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Harvard researchers say violent games are OK

tgdaily.com — A pair of Harvard researchers say violent games are absolutely fine for teenage boys and girls. In fact, they say boys who don't play any games are considered socially inept.

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  • Omek, on 05/10/2008, -0/+139I played Mortal Kombat and Diablo a lot as a kid, and I turned out just fine... I think people over exaggerate how influential this stuff is. The real people who grow up to be criminals are the ones that had a bad mindset to begin with.
    • latova, on 05/10/2008, -0/+24Town Portal is the solution to all our transportation problems.
      • rentmitchum, on 05/10/2008, -0/+9Stabbing Baal in the face with my gemmed pike was the solution to my Baal problem :)
        • LabiaMajora, on 05/10/2008, -0/+13You need to learn to play games better if you used a gemmed pike.
          :D
          • rentmitchum, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1I think I killed Diablo with a gemmed pike. Which one was the bulbous thing in the desert? It's been like 10 years, you'll have to excuse me ;)

            Pikeazon for me.
        • Cruelapollo, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Faith GMB ftw?
    • estvir, on 05/10/2008, -0/+9Exactly, I played all sorts of hyper-violent games as kid, even ones that were banned in Australia (Like the original Postal, Postal 2 onwards are an abomination, the first SoF which was way gorier than the new ones, some fighting game on the PSX, etc) and I also turned out fine. I also had good parents -- go figure.
      • madeingermany, on 05/10/2008, -0/+6Back in school, every kid I knew that had a computer (Amiga and DOS boxes at the time) had all the forbidden games - And not because those games were any good, ....
        But not a single one of my former classmates became a violent criminal so far.
    • ispeakasian, on 05/10/2008, -0/+41I played Pac Man as a kid and now I'm in jail for eating everyone who looks like a ghost. Damn mushrooms.
      • fabriciom, on 05/10/2008, -8/+1What mushrooms where those? Strongest I have taken are the Hawaiian Copelandia and I never had any thoughts of eating anyone. I was never hungry actually...
      • Rhendal, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3You have no sense of humor and a liar.
        • RussellDovey, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1Hmmm... I cannot lie very well at all... I MUST BUY HIS LIAR!
    • whatthefu, on 05/10/2008, -2/+6I played Mortal Kombat and GTA 2 a lot as a kid as well. All Mortal Kombat did was make me want to take Karate, and I did that for five years. I played GTA 3 when I was a little older and I was amazed at the scope of it. The violence wasn't shocking, it was shooting 3D characters who were not real. While I don't think kids should be allowed anywhere near these kinds of games, it's not as detrimental as people make it out to be.
    • rentmitchum, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4I played tons of violent games and I'll admit I have terrible road rage, but I don't think it's related. I do however wish I had body armor and the ability to not get hurt as long as I get out of my car before it explodes. I wish head on collisions could never ever harm me, just so long as I got out of my car when it catches fire and run down the street a little. I'd be jumping anything jumpable in my car.
      • BOFH2, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3I had violent road rage before playing violent games.
      • YoctoYotta, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Hey friend, you'll be glad to know you CAN do all of those things. You haven't tried? Hop to it, it's buckets of safe fun.
    • haxderek, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4Anyone else used to gold dupe?
      • estvir, on 05/10/2008, -3/+1Gold was worthless in Diablo2. I had mules full of SoJs. Hell, my mercs had better gear than most people on the realm. ;)
        • LabiaMajora, on 05/10/2008, -2/+1Diablo 2.
        • estvir, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4From what I remember, it wasn't particularly useful in Diablo either but that was such a long time ago, so I may be wrong. Hell, wasn't Diablo on B.Net severely gimped and why would you dupe gold when you could just use a character editing program?
      • L33tmaster, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3I duped Books of Chain Lightning, man that spell was great in the original.
      • TheInfinityZero, on 05/10/2008, -2/+1When I got my armor that had 32 gems in it, I really didn't need to dupe anything - I could own Baal like nothing else.
    • cg0def, on 05/10/2008, -1/+2"The real people who grow up to be criminals are the ones that had a bad mindset to begin with."
      What are you 10? I can assure you that mindset does not mean what you think it does.

