Video games & TV - Desenstizing?

I dont see a problem with the games or TV.  The problem is with the adults that would allow a kid to watch those type of shows/movies or play those games.

For a lot of parents is easier to leave a kid playing a video game for hours while they do their own stuff.

This reminds me of the commercial that has been playing on the radio about a kid asking his mother, can i ride my bike, can i do, can i do that to which she replies no, then he asks can i go then and seat for hours, become obese and increase my chances of having a heart attack which the mother readily answers yes.

My father is from Europe, which allowed me to notice a HUGE difference in way movies/shows/TV programs get rated. In Europe, sex/nudity is fairly common, even on normal TV. Violence, however, is normally the reason for more strict ratings. Just the opposite of the US, were violence is normally overlooked, but sex and sexual situations will get "rated".

It makes sense to me, I rather have my children exposed to nudity than to graphic violence.

Having said that, I do not believe that a movie or game will cause somebody to walk into a movie theater and start shooting people. The same way that showing sex scenes will not cause giant orgies in the middle of the street.

Agreed.  However look to whom they are marketed.  I'm not proposing a ban on them by any means.  I'm just saddened by their acceptance and by the # of parents who allow their children to play them.

Nor do I.  But I do firmly believe that it desensitizes you to violence. 

I only issue with this is...  Do you actually think this is NEW?

Back in the 80's they had scenes just like that in movies.  I rememeber some pretty gory stuff in all the horror movies back in highschool.

Back when rock and roll was starting, they SWORE it was causing bad behaviour.  Of course that seems stupid now, untill they started to say the exact same thing about rap music.

Bottom line, some people are nuts and do bad things and hurt/kill people.  Period.  What do we blame for Jack the ripper, Son of Sam, etc.  Video games?

If anything might be partly to blame, is that now that there is SO MUCH media coverage, that these nuts that are looking for attention, are guaranteed to get it and realize that.  I might also conceed that even if video games and movies may not cause events like this, they may be providing the knowledge/tools to be more efficient at it.  Using games and movies as "training aids".

Let me clarify.. I'm not trying to draw a parallel between this issue and the CO shooter. That is a disturbed person.  Period.

I'm talking about normal kids.  Overall I believe they are much more prone to "petty" violence (fights, bullying, etc..) than even before.

As for the "desensitizing" aspect, there are numerous studies showing that watching excessive amounts of pornography leads to sexual dysfunction (not able to ahem, "preform" w/o the sensational porn acts being shown).  Why would violence be any different? 

As with anything moderation is the key...

What exactly do you mean by that?  Clarify?  What do you mean "desensitized"?  That we can see it and not care?  That we can BE violent and not care?

I LOVE fps games...  Call of Duty rocks.  Play all the time.  But in NO WAY am I desensitized to real life violence.  I have absolutely NO DESIRE to hurt anyone, even if I kill them by the hundreds in video games and laugh.  In fact, I walk away from any confrontation.

In fact, I can't think of anyone that could see someone get shot and not freak out.  No one is just going to brush it off since they see it all the times in movies.

OR did an initial sexual dysfunction lead to watching excessive amounts of pornography?

Ane we blame the symptom as being the cause.

By "densenitized" I mean that the person does not feel as much distress or shock at the graphic images.

And I'm mainly concerned with developing children.  As we all know a person's moral compass continues to develop through their life but in the younger years you are more susceptible to influence. 

Look at the child soldiers in Africa.  Some of the most cruel and unmercilessness killers that were ever created.  And they are 8-13 years old.  They were used because they are easily moldable.

I wouldn't doubt you or me or most adult could play those games and watch these TV shows w/o issue.

Of course they are marketed towards children, but who pays for them.  I dont have any children of my own, neither i plan to have them, but i'm amazed at the amount of people that start a family when they are not even responsible enough to care for a dog.

Certain cases that i see on tv and that i see first hand make me wish that there would be be  a draconian law in place that would require a license to have kids .  In order to get that license you would need to pass some time of psychological that proves you are fit to be a parent and also provide proof of income that you can take care of them. 

I can conceed that maybe watching violent images in games and movies may be easier, but does that translate to real life?

The child soldiers saw violence IN REAL LIFE, so they are desensitized TO THAT.  Playing games didn't make it easier for them to kill.

I just can't jump on board with the connection that watching violent movies/games makes it easier to tolerate them in reality.

My kid and his buddies enjoy Call of Duty......they know it's a game.  I see LESS petty arguments and fighting among my kid's friends than I ever saw when I was their age, and they are much more tolerant of people who may be different than they are.  Much better than my generation was.

