Violent Video Games!

[Mentor]

Oh the examples don't stop there, but I see what you're getting at. The fact remains these people still committed acts of violence inspired by video games. The other details are irrelevant. Those examples dispel the statement "no one is inspired to hurt someone because of a video game" because they HAVE. That's all I'm saying. I'm on the same side as you in the overall debate.

Okay, I think I follow now. You seem to be arguing against the position of the joke I posted rather than the position I'm actually taking. I only posted the joke as it was amusing & is a great example of the kind of Hyperbole when it comes to issues like this - It was meant to be absurd.

The question I'm debating is essentially "Do violent video-games cause violent behaviour". I do not believe that it does.

Yes, if a murderous killer sees grand theft auto and then decides to act it out, that is indeed them being inspired by a video game. This does not then go on to imply that the violent video game made them in to a murderous killer to begin with or that the video game caused them to take a life or commit an act of violence that they would not have otherwise.

You must be one of those people who selectively reply to posts. You try to counteract it with "all 4 of those people would have eventually committed crimes regardless of whether video games exist" and I think the same, if you go back and read my last post "I personally think the people that do these things because of what they play in games must be mentally disturbed already", but the fact remains that video games did have an affect on how these people killed.

Indeed, but as above, the position I'm taking is that "Violent video games do not cause people to become violent.", whether or not people want to be inspired by them or credit them is irrelevant to that position. I also don't concede that your average murderer would never have come up with the idea of murdering someone were it not for them seeing GTA/another game. On this basis i also reject the notion that you can claim with any degree of certainty that the games necessarily even effected what crimes they committed or how they killed there victims. Its not as if GTA invented some totally new unheard of way to kill someone, GTA took inspiration to real life, far more so than real life has taken inspiration from it.

Plus I'm aware we agree on the main issue, I just think the issue we are actually debating is more interesting than the originally stated one

[-:Undertaker:-]

The concept that video games cause people to harm/murder others is ridiculous, it's no more true than the idea that having guns legal causes death or harm.

As the famous phrase goes, guns don't kill people - people kill people. Apply it to this topic, video games don't kill people - people kill people.

[Judas]

Okay, I think I follow now. You seem to be arguing against the position of the joke I posted rather than the position I'm actually taking. I only posted the joke as it was amusing & is a great example of the kind of Hyperbole when it comes to issues like this - It was meant to be absurd.

The question I'm debating is essentially "Do violent video-games cause violent behaviour". I do not believe that it does.

Yes, if a murderous killer sees grand theft auto and then decides to act it out, that is indeed them being inspired by a video game. This does not then go on to imply that the violent video game made them in to a murderous killer to begin with or that the video game caused them to take a life or commit an act of violence that they would not have otherwise.

No I don't think the game makes people into something like that, this is what I've been saying all along. Just that it does play a part in influencing certain murders. We agree on that, then.

Indeed, but as above, the position I'm taking is that "Violent video games do not cause people to become violent.", whether or not people want to be inspired by them or credit them is irrelevant to that position. I also don't concede that your average murderer would never have come up with the idea of murdering someone were it not for them seeing GTA/another game. On this basis i also reject the notion that you can claim with any degree of certainty that the games necessarily even effected what crimes they committed or how they killed there victims. Its not as if GTA invented some totally new unheard of way to kill someone, GTA took inspiration to real life, far more so than real life has taken inspiration from it.

Plus I'm aware we agree on the main issue, I just think the issue we are actually debating is more interesting than the originally stated one

Reject any notions you want but the games obviously played some part if these murderers are imitating what they've done on their PS3 in real life and citing it as where they got the idea from. What they may have done if they didn't play the game doesn't matter and no one could say anything about that 100% for sure. I just think in certain instances these violent games act as a motive or some kind of trigger. But at the end of the day, murderers will murder, video games or not.

[Charz777]

I remember it being a big deal when I was about 14 because I wanted GTA 3, and my mum didn't like the fact that it was an 18. I think I was allowed it after my elder sister okay-ed it to my parents, can't really remember.

Personally, now, I don't like games with guns or violence. My boyfriends brothers are 13 and 17 and both play 18 rated games full or blood and gore (and I'm not the slightest bit squeamish) I just dislike the games. I think with all the high graphics making it realistic isn't good for kids :/ But saying that these two kids are probably the nicest kids you'd ever meet so people can say violent games 'influence' kids but I say some kids just like to play the games

I think there is an age rating for a reason, and parents should be more aware. As a teenager I'd seen 15/18 movies etc before I was of that age and most of the time parents don't know. So, more attention and caution is needed I think.