      Anyway , if anything, violent games probably reduce the numbers to petty crime and vandalism. After all you can use GTA IV for all that anger and there are no consequences or repercussions. But any number of studies is not going to change the minds of bigots suing computer game companies. Oh and back in the day Carmageddon was one of my favorite games yet I've only gotten a ticket once and it was for minor speeding violation.
      • fabriciom, on 05/10/2008, -4/+0Yeah I don't think it works that way. Pedophiles do not satisfy them self with just looking images and movies they always end up going to the streets and abusing kids.
        • ModeSeven, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3How the hell could you possibly know that? I would imagine the ones that stick to the images and movies by and large don't get caught.
          • fabriciom, on 05/10/2008, -5/+0They always get caught. You how how much time money is invested into pedophiles? Not just that everyone helps out. I think it was the day before yesterday interpool showed the image off a suspected pedophile and the day after he was caught.
          • theaceoffire, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5Yeah, just like how all drunk drivers get caught.
            And all potheads get caught.
            And all _______ get caught.
            Face it, the police can't catch all the fish in the ocean.
            They focus on the easy to capture and the big ones.
        • Arramol, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1You realize you can't gauge the effect something has on a psychologically stable person by measuring the impact on a mentally unsound person, right? Pedophiles have some innate urge that can be activated...a normal, healthy person has no natural drive to kill people or jack cars for video games to trigger.
    • spawnfree, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4Yeah, the real cause of twisted violent people is a twisted violent upbringing.
      It creates the criminal mind that covets material possessions and the love of fooling normal people.
      These are the kinds of people that blame everyone and everything but themselves, now you know why games are scapegoated.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Really? How can you watch Kano rip someones heart out of their chest and not try that in real life? /sarcasm
      • BOFH2, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I tried it once and it was not pretty; jail, trial and the ensuing community service was no fun... If only I had known then what I know now.
        /sarcasm
      • RussellDovey, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Yeah, but in real life it's ***** HARD. I mean, have you ever tried to poke your fingers through someone's ribcage? It's ***** impossible. And the women slap you for some reason.
  • Surferess, on 05/10/2008, -2/+44Thank goodness! I thought for sure I was going to hell when I forked over that $60 for GTAIV last week for my 2 teenage boys without so much as a 2 second, token, anti-violence lecture.
    • tcardone05, on 05/10/2008, -1/+20Can I be one of your kids?
    • condylomalata, on 05/10/2008, -15/+3cool, your boys will learn how to get a prostitute to give them oral sex
      • insllvn, on 05/10/2008, -0/+17Give them money? I mean once you know what a prostitute is...
      • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7Still haven't learned, have you?
      • SSXDRN, on 05/10/2008, -1/+10It was until the release of GTA that boys found out the once secret way of hiring a prostitute. Outrageous.
      • suspid, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7Well, recent events indicate that teenagers are experts at hiring prostitues already.
  • chewbie, on 05/10/2008, -2/+87I know that I'm quoting the wrong person to quote in such situations but Eminem said: "If you just sit down and talk to your kids once in a while, things will be just fine"
    • wonderchemist, on 05/10/2008, -0/+56What?! Parents do something like parenting!? Nonsense!
    • SemajReffahs, on 05/10/2008, -0/+19pretty legit quote
    • fabriciom, on 05/10/2008, -11/+211 of the most gay Rap Lyrics posted here in Digg.
      Emenims: "Man I'm done saying that I'm done playing, Im'ma a start laying any of these ***** *****."
      What he really meant to say: "Seriously, I'm gonna start having sex with dudes."
      I think so.
    • suspid, on 05/10/2008, -0/+9How about Chali 2na from Jurassic 5
      "That's why I'm always telling these many pals of mine
      the most that you can spend on any child is time"
      • chrishiggins, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1Sadly, J5 doesn't get as much exposure as Eminem. Sucks, they're much better than him.
  • Heaiser, on 05/10/2008, -1/+37Can't wait for the article about Jack suing Harvard.
    • Darksoul, on 05/10/2008, -0/+13And Harvard would mop the floor with Jack for it.
    • GlassAgate, on 05/10/2008, -0/+6He could visit their psychology wing
      to get a second opinion about his
      psychological health.
      • Krissam, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3And then the law proffessors would sue for harassment, as he has so often threatened people :)
      • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1I would be surprised if the first opinion was in yet...
    • CCricers, on 05/14/2008, -0/+1I've seen a few of Jack Thompson's TV appearances, and in two of them he "validates" his violent games with aggression link "From psychological studies at Harvard"...this would make things more interesting.
  • 116dreamlane, on 05/10/2008, -6/+1Violent games make boys competitive athletes! *In a purely digital way of course*
  • CrudeDarkness, on 05/10/2008, -1/+42Being a digger is more dangerous than playing video games.
  • donkeybat64, on 05/10/2008, -23/+4ohh harvard said it, so it MUST be right!
    • estvir, on 05/10/2008, -2/+21No, they're just one of the many people to say it over the past few years and they're also a reputable source.

