I love how you can tell the people who actually read the articles vs the people who didn't. The articles are not antivideo game by any stretch. They actually take a pretty objective view that if anything is pro-parenting more than anything else, in addition to debunking some of the popular media myths about video games.

TheGreySpectre

Even though this is old news, I'm surprised at the reactions. Study after study, and book after book, have all been saying the same thing for a few years now; violent video games do not make the players commit violent acts. Violent crime committed by teenagers has been going down since the early 1990's, and the popularity of gaming has increased. Some people see a connection. But politicians and other 'leaders' always need a scapegoat to blame. It used to be comic books. Then it was rock n roll. The current boogeyman is video games. The truth is that this is really a non-issue. The gaming industry gets bigger every year regardless of it's detractors. We all know that gaming will eventually become the #1 entertainment/activity in society. The film industry declines each year, and the music industry is looking at gaming and dlc as it's new revenue stream. The future of gaming is inevitable and unstoppable. The trend towards casual gaming proves it.

coalhalo

Read? What the hell is that? lol

Seriously guys/gals, nice job in jumping to conclusions on this one. That'll do wonders to the public's perception of a video gamer.

mitch079

Christ read the article before you comment you lazy bitches.

Looking forward to this book being debunked by expert panels on Fox news!

Sunjammer

not true.
i let my 10 years old cousin play GTA 3:SA, but he's still not insane.

trebors

Ill be waiting for this book to come out and just might add it in my pile of things to read for kicks.

Witzbold

Grand Theft Childhood, the crime of stealing someone's childhood?

Gladman

@DONAR: Never!

TrevWolf

@ warf0x0r

It's been said a few dozen times now, but the book is pro gaming. Try reading the article THEN posting a comment.

DONAR

Omg, Violent video games are killing babies and rapig virgins! Read all about it.

Where's my publishing monies?!?

warf0x0r

The sensationalist presentation is probably more of a trap to get people to read the book who are paranoid about video games, then they find out the opposite to what they thought.

Cunning.

Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.

@HawaiianActor: edit* "it just WOULDN'T work out"

HawaiianActor

if you look at pure statistics, violent crimes in the united states have been on a steady decline since the 70's. this is based on what's available on government websites. if you look at the most violent places on earth it generally has to do with poverty, dicontent and religion and this has always been the case in documented history.

diodegrey

@snakepliskin: The exact same here. As I reseached it, there was something wrong with each of the perps. Medication, mental health, and other issues. I got a 7(AP) on that essay, btw.

KM91

OMG! Does this mean that children shouldn't play Grand Theft Auto? Does it also mean that they shouldn't watch porn or do drugs or get drunk! Holy moly!

octoSink

@lasttimeyouaskedme: because they are not the exact same thing. comparing images to sound, to interactivity just would work out. think of it this way, hearing a song that mentions shooting someone in the head, will get a different reaction from people than watching a movie where they actually show someone getting shot in the head, which would get a different reaction from a game where you yourself go and shoot someone in the head. i know it seems like an over complicated mess, and leaves room for debate (i am still partial to the EwcR rating level myself), but it is like trying to compare apples to oranges to bananas.

btw, bananas win...

HawaiianActor

@frostcircus: But in today's debates, any show of consideration for opposing viewpoints is just used to negate opinions, so it's understandable to dismiss sources off-hand if they might benefit the opposing side. It cuts off intellectual conversation, but that's just the way it works these days.

rdj

"As one boy told us, "When I play violent games like (Grand Theft Auto) Vice City, I know it's a videogame. And I have fun playing it. But I know not to do stuff like that, because I know the consequences that will happen to me if I do that stuff.""

You mean they aren't as stupid as the mass-media thinks they are? That's a relief. :p

munkah

this is a complicated issue...

If you want to disambiguate the videogame ratings system, why not just have the same board rate games that rates movies...

Everyone is familar with G, PG, PG13, and R...

why overcomplicate something just for the sake of doing so?

why not rate films, music, and games on the same exact scale?

lasttimeyouaskedme

I may have to check out this book! some funny comments though from people who don't read the actual article!
OHMYGOD THE MEDIA IS AT IT AGAIN RAWR RAWR, I'M GONNA FUDGIN KILL THEM ALLS FOR DARING TO SAY MY PRECIOUS GAMES R MAKING ME VIOLENT....whats that puzzle quest? You want me to kill everyone? ohh you want me to play you some more...of course

excel_excel

@PatMan33: I can't help it - the videogames broke my strong moral fibre and crafted a steely-eyed killer.

TrevWolf

@HawaiianActor: @creepwood: The ironing is delicious!

doctorwily

@HawaiianActor: Truth, lots of kneejerk reaction posts criticising people for having kneejerk reactions.

creepwood

@onidavin:

Trust me, the opposition doesn't give two shits about science.

