Msnbc distorts video games!

JammerJammer Join Date: 2002-06-03 Member: 728Members, Constellation
<div class="IPBDescription">... again ...</div><a href="http://www.msnbc.com/news/798496.asp?pne=msn" target="_blank">MSNBC Lies!</a>

Thanks to the fine, balanced minds at MSNBC, I now know that even though the average game player is 28, violent video games are still corrupting America's fragile youth.

Comments

  • VoberVober Join Date: 2002-03-27 Member: 356Members
    Heh, Violence in video games has been known to cause violence with some people who are mentally off, not retarded, just some chemical balence is off. However those people can be thrown off by many things, and I am going to have to say Movies have people that look like they really get shot, corpuses litter the grounds and blood pures out, But people attack video games.

    Human have the unique ablility to tell what is real and what is fake.  We know when we are dreaming, we know that movies are made by actors, but some people(MSNBC) seem to think we cannot tell when a video game is fake.

    I only read the intro, they were attacking GTA3, and you can only by that game if you are over what is it 17, 18? Point is the only way a small child(one of the few types of people possible affected by the violence) can get this is if their parents get it. MSNBC should blame parents, not gamemakers or gamers, but honestly try and remember, any one in their teens have no clue, the scum of society, and without us the world would have no violence, and no problems at all.
  • DeathWishDeathWish Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1211Members
    I don't see why people keep thinking that violent games corrupt everyone's minds - they don't. The games look nothing like real life, which makes them very unrealistic - a break from reality, if you will. There is no evidence (AFAIK) that definately says violent games corrupt our minds and make us go out killing people.

    As long as parents are responsible as to what they actually let their children play (letting a 7-year-old play GTA3 is out of the question IMO) then noone will get hurt or 'corrupted' - it's whether the parents are responsible that tilts the balance.

    Edit: It appears that Vober and I were on the same trains of thought when we wrote our replies regarding parents <!--emo&:)--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'><!--endemo-->
  • sharpsword6sharpsword6 Join Date: 2002-08-15 Member: 1166Members
    sometimes violence in games may cause people to do dum things that doesnt mean that it always does that im with vober and deathwish what kind of parents would let there kids play games(little kids) that you shoot peoples heads off, its the parents disecion of what they want there kids to play, otherwise if your older your parents know your mature so they will trust you, but sometimes it corupts with real life. I think a parent would have to be crazy to buy a little kid like(6 or 7) years of age a killing game when you run around shooting people to death. Also violence games like ns and half-life when there are like creatures and stuff thats no where near getting close to realistic there trying to make the game fun for the players in real life there is no creatures like in some of the violent gmes we play, but if the parents decide to let the kid play it, thats there problem.
  • RobRob Unknown Enemy Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 25Members, NS1 Playtester
    Heh- Chalk it up to the persuasive essay.

    The thing about life is that there are always people who believe that there is a reason for everything.  That something caused the behavior in others.

    Today's pick happens to be our beloved video games.  "It's someone's fault, but it's not mine.  Has to be the [Insert Industry Here]"

    They'll attack until they realize our will cannot be broken, or until something more juicy comes along.  It is intresting however.  I'm sure the number of kids who die from cancer related smoking, and/or, binge drinking/drunk driving incidents FAR outnumber those number killed by ruthless teens who have been "altered by the game".

    But remember: that guy's just expressing his opinion.  He wrote a persuasive piece (a damn good one at that) ment to bring others to his piont of view.  He did not have to, nor would it have been wise to include examples of all games currently on the market and in play.



    <!--EDIT|rob6264|Aug. 24 2002,06:52-->
  • Sgt_XSgt_X Join Date: 2002-03-01 Member: 261Members
    I so want to send a fire ship over to them, their article basicly bashed one game (GTA 3) and then said all games are like this, with a few vague refrences to games I've barley even heard about. I don't suppose I can write an article saying badly researched articles influence people to make bad decisions can I? See I don't have funding to get some (probably croked) scientists to give me some statictics. I hate or society sometimes.
  • DOOManiacDOOManiac Worst. Critic. Ever. Join Date: 2002-04-17 Member: 462Members, NS1 Playtester
    I think that someone who's name is Kimothy Wilson Jr. and the only nickname they can come up with is KJ then they have some entirely different mental issues already!

    hehe j/k :P
  • BiomechanoidBiomechanoid Join Date: 2002-02-12 Member: 203Members
    Ahhh yes. at first it was teh comic book industry, then movies, now video games.

    It is a very blunt attack on GTA3, and does little to show facts witho nly vague references to research done by an institution that normally does not conduct psychological studies.