      What I'm saying is, shut up donkeybat64.
    • neuromachine, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4Yeah, the title could have been phrased better to address the research and not the people conducting it.
    • moolaismyfriend, on 05/10/2008, -2/+8I bet you will be back in a few days to claim a source from one of the major ivy league universities to claim your talking point.

      Just sayin'
    • twiztidsinz, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I'd take something researched by Harvard over a Digg Troll any day....
  • plethorex, on 05/10/2008, -14/+3I'm as pro-violence as anyone else, but really... who ***** cares?
    • nebkiwi, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5me
      • theaceoffire, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1I'm Spartacus!
      • plethorex, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1There's a douchbag among us all. At least you admit to it.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2You will once government crap wads tell you what you can and cannot buy...
      • plethorex, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1I pirate everything anyways. Digg me down for this also.
  • iamtehwinnerz, on 05/10/2008, -5/+8because i was really going to stop playing GTA IV if they didn't say it was ok..........
    • TheSlinky, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1because the idiots who dugg this guy down are the reason we need to /sarcasm
  • rentmitchum, on 05/10/2008, -3/+37We're a violent species, I don't understand why people try to deny human nature. We're driven to violence, and expressing that in a video game is much better than in real life. It's healthy.

    Hell monkeys will beat other monkeys to death from other troops if they're caught alone. They'll pound on them until they're as good as dead with their hands and feet. We've evolved but kept just about as much xenophobia and fear of the unknown as our ancestors. People need to understand that, then realize we can overcome it, but only if we're realistic about ourselves.
    • ElAssoWipo, on 05/10/2008, -5/+4I don't want to overcome anything.

      Bad is as much a part of life as good. Pain is as real as pleasure. Violence is as present as peace.

      There's no point in trying to avoid it, because it's going to happen anyway. The only way to be truly strong is to accept both the good and the bad as reality. You will feel pain again. It will happen. Just like you will feel love again.

      It's the duality of man. All great philosophies of this world, no matter where they are from, address this reality, even the bible, even the Qu'ran, Buddhism, French philosophy, English philosophy, Ancient Greece philosophy, etc. We hate as much as we love and we're supposed to.

      The real problem is that we don't accept it anymore. We're denying our own nature. Little boys can't even play fight in school anymore. Kids will even get punished for defending themselves instead of relying on an authority to solve their problems.

      And it's not just violence, it's all the "death impulses" as Freud would say. Like cigarettes for example. You can try and ban them from wherever you want, people will still have the same impulse that led them to try it in the first place. Sure you stopped smoking, but now you're fat.

      Nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything is transformed. If I didn't have games where I can shoot people to vent my frustrations, I'd be doing something else that equals it.
      • knight666, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Dexter?
        Is that you?
      • rentmitchum, on 05/11/2008, -0/+2I can't say I entirely disagree with you, but there is an evolutionary incentive to start denying our urges to kill each other. It's necessary for progress.
        • ElAssoWipo, on 05/11/2008, -0/+1Natural selection is the ultimate progress.
    • XZanatos, on 05/12/2008, -0/+1Because we always try to find a bogeyman to blame for all our problems: in the 60s it was communes, hippies, and communists; 70s was sex, drugs, and rock and roll; 80s was D&D and role playing; 90s was heavy metal and rap music; and now in the 00s its videogames. In a couple years they will find a new bogeyman and we will finally be able to play our games in peace.
  • ECas123, on 05/10/2008, -3/+19ABSURD! Are you honestly telling me that Jack Thompson is wrong?! buried as inaccurate!
    • ECas123, on 05/10/2008, -3/+5Oh,
      I forgot I was on the Internet :P
      • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -2/+9Having a conversation with yourself is something to be concerned about.
    • bagboyrebel, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4remember guys, sarcasm doesn't exist.
      • Aensland, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4Wait, that was a live example. Take pictures.
  • lilbugleboy09, on 05/10/2008, -16/+4People with violent tendencies are attracted to video games, therefore people who play video games have violent tendencies.

