in the first place.

Soy20d ago

That's understood; it's getting record profits and expecting to always beat those record profits, and seeing anything less as a total failure. Then they lay people off and raise prices to reach those record profit levels again, just to sate shareholders. It's setting expectations way too high just to spike share prices, then inevitably falling short. It's feeling entitled to being more successful than everyone else. It's the CEOs doing all this to boost their own bonuses.

ABizzel119d ago

Growth benefits the company’s profits and therefore the company’s stock if publicly traded, which pleases the shareholders making them more and more rich, which is why Growth is always at the forefront of the vast majority of any publicly traded company.

More growth = More Money and the people at the top want all the money they can get. I can’t really blame them anyone would love to see their profits go from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, to multi-millions it’s almost like a gambling addiction.

But it also goes to show someone how morals can go out the window for a lot of these people, and how amazing some CEOs are when they catch this early and provide a balance solution that takes complete care of their employees across the board while keeping the business sustainable IE: Insomniac Games ALWAYS on the best places to work list. The rest of the industry could learn.

jambola21d ago

honestly, the "real" enemy of gaming, is ourselves
if nobody bought horse armor, shitty dlc would have died almost overnight
if we stood firm and nobody bought games from companies that were bad with layoffs, it would be solved
we're the idiots supporting awful business practices, we are the ones enouraging it

TiredGamer20d ago

I think the reality that we don't want to convince ourselves of is that without the rise of "horse armor" and DLC, game budgets would have essentially stagnated (smaller teams/smaller games), or game prices would have risen much more dramatically than they have. There was an incessant drive for bigger worlds, infinite detail, and hundreds of hours of "gameplay" over the last two decades, that while perhaps a natural evolution of things, needed a suitable funding stream to accomplish.

HyperMoused19d ago

What...CEOs make tens of millions and that doesnt include SLT etc etc...we now have multiple editions of games, in game currency, MT's, battle passes.....and what do we get..worse game than what was coming out 20 years ago....dont drink the cool aid, its this nickel and dime crap that is absolutely leading us to gaming destruction.

senorfartcushion20d ago

This is the worst possible answer to this conundrum. Blaming the masses is blaming the only people who are constantly “told” to buy.

Consumers are the only ones not to blame here. People make their own choices all the time. Disney movies are bombing and DEInis being blamed. Has that been enough to put Disney out of business? No and it never will.

Christopher20d ago

Disagree. Businesses are able to do what they do because people are bad consumers and don't think critically about purchases. Disney got away with doing shit stuff for years and it's just the last year where people got tired of it. It's not like it didn't work for 5 years or so for Disney to do the things they've done. They'll just move onto another way to get people to see movies and it will be just as bad but more profitable until people wake up and realize it.

TiredGamer20d ago

Consumerism drives business behavior. It's not so much "blaming" as it is observing behavior. The point I'm making is that the direction that games have gone are driven by the spending. Consumers are spending on DLC and they are driving the expectation of more glitz and padded out (lengthier) games. If they continue to pay, they will continue to drive that direction until a threshold is reached that forces a change in behavior.

senorfartcushion20d ago

Corporate advertising is the most powerful force on the planet.

This is N4G for god sake, every day there are arguments between people who are Team Xbox and Team PlayStation because they’ve been convinced that having an identity built on paying money to Sony and Microsoft matters more than having one as individual gamers who can play whatever they want.

And THEN we get to the corporate advertising part: to play whatever you want is to sink MORE into the advertising pits, making it so that you can more than one specific product.

jambola20d ago

ah you're right
they were told to buy it, it's clearly impossible to avoid that
if enough people stopped supporting, it would stop
disney not stopping would only be because enough people didn't stop

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 20d ago
victorMaje20d ago

Agreed. I’ve been saying for years, announce you won’t be buying the upcoming game because of the practices of the previous game, then you only have to stick to your guns once, see how quickly things change for the better.

We have to unite in what we shouldn’t purchase.

jambola20d ago

just imagine a world, fifa came out worse, nobody buys the next one until they see proof it's better and stick to it
or games being forced online for single player and nobody buys it
things would change so fast

HyperMoused19d ago

Just like scooby doo, you have shown us the real monsters are us

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 19d ago
Inverno20d ago

Greed and greedy people have and always will be the main issue for everything wrong in the world. Everything is a product to be exploited for monetary gain. Even when there are things that could help progress us along for the sake of making our lives easier that thing must be exploited for monetary gains. Anything that tells you otherwise is propaganda to make you complicit.

coolfool20d ago

I've never thought "DEI" (although the way most people use it doesn't match it's real definition) is the problem with games. Good games have continued to be good when they have a diverse cast, and likewise, bad games have continued to be bad. There isn't a credible example I've seen where a diverse cast has been the direct cause of a game being bad.

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70°

Why We Partnered With St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Matt Miller: "Every subscription to Game Informer now raises funds for St. Jude. We want you to know what that means."

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gameinformer.com
thorstein24d ago

I subscribed to this not knowing about how some of the proceeds go to St. Judes.

Really cool that some of the money goes there.

Even if people don't subscribe to the mag, it might bring people to the charity.

jznrpg24d ago

One of the main charities my wife and I donate to. They help a lot of children and being a parent of 5 children I can’t imagine what those parents go through. I’ll probably get a sub to GI because of St Jude and of course because I love video games.

80°

Dungeons and Dragons is About to Break a 6-Year Trend

Though Unearthed Arcana's content primarily consists of subclasses and spells, WOTC's latest UA drop is set to shake up Dungeons and Dragons' future.

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gamerant.com