Do (violent) video games contribute to (gun) violence?

[esmith]

First, this is just an opinion.
I assume that the OP is saying that the incidents of what is labeled as mass shootings make our culture a violent culture I disagree. We do not have a violent culture, in fact our culture, as a whole, is more like a flock of sheep, with the occasional rabid wolf appearing occasionally .
Putting that aside, If one thinks that violent video games could be a contributing factor in mass shootings, one would have to suspect that those in the military that have been in combat, where taking a life is not a game, would be more apt to be involved in these mass shooting, which facts prove out they don't.
I think that social media plays a major factor in mass shootings.

 

[Arnaud1221]

Does the mal contribute to the mal.

 

[PureX]

The short answer is clearly 'yes'. As evidenced by the fact that the military and police use video re-enactments very similar to common video games to train their recruits. And by the fact that mass shooters very often use similar videos that are available to the public to revel in their destructive fantasies and to learn how to be most effective at killing a lot of people quickly.

Most people do not respond to violent video games with violent actions. But we would be liars and fools to pretend that violent video games are not being used to help make those humans among us that are prone to violence, far more deadly.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Can someone tell me how mass shooter simulators are not bad for you? Especially for children

Children aren't supposed to be playing those as they're age restricted. They would need an adult to buy it for them.

Anyway, shooter games are good for increasing hand-eye coordination and some studies have shown various cognitive benefits.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I don’t know scientifically, but I am assuming that blasting your brain with ultra violent images everyday via video games is not good for the mental health. It just doesn’t make sense that it’s healthy, but of course, I’m pulling this outa my behind, I’m no researcher.

Yea, call of duty is fun, but why do I and most people find it fun? Have we desensitized the new generations to overt violence? We teach them it’s cool and fun. That’s the question I think.

For most healthy adults, there's little chance of playing video games causing harm. The issue is with the minority of people who have psychological issues, which the video games aren't the cause of.

And human societies used to be far more awash in violence than our modern societies. We had gory public executions for centuries (they would treat these events like a fair and bring the whole family for entertainment, too) and widespread war and conflicts, for example. There's also the fact that real violence and fictional violence are extremely different. I've seen plenty of real violent and gory videos. They have never ceased to disturb me. It's not the same as a video game at all, regardless of how realistic it is (which Call of Duty isn't, really; there's far more gory, realistic shooter games than that where the organs explode out of the enemies when they're blasted and other more realistic bullet effects).

 

[Quintessence]

Anyway, shooter games are good for increasing hand-eye coordination and some studies have shown various cognitive benefits.

Personally, I'd just hand the kid a coloring book and some colored pencils. Has the same benefits without the added baggage of glorifying and normalizing violence.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Personally, I'd just hand the kid a coloring book and some colored pencils. Has the same benefits without the added baggage.

No one said anything about kids, especially little kids. It can help older adults keep their mind sharp and also assist in rehabilitation for people recovering from damage to their motor and nervous functioning.

 

[Quintessence]

No one said anything about kids, especially little kids. It can help older adults keep their mind sharp and also insist in rehabilitation for people recovering from damage to their motor and nervous functioning.

Okay, I'd hand the older adult a coloring book and some colored pencils too.

 

[HonestJoe]

Yeah, I think popular culture is sometimes looking for a scapegoat and I don't get this vibe from the actual researchers and health professionals.

I agree, and as I said, the actual research is complicated, multifaceted and not entirely clear either way. The media and politicians generating selective headlines and slogans to appeal to people's emotions is where the scapegoating comes in.

In a clinical setting, say you're counseling someone on anger management or something.

Not my area of expertise but I think someone with an identified anger management issue is different to the general population. Drinking in moderation isn't seen as a general issue but it would be for an alcoholic. I could also see games being used as a safe environment to experience and lean to better handle the anger, I don't know.

 

[esmith]

The short answer is clearly 'yes'. As evidenced by the fact that the military and police use video re-enactments very similar to common video games to train their recruits. And by the fact that mass shooters very often use similar videos that are available to the public to revel in their destructive fantasies and to learn how to be most effective at killing a lot of people quickly.

Most people do not respond to violent video games with violent actions. But we would be liars and fools to pretend that violent video games are not being used to help make those humans among us that are prone to violence, far more deadly.

When you can come up with facts that support your claim, please present them. Until then all you are saying is your opinion.

 

[Kathryn]

I don't know.

Me either.

 

[PureX]

When you can come up with facts that support your claim, please present them. Until then all you are saying is your opinion.

If you’ll just blindly ignore logic and reason, you’ll blindly ignore any other facts you’re presented.

 

[esmith]

If you’ll just blindly ignore logic and reason, you’ll blindly ignore any other facts you’re presented.

What facts?

 

[PureX]

What facts?

The one's you are refusing to look up, and would refuse to accept even if you did.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

Below is a disturbing video of a video game mission from Call of Duty.

Spoiler: Mass shooter simulator

The mission objective is literally shoot up all the civilians in an airport. And I played this as a kid.