    Logic fail.
    • CAPITALLETTERS, on 05/10/2008, -1/+10[citation needed]
    • GeekyGerge, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3Violent tendencies? I've only killed 3 people.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1yeah, the statistical data on mass murderers who play audiosurf is really startling. not as bad as the numbers for video solitaire, however.
  • moolaismyfriend, on 05/10/2008, -4/+99You want violence on an epic scale? Read the Bible.
    • TruthKid, on 05/10/2008, -4/+6Everything I've ever learned about religion I learned from the lyrics of Slayer
      • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3you are better off then the people who read the bible, then.
    • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -10/+3I've been told the Quaran is worse. I suppose the epic ***** you're going to incite will tell us ...absolutely nothing about the soundness of either of our statements.
      • jontando, on 05/10/2008, -2/+10"I've been told the Quaran is worse."

        Why don't you try reading it and find out for yourself?
        • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -2/+2Wikipedia/Coles Notes usually do an adequate job in replacing actual reading of texts I don't want to read.
        • crichton101, on 05/10/2008, -2/+4@pulling teeth

          If you don't want to read something, then do the world a favor and keep your mouth shut when people are talking about it. I don't care if you read the cliffs notes, or your best friend is an expert on the subject and told you all about it, unless you actually read it yourself, you're opinion doesn't matter.

          Cause right now you're proving yourself to be just like Jack Thompson, talking about stuff you don't know anything about, other than what the cliffs notes version is
          • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1@ crichton101

            You don't know what the world wants. Maybe you should keep your mouth shut abut that, eh kiddo? Thanks.
        • ElAssoWipo, on 05/10/2008, -2/+1Here's 512 violent quotes from the Qu'ran:
          http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/quran/cruelty/lo ...

          No need to read the damn thing.
      • ElAssoWipo, on 05/10/2008, -1/+8No need for a ***** storm, here are 885 quotes from the bible where God either threatens to kill people, or actually kills people:
        http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/cruelty/long.htm ...
      • sw33tsarin, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1what's funny is Jesus is the most quoted prophet in the Qu'ran.
    • lazerflesh, on 05/10/2008, -10/+8All religions are the same. It's all for the stupid to be controlled and happy in their little confined boxes.
      • adamwsmith6580, on 05/10/2008, -4/+3I know. I really lucky I've got my X-Box and PS3 and DVD's and interweb so I don't fall into the same trap. I mean what else could I be spending my cash on. Travel... ***** that.
        • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1if you can afford to travel somewhere, let us know...
        • lazerflesh, on 05/13/2008, -0/+1Hmm, or you could do both.
    • fabriciom, on 05/10/2008, -8/+2I tried reading the bible. But stopped when I god to the part about some guy and insets with his 2 daughters.
    • MattBD, on 05/10/2008, -0/+20I'm pretty sure more murderers have been inspired by the Bible than by playing Manhunt or listening to Marilyn Manson.
    • Typhoon2009, on 05/10/2008, -0/+16The Old Testament was pretty badass. It was basically, "Worship me or you'll be smitten!"
    • Natetendo83, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2This is true. The Bible has a lot of violence in it. Even though I'm about as Christian as they come I can see that plain as day. Being flogged and then nailed to a cross to hang to your death is pretty freaking gross and graphic. Hence why I hate the "violence effects kids thing," if it really did every last Christian would be a murdering psycho.
