Graftark » Gaming http://www.graftark.com Tech enthusiast and all around nerd/geek. Fri, 09 Jul 2010 04:56:50 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 My take on violence in video games and it’s effect on people http://www.graftark.com/2006/08/11/my-take-on-violence-in-video-games-and-its-effect-on-people/ http://www.graftark.com/2006/08/11/my-take-on-violence-in-video-games-and-its-effect-on-people/#comments Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:38:21 +0000 Graftark http://www.graftark.com/?p=19 For hundreds of millenia that the human race has existed in it's current form human's lived as territorial hunter gatherers. Now when a peolpe live as such for so long there has to be behavior that the behavior becomes written as instinct. Therein lies the issue, the human race has been designed to be the most successful hunter the world has ever known. Within each person lies the potential for violence, it is our society and ethics that allow a somewhat peaceful existence.

With that said the issue of video games causing the violent behavior is not the issue. There may very well be someone out there that plays games that will commit a crime. As a society we try to look for causes to violent behavior, often times taking the quickest and easiest route to conclusion. History shows us that there have been many scapegoats for the cause of violent behavior. Movies, music (through every generation), books, theatre even the religious writings of many faiths have been cast to the flames of the violence inquistition. While it's obvious that there are people that use any or all of the scapegoats as a shield to justify their actions, whether on a conscious or subconscious level.

I believe that the true circumstances that lead to violent behavior lie in the way that the individual percieves his or her environment. This perception is formed from the beginning of the individuals life. We all know that conditioning is possible in humans, conditioning is not something that is just actively done with motive but can also occur without the conditioner(s) knowing that they are doing it. There is also the prevalent instincts that humanity has subdued through it's history of creating civilization. These instincts include defense of person, property, territory and family. There are people in every generation who have to face these instincts... even here in our civilized first world country. There are children who grow up being the punch-line to many demeaning and discouraging jokes as well as the target of attacks. The issues we should be looking at is the development of our people not video games.

I take this position because I understand that stresses faced while in the stages of development greatly effect the individuals behavior. Now some people would say that these incidents 'build character' and no doubt will, the question is what character traits are being built. It's a known fact that those who've been abused are likely to later abuse. I find it more offensive that education and social funding gets cut across the board and then the same people who cut funding for those programs wonder why there are these problems in our society.

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]]> http://www.graftark.com/2006/08/11/my-take-on-violence-in-video-games-and-its-effect-on-people/feed/ 0 ‘Hot Coffee’ http://www.graftark.com/2005/08/09/hot-coffee/ http://www.graftark.com/2005/08/09/hot-coffee/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2005 18:44:33 +0000 Graftark http://www.graftark.com/?p=9 It has been a while now since the whole 'Hot Coffee' debate has flared up and I figure it is about time that I chime in with my opinion. First of all GTA: San Andreas originally hit the shelves with a rating of M (M = Mature, for audiences of 17+), this rating fit the shipped game perfectly. The game had not included, as part of the product, this sexual content that has spawned this debacle. Now this game, prior to activating the extra content, included very graphic depictions of murder as well as other sexually charged situations and ridiculously vulgar language.
   Now it's my opinion that the ESRB puts ratings on games with the intentions that the guidelines would be followed. People who have bought this game for children under the age restriction of 17 have effectively taken the responsibility of exposing these children to the game content into their own hands. This means that Rock Star Games cannot be held responsible for young ones playing the game. Activating any content not included in the game as it is shipped and meant to be played is a modification that the one who activates that modification has to take responsibility for. Now the game has had the ESRB rating increased to an AO (Adults Only), this is a completely acceptable decision. With this AO rating the whole issue should be dropped, apparently this has given rise to whole new spat of game bashing.
   Critics would have you believe that video games are destroying the moral fabric of the American people, and people around the world. It surprises me that Hillary Clinton has chosen to spearhead the issue, given that there's a lot of rumors flying around that she'd be making a bid for the presidency. This could very well prove to be a poll killer, now there are a lot people who like the idea of not taking the resposibility for screening the games their children play but I believe that the amount of people in the younger demographic who will be voting for their first, second or third times will remember this. I have no reservations in saying that I voted democratic and I like to believe that a majority of gamers actually feel the same way. I remember when Lieberman(sp?) ran with a campaign against games, now I wouldn't give him a second thought.
   When you boil this issue down to it's essential components you arrive at the conclusion that people want even less to do with their children than ever and want the government to take care of them, something we all know them to do poorly, while putting limitations on developer's rights protected by the first amendment. This is a travesty, one that I fear could help the Patriot Act be reinstated (Crap, I just read that it was reinstated... morons). Now, before anyone builds a case against games not being covered by first amendment rights keep in mind that one could state the GTA:San Andreas could most certainly be seen as a relevant statement about life in low-income America. It's an extremely similar portrayal of that kind of life that occurs all the time on the news, television and movies.

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