Whenever the question of if video games contribute to a culture of violence is brought up, all of the gamers simultaneously shout down the question.

The Uvalde parents seem to think there is a connection. They are suing the makers of Call of Duty over their perceived connection to inspiring the shooting.

Uvalde families sue Meta and Call of Duty maker on second anniversary of school attack

The families of a group of victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game Call of Duty and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting.

apnews.com

I wanted to ask your thoughts on the question. I think violent video games obviously desensitize people to overt violence. In games like Grand Theft Auto you can go on mass shooting sprees freely. It is made to be fun.

I think violent video games negatively contribute to a culture of violence.

GTA is one of my all time favorite game franchises.

I can tell you that I engaged in all the real-life mass shootings that I desired to engage in. That was exactly none.
"desensitize"? Seriously? By pixels on a screen? Even the best looking 4k video game doesn't look real enough to do that.

One of my buddies plays GTA, red dead, call of duty,.... all day every day. And he practically faints when he sees a real drop of blood from a paper cut.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

That’s what a lot of gamers say! But then they extrapolate their own experience and assume video games cannot inspire violence.

If you are going to go down that route saying "it can inspire violence", then you're going to open a can of worms... because then you get into a territory where literally everything "can" inspire violence.

Including the news report talking about how Trump almost got shot at a rally.

The question is not if it can.
The question is if there is statistical significance.
There doesn't seem to be at all.

 

[PureX]

"Inspiring violence" is not the immediate issue at hand. ENABLING violence, is. Particularly enabling gun violence in the form of mass killing.

But of course violence being depicted as an acceptable response to conflict with others has been a staple of American culture for a very long time. It's why we are one of the most violent nations on the planet. And why we kill each other in greater numbers, here, than nearly anywhere else on Earth. Of course those video games inspire violence. But so does nearly ever John Wayne movie ever made, and ever cop show we see on TV. We glorify unnecessary and excessive violence in our culture, constantly. And of course it "inspires (too many of) us" to resort to unnecessary and excessive violence much more readily.

 

[esmith]

The one's you are refusing to look up, and would refuse to accept even if you did.

In other words you don't have any.
There are pro's and con's to the issue how about you going to this website then reevaluate your opinion

Do Video Games Cause Violence? 9 Pros and Cons

Proponents say playing violent video games causes more aggression. Opponents say the games are a convenient scapegoat for real-life violence.

videogames.procon.org

In addition there are those that say they can cause agression but not violence:

Do Video Games Influence Violent Behavior? - Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center

... Read More

yvpc.sph.umich.edu

 

[wellwisher]

Below is a disturbing video of a video game mission from Call of Duty.

Spoiler: Mass shooter simulator

The mission objective is literally shoot up all the civilians in an airport. And I played this as a kid.

Whenever the question of if video games contribute to a culture of violence is brought up, all of the gamers simultaneously shout down the question.

The Uvalde parents seem to think there is a connection. They are suing the makers of Call of Duty over their perceived connection to inspiring the shooting.

Uvalde families sue Meta and Call of Duty maker on second anniversary of school attack

The families of a group of victims of the Uvalde school shooting have announced new lawsuits against Instagram parent company Meta Platforms, the maker of the video game Call of Duty and the gun company that made the assault rifle used in the shooting.

apnews.com

I wanted to ask your thoughts on the question. I think violent video games obviously desensitize people to overt violence. In games like Grand Theft Auto you can go on mass shooting sprees freely. It is made to be fun.

I think violent video games negatively contribute to a culture of violence.

If one is in touch with reality, you should be able to tell the difference between games and reality. The Political left may not be able to tell games from reality, due to the disinformation wing of the DNC, often peddling fantasy as reality. How many Lefties thought the Russian Collusion scam was real? Such as these may be confuse by video games, thinking they reality and assume one implies the other.

I play video games but not shooter games, mostly because I am not to good with all the controls, to be effective in the game. I don't mind watching someone who is good at the game. Playing games, are popular, can be like an outlet to release stress and build a sense of accomplishment.

If you are an emotional thinker, reality and games can push the same emotional buttons. It is all about conditioned triggers. A rational thinker is less vulnerable. Emotional thinkers can become a dangerous to everyone, since if it feels right, do it. There is no rational analysis to get a second internal opinion, ot help infer if this is the correct path forward.

 

[Father Heathen]

Many Asian and European countries have a big video game culture yet no issues with gun violence. It's just a lazy scapegoat. This debate has already been put to bed:

Violent video games found not to be associated with adolescent aggression | University of Oxford

Researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, have found no relationship between aggressive behaviour in teenagers and the amount of time spent playing violent video games.

www.ox.ac.uk

Playing video games doesn't lead to violent behaviour, study shows

Analysis of 28 global studies dating back to 2008 found a minuscule positive correlation

www.theguardian.com

Blame Game: Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence

Violent video games are often blamed for making people who play them aggressive or violent. What does the research actually say?

www.psychologytoday.com

Analysis: Why it’s time to stop blaming video games for real-world violence

"There is no evidence to support these claims that violent media and real-world violence are connected."

www.pbs.org