    • Nexiec, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Of course everything submitted on Digg has to make a religious reference at some point no matter how irrelevant. Bravo sir.
  • qxrt, on 05/10/2008, -1/+16This study is wrong; I have done my own research and found that playing video games for over five hours makes me want to stomp some goombas.
  • Slimtoad, on 05/10/2008, -9/+11***** the RIAA!
    • nebkiwi, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1yeh... its the RIAA's fault! no..really..
    • newms32, on 05/10/2008, -1/+0fvck bu$$$h
    • Wilsomatic, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1When in Rome...
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  • PullingTeeth, on 05/10/2008, -2/+13It's good to see that Harvard can still confirm the obvious.
    • spawnfree, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Its good that we hear this line from an official source, it stops the retards getting away with scapegoating games.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1actually, allot of 'common sense' is incorrect. it actually helps for there to be studies proving things like this as fact. It protects us from the Jacks of the world.
  • hopeast, on 05/10/2008, -8/+3Since when did Harvard researchers know anything about video games?
    • crichton101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Since when did you know anything about Harvard researchers?
    • fcruz1331, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2im sure that if the article were to say video games DO cause violent behavior then all there people saying "what does harvard know about video games" would be praising the article because it was by Harvard.
  • Tryptomine, on 05/10/2008, -1/+9So, who wants to buy a copy of the book and ship it to Jack Thompson?
    • GlassAgate, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4Since we're at it, who else could use a copy? Which senators,
      watchdog groups, paranoid parents, religious leaders, and school teachers
      could use a copy?
    • crichton101, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Sadly, all that would is give him more ammo, because all he will take from the book is this
      "51% of male children who played 15 hours or more of violent games per week were involved in fights in the past year compared to 28% who played regular video games. For girls, 40% of the violent game players were in fights compared to 14% of the non-violent players"
      And to him that will be his proof that video games are bad for kids.
  • c0mputar, on 05/10/2008, -3/+3Those many girls were in fights? Where goddamn?!?
  • jscnet, on 05/10/2008, -7/+1Morons.
  • KyjL, on 05/10/2008, -2/+7"What happened to just plain CRAZY?"
    -Chris Rock
  • teambosun, on 05/10/2008, -3/+2 bookmarked
  • uziko, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3it's a game, it's not real. this is absurd
  • 4eloBek, on 05/10/2008, -10/+1Well another useless study noone cares about.
    • BroodofEvil, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Another useless comment no one cares about.
  • Koush, on 05/10/2008, -0/+23"sometimes in excess of 15 hours a week."
    pssh, i knock that down per day.
    • sillyoldbear, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5Even with eight hours sleep, six hours of school and two hours of travel time these kids should be able to pump in eight hours a day and that's just on weekdays. E for effort.
  • iChuckles, on 05/10/2008, -1/+10I can't believe they still study this stuff. It is so simple. Everything, and I mean everything, in life has an influence. It is how we learn. It is how we think. It is how we solve problems. Everything has an influence, period.

