I can't help but shake my head wondering if truely our nation is going to adapt and survive in the upcoming millenium? Or are we to be condemn by our own cruel ignorance?
Firstly, the LA Times. It seems to have done their homework, getting lots of figures and statistics pertaining to the topic... but has nothing to do with the issue. So, I skipped it.
Firstly, Dr. Diane Schetky (interviewed child Psychologist) is against violent video games and made the following quotes:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>What happens is that some of these kids who aren't succeeding socially turn to video games....[/quote]
This is true. However, there are also people who are socially well-adjusted and play video games. Also, violent video games are not a direct indicator of malign anti-social behavior. For example, you can play Pac-Man all day and be just as anti-social. You can also be just as anti-social with numerous types of other activities such as stamp collecting or bird watching. All you have to do find something to do that doesn't require socializing.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Kids are not cognitively mature. Their minds are still developing.[/quote]
First of all, Child Psychology or Psychology in general is still a work in progress. Nobody has or will ever have it completely nailed down to absolute science. However, when you read that quote above, the knee-jerk reaction is that they have, or at least she has.
Who is "kids"? Because the late Columbine shooters were teenagers, not really kids. This makes a big difference depending on how you define "cognitively mature". Those have have taken as little as a basic college-level Psychology course will know that folks like Jean Piaget indicates there are two types of cognitive processes within people younger than adults: Concrete cognition and Abstract cognition. Concrete cognition starts out very early. Kids as young as 2 years old is able to grab something and say, "Mine!". Abstract cognition, however, doesn't start until at least 7 to 13, depending on who you ask. Abstract cognition, incidentally, is the phase where they learn to distinguish different types of mediums, allowing them to separate fantasy from reality. 2 year olds may not know the difference between what they see on TV and what they see out the window. But I can assure you, most high school kids can, including the two Columbine gunmen. So what did she mean by, "Kids are not cognitively mature"? Who knows? I'm not going to waste my time trying to figure out what she had meant to say.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Some fantasize about being powerful. Michael's fantasy was that he was going to take over the school and people would respect him. And that was his solution to years of harassment. He really hadn't thought the plan out very well.[/quote]
How many of us here have ever fantasized about being powerful at least once in their lives? How many of us here have ever wanted people to respect us? How many here have ever picked up a gun and a shot a school to "get respect"? 'Nuff said.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>He fired with uncanny accuracy. "There's been some suggestion that these games are increasing the effectiveness of kids who kill. Michael hit eight kids with eight shots.[/quote]
Let's see. If I was to waltz into a totally unprepared, unsuspecting high school full of unarmed school kids and educators with a firearm, I wonder how difficult it would be for me to shoot? Hmm....
Besides, exactly what does she mean by "there's been some suggestion"? Is that suppose to convince me of the evil that manifests itself in video games? Simply because she heard from somewhere that a study has been "suggested"?
Grossman has the following to say:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Video games are frighteningly effective "murder simulators" that produce youthful assassins in the same way that Uncle Sam trains military killers.[/quote]
I think Grossman might have been mistaken about the "desensitization" issue, but I could be wrong. The intent of the simulators is to simulate. It's cheaper to drive a simulated tank or fire simulated artillery rounds rather than to do the real thing. So, simulations has a role to play as part of the military training process. But, as far as I know, simulations has NOTHING to do with desensitization. And again, I'm not a West Point Psychology prof., nor do I even pretend to be one in my dreams.
But I do know that if you're going to use a medium to "desensitize", you might as well show your troops movies such as, "Saving Private Ryan" because that is far more realistic than any video games I know of.
Grossman admits he has never played Kingpin. I have played and completed the demo. I thought it was a really cool game, but it never gave me the urge to grab a gun and shoot a school. It probably wouldn't matter if Grossman played Kingpin or not. I doubt if he'll ever change his mind.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>But Grossman argues that Carneal seemed to have learned advanced shooting tactics. "It is not natural to fire one shot at every target.[/quote]
Will those in this forum who practices double taps, or at least thinks it's not a bad idea, please raise your hand? Heck, if I had my way, all of my firearms would fire 3 round bursts. Well, maybe I'm being a little dramatic when I say that. Perhaps he refers to John Farnam's "Barroom theory"? One round for everyone before anyone get seconds? Such is true, but only when the situation calls for it. To do it ALL the time is not a sign a real, experienced shooter.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Pilots learn to fly those jumbo jets on computer simulators, and the Army tank corps uses computer simulators to make the corps world-class. My eldest son learned to drive a car on a computer....The fact is, computers are great training tools. There's no doubt that Doom and other games are in fact murder simulators.[/quote]
We seem to keep forgetting that realistic simulators are designed to simulate. Games such as Doom is designed to be entertaining. Most 3D perspective games that fall into the Quake category are commonly known as Run&Gun's but with good reasons. How many people here have tried to run full sprint for about 20-30 yards, then stop and shoot? Imagine how much more difficult it is to run AND shoot. But on a video game, you can do it and shoot PERFECTLY, hence the label Run&Gun. The most successful Quake-like players are undoubedly those who have learned to run&gun. How then, can they be murder simulators if they teach such unrealistic tactics??? Kingpin's creator also agrees by stating the following:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>He explains that the protagonist in Kingpin, at its top speed, runs at 42 mph, can fall several stories without a scratch, and only has to shoot in the general direction of an enemy to hit the mark. And every character in the game seems to be able to sustain several bullet wounds before so much as letting out a groan. Markham created a version of Kingpin that was strictly realistic. Aiming was unassisted -- you needed to point your weapon carefully to hit anything -- and one bullet to a lethal area would kill you. "You lasted about three seconds, and it was not fun," Markham says.[/quote]
In short, they are games, not simulators.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Jenkins doesn't want to be misunderstood; he wouldn't recommend letting a 10-year-old play Kingpin. But he'd rather that parents made that decision and not the government. "These are expensive games. If kids are playing them, adults are buying. The challenge is to educate the adult community that not all games are for kids. It's about exercising judgment in your own family. But the Grossmans would like to see us legislate morality and taste."[/quote]
Now this, I can agree with. We live in hysterial times, people. Many mediums are being demonized. Our guns are being demonized, now even video games?! VIDEO GAMES?!?! Do you realize how stupid this makes us look as a society? That of all the things we can be worried about, video games has to be one of them. This is just absurd.
[This message has been edited by SB (edited October 30, 1999).]