Kids today (and I'm not that old at 38) have a ton more exposure with violence and sexuality than any of us had growing up.  IMHO there's no way it can be argued that it has no effect on society.  

With youtube kid's can watch live executions and horrible gory traffic accidents and god knows what else.  The same thing with pornography.

Sorry but this study seems to support the desensitization argument.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120712092441.htm

Then there is this one:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110525151059.htm

There are more you can look at if you wish.

That's the point of the discussion.  I say yes it does. 

My point about the child soldiers was that children are more susceptible  to having their morals changed/modified.  I understand it's not a perfect example.

What does that really mean? I know lots of guys that had brothers. I don't have one... most all of them talk about knock down drag out fist fights on a regular basis with their brothers. Obviously that is not all brothers... but it does shock me... that is violence. True, assault... yet those same guys don't go around punching everyone out.

Seeing guts get splattered on a screen desensitizes me to what... seeing people have their entrails get ripped out so I have no problem with that??? Dude, I would probably puke on the spot if I ever saw it in real life. I saw a co-workers foot get squashed by a big piece of machinery. I was with him waiting for the paramedics. He lost it.... it took a while to get that out of my head. Does that mean that now I have no problem seeing body parts squashed... NO. Does that mean I am going to go goof off at work and try to get a coworkers body part squashed... uh no.

Big HUGE difference between seeing computer generated graphics of make believe stuff and me wanting to go visit violence on my fellow man because I have no problem seeing blood splatter.

Now my step son really wanted Grand Theft Auto  what ever.. 3? Anyway we get it for Christmas with a play station. I never played it, but know it's real popular. then I hear it playing... WTF? Shooting cops, smacking hos, talking smack, beating up old people... I mean come on! I had no idea... It didn't make my SIL go out and shoot cops and smack hos, but certainly no need what so ever for him to have it. We took it. Totally inappropriate. And I'm no prude, but that was ridiculous.

So why did you take it from him? 

If, as you state, the violence and lack of morals in the game has no effect on children in real life then what's the harm in letting him kill a few prostitutes and cops in the game?  It's just fake after all.

Oh hold on there buddy...  I never said it had no effect on morals... we are talking about being desensitized to violence.

It is inappropriate for my teenage step son to think that that kind of talk and complete lack of respect for others is acceptable.... any time, any where. I do think every generation gets looser... everyone has to out do the last. My parents thought I was a hell raiser.. so did I ... man I was nothing compared to the crap I see today. My Grandparents thought the exact same thing about my parents generation. But uncivilized behavior and total lack of respect for elders, authority, women... is not the same as learning to be violent from media.

You argued that watching violence on game/TV does not make one more prone to violence in real life.  Correct me if that's wrong but I think I got it right.

So by the same logic listening to foul language and disrespecting women on a game/TV should not translate to real life.

But you are not saying that (I agree by the way).  I fail to see how one can effect children in the real world and not the other...  They are apples and apples...

That is a rediculous argument.

Stating that you don't think there is a proven connection between video game violence and real life violence does not make you a hyocrite for not allowing material made more for adults to be in kids hands.

I DON'T think porn or video games makes a child into a violent person or sexual deviant.  Period.  There is WAY more to it that that.  But that does NOT mean I'm going to let a 7yr old watch porn or play video games made for teens/adults because I don't agree with the connection.  Rediculous.

First I never said anyone was a hypocrite.  Never used that word nor implied it.

So explain to my WHY it's ridiculous.  All you and Powerman are saying is "it's different".  Then explain to me how it's different.

Why is "smacking hos" and foul language or sexual content in a game/TV something we do not want our children to see.  I'm assuming the answer is that it can teach them bad moral lessons.

Yet jamming a knife into a man's head and watching arterial blood spurt out onto the screen doesn't do this?

I'm arguing that BOTH are unacceptable for children for the same reasons.

All I know is most criminalogists agree, and the UCR crime reports seem to say as much.....violent crime is lower right now than at almost any other time in history.  Then again, as with mosyt studies/reports....you can make the numbers say whatever you want if you look at them long enough.

I'd have to say it's a pretty damn good time to be a kid.

Does playing a basketball game make you a better basketball player or how about any other activity game? Because people get use to seeing video game violence I have not seen correlation with real life violence. The only correlation I will admit to is hearing punk azz little kids being racist or acting tough while playing the games online. That is very annoying.

Um.. I think that's trying to stretch the point a little...

As I stated earlier on... I'm not arguing that this causes people to BECOME violent.  It desensitizes them to violence.  This can present itself in many different ways.  See Appa's comments about the kids being jerks on the video game... I see this too. It's disturbing.

Geeze, where are the mental heath experts like Gearboy and Aces when you need them... ?