    That said, not everything has the same influence. Some things can have life changing influences. Some things have such little influence that it goes unnoticed. So it is a dead fact that violent video games have an influence. How much and if it is negative all depends upon the circumstances and the people involved.

    There has never been an answer to anything that fits everyone.
    • adamwsmith6580, on 05/10/2008, -1/+0That's brilliant! The PHd's in the post. What's the next insight? That we're all the same, but different?
    • Surferess, on 05/10/2008, -0/+4profound & true. (possibly even too much so for this forum, eh?)
    • N0vember, on 05/10/2008, -2/+0In other news, drinking whisky and then taking your car for a little drive has an influence, but we can't tell whether it is negative or not since it depends upon the circumstances and the people involved.
      Therefore, driving drunk is OK.

      For more insightful views about Life, ask iChuckles, because as he said, "It is so simple".
      • iChuckles, on 05/11/2008, -0/+0You are right about the drinking and diving. In general drinking and driving is bad because over time it has resulted in a high percentage damaging conclusions (aka accidents). But there are those who function better drunk, or with a little alcohol in the system. This is in no way advocating drinking and driving. I am trying to make the point that saying violent video games are bad is a blanket statement.

        My position was given clearly, too bad you chose to author a poor argument come to an incorrect conclusion and attribute it to me. How sad.
    • GoneFishing, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1I think someone said it before, we humans are a violent, just like any other species out there. But I think what puts us a step above animals is that we have the choice not to engage in violent acts which will harm others.
      I remember reading that the Japanese have their younger kids tear and destroy newspapers before letting them home. Once they are home, the kids are obedient to their parents, and not like a spoiled little brat who will start beating his parents and causing chaos in the house.
      If we accept the notion that violence is part of us, then it is wise to understand that it will be impossible to suppress. Games like GTA IV are more a channel of venting out steam then influencing people to hate in real life. What I really wish to see is a research that links the lack of parental guidance on game ratings and violent children behavior. Now that would be interesting.
    • Katana314, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Yeah...I do like to see studies supporting our side of the video game argument, but let's face it. Over the years, we've seen five thousand studies that definitively PROVE that video games do harm, and five thousand studies that definitively PROVE they do no harm. At this point, I just don't trust the studies, I trust what makes sense to me. The more and more "studies" I see about this type of thing, the less merit each one gets in my eyes.
  • nwoantibody, on 05/10/2008, -7/+1Pseudoscience; nobody gives a ***** what anybody in Harvard has to say about violent video games.
  • Papajohn56, on 05/10/2008, -4/+1why does it matter if they're harvard
    • twiztidsinz, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5Because it's considered accredited and reliable?
      It wouldn't hold nearly as much weight if it read "Random Guys Down The Street say Violent Video Games are OK"
  • beatoven, on 05/10/2008, -7/+1Those Harvard researchers are fools!
    Humans are monkeys. They just imitate others and what they see on TV or video games.
    They just found a reason to get Harvard to buy them a console and GTA IV and they'll say it's for research purposes.
    • Wilsomatic, on 05/10/2008, -1/+3Yeah because with researching at Harvard and stuff they really wouldn't be able to afford a console and game for personal use...
    • Stettenbauer, on 05/10/2008, -1/+1Get that banana out of your mouth.
  • tohealth, on 05/10/2008, -3/+1Hell monkeys will beat other monkeys to death from other troops if they're caught alone. They'll pound on them until they're as good as dead with their hands and feet. We've evolved but kept just about as much xenophobia and fear of the unknown as our ancestors.Your medical health center--http://www.tcmtohealth.com
  • MarkusX, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Cool, finally there is someone sort-of official who says what I was always saying.
    I played a lot of ego shooters when I was younger and still had time for it, but I never developed any violent behaviour.
  • Pixelante, on 05/10/2008, -2/+5What is a "violent" video game? Violence is something you do to actual, living beings. Kicking a puppy is violence. Twisting a man's arm and smashing his head against a wall is violence. A car crash is violent.
    Destroying a mathematical construct that happens to mimic a person is not violence. Nor is it violence when you inflict simulated damage on a digital avatar which represents a real person. If that were the case, whenever we uninstall Oblivion we would be guilty of mass murder since we're erasing the existence of the simulated persons supported by the game environment.
    This should be clear to anyone with a minimum of brain functions. And we shouldn't accept pontifications by the media, which has never refrained to show us the 9/11 attacks, with planes slamming into buildings and real, living persons being killed FOR REAL. That was real violence. Showing the act once is information, bombarding the audience with endless repeats of the footage is the worst form of exploitation.
    To me the case is pretty much clear, but I'm an old bastards who hates internet kids and enjoys target shooting.
    • Wilsomatic, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Art imitating life?
    • Uranium118, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1"whenever we uninstall Oblivion we would be guilty of mass murder since we're erasing the existence of the simulated persons supported by the game environment"

