Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

gamesage.net

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

481–490 of 593 posts

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#481

Post by noobermin »

CC38 wrote: post #291
noobermin wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think violent depictions in media won't make people more violent then how can you then think that sexual depictions make people more sexual or not? People don't have violent encounters in life (or any even that could escalate into violence)? Really? Seems like you're making the OP's point, something is special about sex in your mind.

I think his point is that sex is a normal part of living whereas violence is generally not. For example, the last time I was in a real physical fight was in kindergarten. If I watch/play violent media, it can't affect the way I fight because I do not fight. Sex is something I might actually do though, so overexposure to twisted versions of it could actually color my real world experience. I still tend to think that m…

Once again, violence isn't a part of living? What world are you living in? Have you ever driven in traffic, seen someone arrested, paid your taxes?

Violence is a part of life. May be shooting a gun isn't a part of life but violence is definitely a part of everyday life.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#482

Post by jkrems »

afandian wrote: post #117

I'm one of those people who is entirely bemused by violent videogames and films (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be bemused by my pastimes too). I'm not trying to argue to stop anyone doing it, but I would really like to understand it better. Many video games are essentially simulators of things that we're prevented from doing in reality, because of the laws of nature or society. Whether that's dropping…

> And there's a never-ending push to make experiences more photorealistic, to make simulator even better. From that I can only conclude that people want to get as close to the experience of perfoming the prevented act as possible.

I don't think that's a natural conclusion. Video games are a form of entertainment (or art). They are pretty young. There's usually a period where an art form gets super into "realism" because it's still a challenge and a way to communicate "high production values".

Then pretty good realism becomes cheap and widely available - and the art form pivots to more expressive works that go beyond chasing "realism". So why are high budget games trying to get more photorealistic? Because it's currently an effective way to communicate "high quality work of entertainment, worth at least 60 bucks". It has little to do with the actual entertainment value.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#483

Post by yibg »

afandian wrote: post #117

I'm one of those people who is entirely bemused by violent videogames and films (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be bemused by my pastimes too). I'm not trying to argue to stop anyone doing it, but I would really like to understand it better. Many video games are essentially simulators of things that we're prevented from doing in reality, because of the laws of nature or society. Whether that's dropping…

I wonder about this too. There seems to be some inconsistencies with how society thinks about violence vs sex. Rape and murder are two of the most serious crimes, and both are punished severely; with murder more severely in most cases. But when movies or games depicts extreme violence, including murder, it’s seems as fairly normal and accepted. But when rape for example is depicted, it causes a lot of controversy.

Ultimately games and moves are fantasies. But for some reason living out some fantasies that would be very wrong in real life is ok, but others it’s not. I hesitate to even get into the really taboo subjects like for example pedophilia.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#484

Post by oceanplexian »

afandian wrote: post #117

I'm one of those people who is entirely bemused by violent videogames and films (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be bemused by my pastimes too). I'm not trying to argue to stop anyone doing it, but I would really like to understand it better. Many video games are essentially simulators of things that we're prevented from doing in reality, because of the laws of nature or society. Whether that's dropping…

>Chopping someone up is heavily frowned upon in real life, but perfectly acceptable to emulate in someone's living room.

The same reason people have been reading horror novels for hundreds of years? A good book and an imagination is a lot more realistic than a computer game, IMO. The reason society gives it a pass is partly because they are entertaining and partly because they are considered free speech, the latter being a fundamental human right.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#485

Post by gverrilla »

afandian wrote: post #117

I'm one of those people who is entirely bemused by violent videogames and films (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be bemused by my pastimes too). I'm not trying to argue to stop anyone doing it, but I would really like to understand it better. Many video games are essentially simulators of things that we're prevented from doing in reality, because of the laws of nature or society. Whether that's dropping…

you are taking playing for simulating, and that's not quite correct, as they are very distinctive. There's sim games of course, but they are games first and foremost, not sims. if you want to learn more about play, you should read one of the most interesting writings from 20th century: Homo Ludens, from Johan Huizinga. answering your question, when you ask why is something mainstream or not you should know it has to do with commerce. I should also add killing someone irl is nothing like killing someone at a videogame. It's all imagination play.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#486

Post by greggman3 »

honkycat wrote: post #218
afandian wrote: post #117

I'm one of those people who is entirely bemused by violent videogames and films (I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be bemused by my pastimes too). I'm not trying to argue to stop anyone doing it, but I would really like to understand it better. Many video games are essentially simulators of things that we're prevented from doing in reality, because of the laws of nature or society. Whether that's dropping…

Honestly I feel like the mainstream games industry is pretty chaste. A large part of the audience is younger, and it is their parents who are buying the games. You want something to be engaging, maybe even edgy, but not so edgy that mom and dad wouldn't want little johnny playing it. Part of the equation is that combat is interesting to simulate. It has clear rules ( live or die ), a lot of different ways you can twe…

GTA3, Vice, SA, 4, and 5 are chaste? Far Cry 3, 4, 5? Red Dead Redemption series? God Of War 1, 2, 3, Reboot? The Witcher series? Mass Effect series?

Are you sure we're talking about the same game industry?

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#487

Post by lmilcin »

When I was a kid our activities included regularly running around shooting from imaginary guns, forming "bands" and watching cartoons where characters would constantly be doing/trying to do harm to each other.

I think this isn't an issue because a healthy person can not confuse fantasy and reality.

I can see how these kinds of activities can give ideas, but you would have to be already dysfunctional in the first place.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#488

Post by Sideloader »

Isn’t this beating a dead horse? The video game/violence link has been debunked many times. OTOH, a comprehensive study determining whether violent games and movies contribute to people becoming desensitized to actual violence would be interesting. I recall an interview with US soldiers in Iraq saying that shooting people was “just like playing a FPS game.”

It can’t be denied that our society is obsessed with violence. Americans have been like this for a while but recently produced movies and TV shows in Europe and the UK feature much more graphic violence than they did two decades ago. Why? Is it a reflection of a more ruthlessly competitive society or are there other reasons?

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#489

Post by greggman3 »

noobermin wrote: post #250
dx87 wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the difference between acceptance of violent and sexual depictions in media is based on how likely it is to affect people's lives. Almost nobody has a natural tendency to act on violent thoughts, so playing a violent video game is unlikely to cause issues in real life. Most people will have sexual encounters at some point in their life though, so getting an unrealistic expectation of them can cause serious is…

If you think violent depictions in media won't make people more violent then how can you then think that sexual depictions make people more sexual or not? People don't have violent encounters in life (or any even that could escalate into violence)? Really? Seems like you're making the OP's point, something is special about sex in your mind.

Something is special about sex. People have sex. People don't kill others (generally). Compare how many people you personally know that have had sex vs how many people you personally know that have killed someone.

As the study above points out, violent videos games don't make you more violent but I'm pretty confident sexy media (games, movies, music, etc) make people more horny and therefore more likely to seek out sex. Also, since sex is something people do in the normal course of their lives (vs violence which is not a normal part of someone's live) the media they consume is more likely to influence their behavior. It's a manual for something they hope to participate in vs violence, something they don't hope to participate in.

Re: Ten year study: No link between violent video games and aggressive behavior

#490

Post by sudosysgen »

Sideloader wrote: post #488

Isn’t this beating a dead horse? The video game/violence link has been debunked many times. OTOH, a comprehensive study determining whether violent games and movies contribute to people becoming desensitized to actual violence would be interesting. I recall an interview with US soldiers in Iraq saying that shooting people was “just like playing a FPS game.” It can’t be denied that our society is obsessed with violenc…

Well yes, but the study was started over ten years ago :)
Post reply on HN