But I read some of the excerpts, and damned if I don't plan on buying this book.

DarkTetsuya

@Merik2013: i love that there are more "you need to actually read the article" comments than there are comments by people who didn't read them. i only read the first one, and skimmed the second one, but i was just adding a funny (imo at least) comment here.

HawaiianActor

This is a book I want to check out. It seems to have balance between the two than just simply being sensationalist. I know others have stated that the book is on "our" side, but that's a little to presumptuous. I know Gamepolitics reported this book earlier, and it is best to read the entire thing first than just automatically embracing it from hearing that it is in favor of a gamer's view. I'm actually hoping this is more of a parental thing to be honest.

超外人

@TrevWolf: Bad! BAD! You're not supposed to do that!

PatMan33

k, for the millionth time, this book is not repeating sensationalist BS, this book is on OUR side, it's shooting down the sensationalism that's going on by countering them with ACTUAL research for a change. After reading all these idiotic comments I have to wonder how many of you people actually read the Kotaku articles before commenting on them...

Merik2013

Wow, reading through two of those, it's... gasp, as if someone actually did some research and acted like intelligent human beings! Holy crap! Not because it's defending gaming, but more or less telling parents to be better parents and pay attention to what they're doing. Gaming isn't the problem, most likely it's you as a parent.

Then again, we're on a gaming website, and I have a feeling most gamer-parents on this site are going to be a little more open minded in the gaming department when it comes to their kids, and will know better. (At least, I hope so.)

Ampillion, now with the hair stylings of TVs Frank

@Black-Dog-Howls: oh yea, i travelled back in time to 1944 and began my assult on normandy after playing Call of Duty. In fact, recent studies show that is how WW2 began; too many WW2 shooter video games released caused a mass time travelled induced frenzy of epic proportions causing a full out war. damn video games

HawaiianActor

OMG, all you people that are outraged about the book really, REALLY need to get some reading comprehension skills, actually have a little less ADD, and go AND READ WHAT CONCLUSIONS THEIR RESEARCH ACTUALLY CAME UP WITH. If you read any of the many articles linked to in this post alone, you'd learn they aren't against the game industry at all in their findings and even mention that you people are mentioning about other mediums having similar effects when tests are run. Sheesh.

I know everyone likes to get on their high horse about issues like these, but lets not go attacking something that actually presents their findings in a POSITIVE light for games.

hotcoffeeburns

@frostcircus: Whoops. I was a bit too hasty with those last replies. Can you blame gamers for being on the defensive? We get so much negative news!

choirovwolves

@noisewar: I see your point entirely, and many of us share that sentiment. The problem is that games are given the double-standard treatment...

choirovwolves

@frostcircus: "Preaching to the choir", hence the name. Everyone knows that hell hath no fury like gamers scorned! Remember the chick who had her books spoiled on Amazon? Yeah.

choirovwolves

Okay enough!

Gamers and the gaming press need to be less defensive. Violent games are absolutely going to be an influence on some people, and there is no doubt they can raise your aggression/adrenaline levels... that's the very definition of thrill.

Instead, we should be pointing out that EVERY other entertainment medium does this as well, not just games, and we shouldn't be unfairly singled out unless they can PROVE that interactivity inherently makes it worse.

Games are not 100 percent harmless. Address the issue with an openmind and we'll get farther than this researche-is-all-lies crap.

noisewar

@choirovwolves: Way to read buddy. Way to read. They actually come down in favor of the games industry, which it even states in the Kotaku article. Odds are you don't even read.

hotcoffeeburns

Given the sensationalist presentation, who knows what it'll really be like science-wise.

@snakepliskin: This is true. The effects are usually very short-lived and often are from post-game measures of aggression (as in, they are done very close time-wise) instead of testing with a time gap as well.

onidavin

@choirovwolves: You realise that your knee-jerk reaction (and the inevitable millions like it) is identical in every way to those that it decries, right?

Okay good!

frostcircus

I commanded legions of mutated parasites in a two minute domination of South Korea after playing Starcraft.

Black-Dog-Howls

@choirovwolves: Umm ... that's pretty much what this study says; it's kind of pro-gaming. Or, rather, it's not anti-gaming.

jayntampa

...and these scholars have credence why? Odds are they don't even play the games that they write about: only regurgitating the same moot as sensational media outlets. Sure, kids are prone are to the influence of media, but parents are still responsible for giving them a sense of morality, justice, etc.

choirovwolves

I actually submitted a research proposal on violent video games and read alot of pscyhological journal articles as background. From almost every study i read it seemed that the effects of the games were pretty short lived and there never seemed to be any permanent effects. If you actually read the studies themselves theyre pretty objective but what happens is the media gets ahold of the articles and twist them way out of context.

snakepliskin

After playing Doom, I personally strangled then buggered a puppy.

TrevWolf