      Brilliant!
  • allthosemoments, on 05/10/2008, -9/+1I firmly believe that violent videogames do destroy America's youth. there is a reason why we have more gun deaths than all of Europe and Canada combined. This has to do with all the violent videogames that America's youth play whereas Japan and Europe play good games that reinforce non violent behavior. I defy anyone to prove me wrong.
    • brutalsponge, on 05/10/2008, -0/+6You best be trollin', foo'. The burden of proof rests with you to prove yourself correct.
      I'm both European and a gamer. I'd say the fact you have more gun deaths is because, well, y'know, you allow people to own guns whereas most European countries have strict laws that disallow public ownership of guns for the most part.
    • newms32, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7This couldn't have anything to do with gun policy or culture, could it? No, never.
    • Typhoon2009, on 05/10/2008, -1/+6*****' hell you're dumb. The US has a very... different gun culture than the EU or Japan. I'm not saying all guns are evil, I think we have a right to bear arms, but it's one of the reasons why we can't simply outlaw all guns. They're already here - they're in the US. If people want a gun, they'll get them. Whereas in the UK there aren't that many guns to begin with, so getting one isn't easy (legally or not).
    • Tyrghast, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3"I defy anyone to prove me wrong"
      That part alone sets my sarcasm meter off... i think someone is trying to be funny...
  • mvk25, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5i've been playin violent games since i was a kid and guess what? i didn't kill anybody yet.
    and to you all people blaming video games, ***** OFF and leave us alone.
  • myshl0ng, on 05/10/2008, -0/+9I just played Lemmings and feel like killing a bunch of people.
  • newms32, on 05/10/2008, -6/+1You ***** treat violence in video games like an issue on par with the economy or global warming. Shut up already, nobody cares about your noble cause.
    • Typhoon2009, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3I actually agree here; but I hope you also use the same judgment for those who decry videogames as the root of all evil (or as Jack Thompson put it, the worst thing to happen to kids since polio... that nutcase).
    • Jones82, on 05/10/2008, -0/+5How dare you guys care about something other than the most pressing issues!
  • acma, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5I've been playing violent video games for a long time. I was playing GTA 3 when I was about 8. All this violent game stuff is BS.
    • Tyrghast, on 05/10/2008, -0/+7how old are you now, Mr. seasoned gamer, 14?
  • Wilsomatic, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2It's not the video games that are the problem, it's the people playing them.
    Also when you think about school shootings etc., look at how people who are avid game players are stigmatised in society and how that leads to kids getting teased and abused at school, leading to anger which in some cases leads to a bullet in school bully's skull.
  • itsthebrod, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5First they come out with a study showing marijuana doesn't cause lung cancer, and now a study showing violent video games are okay... I'm really starting to enjoy Harvard's studies!
  • Managore, on 05/10/2008, -5/+1In other news, Harvard researchers have found that the title of "Captain obvious" may not, in fact, be a compliment.
  • mrzack, on 05/10/2008, -4/+1DAmn new world order schools teaching us brainwashing the sheeple is good.
  • jasonlfunk, on 05/10/2008, -3/+3While they probably won't make you kill people, they definitely desensitize you to violence, which is easily argued to be a bad thing.
    • LoganVH, on 05/10/2008, -1/+4I disagree. The average gamer has no clue what real violence is like, therefore the pixelated video game violence they witness everyday will only desensitize them to that same category of violent behavior.
      I would bet a gamer who spends hours upon hours a day playing GTA4 would still ***** his pants upon seeing something like a beheading video- and that still isn't the same as experiencing violent behavior as it happens with your own two eyes.
    • lamiaconfitor, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2and you made that up from where?
    • lumbergh, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2Yes, no sense letting all the other highly-acclaimed movies like Godfather, Goodfellas, Boyz in tha Hood, etc. get watched.
  • debuffplx, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3I've been saying that ever since doom came out.
  • 99thPercentile, on 05/10/2008, -3/+1And we can all trust Harvard whenever they say something, right? I'm sure they don't get any financial support from industry whatsoever, so their opinion must be unbiased and unimpeachable.
  • futureisours, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Playing games let you let out pent up frustrations and to me this would reduce violence rather than create it. After a good game of Counterstrike or any newer FPS, I feel much better and less likely to pommel somebody.
    • MsArtGeek, on 05/16/2008, -0/+1Thanks for weighing in on that... we were all worried that you'd Photoshop us into that little knob on the front of a saddle, or even worse, or the counterweight on the end of a sword!
  • Sackula, on 05/10/2008, -0/+3Like all things in this world, violent games only have a profound effect on a minority of people
  • Meursault, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2From the abstract: "Teenage boys who did not play at least 2 hours of video games per week were found to be total permanewbs omfg."
  • KingLeo, on 05/10/2008, -1/+5"51% of male children who played 15 hours or more of violent games per week were involved in fights in the past year compared to 28% who played regular video games. For girls, 40% of the violent game players were in fights compared to 14% of the non-violent players. Despite the figures, Kutner and Olson say this is just a correlation and that the fighting was probably due to an underlying psychological problem that children had before playing the video game."

    So it does make kids more violent? Or already violent kids are drawn more to violent games? Just quoting from the article.
  • SethEllis, on 05/10/2008, -2/+3Nowhere does the study say that this proves that violent videogames do not cause violence. They simply state that no causal link has ever been made.

    "51% of male children who played 15 hours or more of violent games per week were involved in fights in the past year compared to 28% who played regular video games. For girls, 40% of the violent game players were in fights compared to 14% of the non-violent players. Despite the figures, Kutner and Olson say this is just a correlation and that the fighting was probably due to an underlying psychological problem that children had before playing the video game."

    "In their two-year study, they found that there was no data to support any CAUSATION between games and real-life violence."
    • FFXIfrohike, on 05/10/2008, -0/+1Exactly. I don't think anyone who actually READS the damn article would agree with the header. If anything this study strengthens the correlation and offers no satisfying explanation for it. "An underlying psychological problem"... what? So are they saying that the population of people who played the violent ones were, by chance, crazier than the ones they selected for the non-violent games.
      Sorry, but this article makes no sense. Perhaps the study does?
  • Evilsnake, on 05/10/2008, -0/+2I'm convinced that studies lead to more violence than video games....
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