    There have been many other research programs aimed at the influences of violence in young peoples, and (I'll have to go back to my violence and society classes' notes if you want specific references) I believe that the # cause for violence among the youth of america is violence in the household- verbal or physical (this is also linked to the causes of experimental/escapism drug use BTW). second largest cause for violence in youths was physical or verbal violence outside of the household, being victim of a crime/experiencing a traumatic event was third, and I can't remember the rest of the order exactly, but... I do recall media influences (written, televised, or interactive) being towards the bottom of the list.

    although, I must admit it was a good opinion column- used obscure, but true, refrences to make their point, even if most of their sources were from a very small minority.

    now gimmie my colt... I'm gonna go kill some pedestrians. <!--emo&:p--><img src="http://www.natural-selection.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':p'><!--endemo-->
  • LegionnairedLegionnaired Join Date: 2002-04-30 Member: 552Members, Constellation
    Having an english teacher who was ###### at TV journalism, and got on rants about the topic finally pays off.

    You know why video games are such an easy target when there's an act of violence?

    Well, firstly, to the 40 year old mother who watches teh reports, except in a very limited number of cases, she doesn't know a thing about video games. All she knows is that Timmy, her son, plays Half-Life.

    So she sees him aiming for heads, she sees the blood, and immediately assumes the game's gonna make her precious little timmy violent.

    It's something she can't relate to, which is the reason that they don't blame the things on mental disorders, drugs or bad parents.

    No-one knows anyone with a mental problem, few people know someone with a drug problem, and no media station in the world is gonna accuse it's listeners of wrongdoing.

    But EVERYBODY knows a gamer! EVERYBODY can see bloody Computer games, but the target audience doesn't understand em!

    [/flame mode off]
  • DunsbyDunsby Join Date: 2002-08-01 Member: 1042Awaiting Authorization
    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->The yellow sphere with the slanted pie-hole that gobbled up pellets back in the ’80s probably would get carjacked and beaten to a yellow wad of pulp.
    <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    PACMAN IS THE BEST - DONT KILL HIM.. NOOOOOO
  • MrPinkMrPink Join Date: 2002-05-28 Member: 678Members
    <!--QuoteBegin--></span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td><b>Quote</b> </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><!--QuoteEBegin-->The ESRB gave a T (teen) rating, the equivalent of a movie rating of PG-13, to Hypnotix’s game that allows players to choose among strippers, bikers and ex-cons for a round of “Outlaw Golf.” Once on the green, if a shot is botched, players can beat up their caddies, bringing their score back to par. If a player is partnered with a female caddie, he can grab her breasts and yank her nipples while saying “tune in, Tokyo.”<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><span id='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    hahaha, i wish i had that game
  • DruBoDruBo Back In Beige Join Date: 2002-02-06 Member: 172Members, NS1 Playtester
    And here's a shout-out to the last time MSNBC did that. I apologize for the foul language in this comic.
    <img src="http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2001/20010914l.gif" border="0">
  • HBNayrHBNayr Join Date: 2002-07-13 Member: 930Members
    I kind of liked the article.  The author wasn't necessarily taking a side, just pointing out that there are a lot of violent video games out there, and they are getting more violent.  There's not a whole lot of doubt about that.  Running over virtual people is fun, and so on.  But a lot of parents don't know that these are the games their kid may be playing.  As the article stated, Best Buy has no policy on not selling M-rated games to minors.  Naught, naughty Best Buy.  And according to a recent study, kids could still buy M-rated games 85% of the time.  To some parents, games can be a baby-sitter.  It shouldn't be this way.  I hope to have the time to play games with my kids, and know what games they're playing, but not everyone feels this way.  My 10-year-old brother's best friend bought GTA3 on his own, and his parents don't know about it.  I didn't even know about it, until he was telling me about it.  I told him I didn't think he should be playing that game right now, and he seemed to accept it.  Or just agreed to placate me.

    OK, I'm kind of jumpy and random in this post, but I think you get the idea.  You may not agree with the author, and we can certainly agree taht he look at a very small niche of video games, but that niche is growing, and I wouldn't want to see minors sucked in.

    -Ryan!


    I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.
    -- Woody Allen


    Edit: Penny Arcade was waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off when they made that comic.  The article they mocked was very well written.  The author drew no conclusions, merely stated that he went to his local software shop, bought three flight simulators promoting realism, and in all three could "realistically" fly a 737 into the WTC consistently.  He merely implied that they ultra-realism flight sims seems to aim for could possibly have helped someone, somewhere, learn to fly a 737 decently.  I would link the article if I knew where it is, but MSNBC moves stuff so often...
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