# Do video games make you violent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 10, 2011, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751 "2011-12-10T17:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/81 "2011-12-14T15:58:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Whatever gave you that idea? Is barring minors from watching movies with graphic sex acts an affront to liberty? :dubious: Courts have shot down various game content laws due to their unconstitutionality for years now. If you want to get all lawyerly, a precedent has been set time and again… Games \<\> Porn ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/82 "2011-12-14T16:01:21Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > This already happens. It just doesn’t have the force of law behind it. Which you shouldn’t support, as then it would be unconstitutional. 😕 I know it happens - parents all over the world filter the media available to their children. 😕 The law of which country doesn’t allow for parents restricting materials from young children? 😕 Why should I care about your constitution? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/83 "2011-12-14T16:28:45Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Courts have shot down various game content laws due to their unconstitutionality for years now. If you want to get all lawyerly, a precedent has been set time and again… > > Games \<\> Porn That’s the whole point: SCOTUS’ treatment of video games and other media is inconsistent with its treatment of porn. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/84 "2011-12-14T18:11:41Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > 😕 The law of which country doesn’t allow for parents restricting materials from young children? What? The US Constitution says that the government cannot censor a content creator’s right to free speech. Gamemakers have set up a system that allows retailers to limit who is able to purchase which games. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > That’s the whole point: SCOTUS’ treatment of video games and other media is inconsistent with its treatment of porn. How so? Porn _ **is** _ different than video games, books, movies, non-porn films. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/85 "2011-12-14T19:21:36Z")
If you can tell the difference between fiction and reality, then video games won’t affect you. If you can’t, then video games are the least of your problems. Yes, it really is that freaking simple. Excepting ridiculously contrived scenarios as found in the painful movie _Gamer_, at no point do video games blur the line between virtual fantasy and reality to a degree where an otherwise sane person thinks it’s okay to harm someone in reality. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/86 "2011-12-14T20:01:37Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > You don’t think violent video games aren’t the least bit harmful? That having your kid kill, fight, maim, steal, and \_\_\_\_\_\_ is having a positive effect on his growth and development? No more than laser tag, cops and robbers, or “smear the queer” from when I was a kid. That latter had an ESPECIALLY healthy effect on the growth and development of the kid who got declared “the queer”–all that running and quick direction changes, combined with trying to visually located a teacher who might give half a ratfuck on a crowded playground. That’s what made me the NFL player I am today. _ducks_ I’m unconcerned. I think raising my child to tell the difference between fiction and reality will be more than sufficient to insulate them from the pants-wetting terror of playing video games. Does that mean I’m going to let my five-year-old play Grand Theft Auto? No, I’m not. Obviously, works of fiction have varying levels of age-appropriateness. By the same token, I’m basically unconcerned if when she’s 14 my daughter wants to play GTA–by then, she will have a fairly solid handle on the difference between a fictional narrative and reality, and if she doesn’t then I may well re-evaluate. ---
**Author:** ![TheUthaBrutha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@TheUthaBrutha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheUthaBrutha)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/87 "2011-12-14T21:28:37Z")
I remember watch Screen Savers on TechTV (or something like that) years ago and Kevin Rose and the rest of the people, pretty much agreed they do get more aggressive after playing violent video games. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/88 "2011-12-14T21:33:07Z")
A well-controlled study that! Did they also agree on what other things made them more aggressive? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/89 "2011-12-14T21:43:58Z")
> [@TheUthaBrutha](#): > > I remember watch Screen Savers on TechTV (or something like that) years ago and Kevin Rose and the rest of the people, pretty much agreed they do get more aggressive after playing violent video games. Reading _ **violent bible passages** _ can make someone more aggressive. [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660199036/Research-links-some-scriptures-to-hostile-acts.html](http://www.deseretnews.com/article/660199036/Research-links-some-scriptures-to-hostile-acts.html) Aggression meter studies are all a load of bullshit in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Omg\_a\_Black\_Conservative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omg_a_Black_Conservative)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/90 "2011-12-14T21:56:37Z")
I’ve yet to to carjack someone, beat them to an inch of their lives, go on a high speed chase, run over a few pedestrians in the process, have a fire fight with the cops and then screw and kill a few prostitutes, so I’d say no. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/91 "2011-12-14T23:21:08Z")
[QUOTE=Justin\_Bailey] How so? Porn _ **is** _ different than video games, books, movies, non-porn films. [/QUOTE] Can you provide a non-tautological definition of that difference? ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/92 "2011-12-14T23:23:40Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > A well-controlled study that! Did they also agree on what other things made them more aggressive? It broke down into a fistfight before they could cover all the details. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/93 "2011-12-15T02:21:48Z")
Actually, I’ve changed my mind. Videogames DO make you violent. I’ve just finished reviewing the latest drop from our animation outsourcer and now I feel like punching someone … . 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/94 "2011-12-15T12:55:07Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Can you provide a non-tautological definition of that difference? Porn is real in the sense that the person depicted is actually naked with the intent to titillate/having sex. Books, TV, movies, and games are not as none of it ever happened. That’s why they’re different in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/95 "2011-12-15T14:55:03Z")
When you have sex, your intent is to titillate viewers? Ur doin’ it rong. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/96 "2011-12-15T18:07:26Z")
I believe that media does cause us to emulate what we see. Of course, certain caveats have to be made. The vast majority of people who watch movies or play video games will never try to do anything they see, but [it certainly happens because of movies](http://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/20/us/disney-plans-to-omit-film-scene-after-teen-ager-dies-imitating-it.html), and you’d be a fool to believe that a video game, essentially an interactive movie, does not affect some people in much the same way. Keep in mind, though, that “the movie/video game made me do it” argument is ridiculous. People do things of their own free will. That they derive ideas from media does not exempt them from responsibility for their actions. But to say that video games don’t influence behavior is to deny common sense. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/97 "2011-12-15T18:15:48Z")
Anyone stupid enough to be run over because he saw it in a movie is stupid enough to do it without seeing the movie. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/98 "2011-12-15T18:37:29Z")
So what? It’s not about intelligence. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/99 "2011-12-15T18:38:44Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > But to say that video games don’t influence behavior is to deny common sense. Would you say video games have a greater influence than movies/books/art/peers, though? Certainly they’re a class of media, but there seems to be a persistent effort to single out games as notably worse than other forms. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751/100 "2011-12-15T18:40:22Z")
Seems to me that getting the idea for stupid things like lying in the road is a little different than engaging in violence. Violence isn’t really something that someone ever has to give you the idea for. It isn’t like someone would never have thought of pushing someone out of the way unless you told them about it first. On the other hand, who would have ever thought about lying on something face down perfectly stiff? Obviously that took off because of exposure, and some less than foresightful people have died accidentally from doing so. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-video-games-make-you-violent/605751.md?page=6)