Desensitized

[Marcus]

Over the last couple of years I have outgrown action/violent type of movies in favour of comedies or intelligent movies.

Last week I watched agains't my better judgement a movie called 28 days Later. A violent horror that has real life scenes of violence, awful violence that will forever be etched in my memory banks. In my teenage and very early 20's I would of watched this movie with no effect on my psyche. But, a week later this movie still disturbs me.

It seems our entertainment could possibly be a factor to our current social problems?

I just wanted to share that I'm amazed how quickly one can become desensitized to violence. It's a contempary issue but still very important.

[Lachie]

Hi Marcus,

I know exactly what you mean. Those opening scenes of 28 Days Later were terrible, with the burning people and the hanging guy. When I was reading the freedom forum recently and then i played a violent video game, it felt terrible to shoot someone in the face in the game. Very bad. So, sensitization can occur quickly, too.

Lachie

[Kestrel]

After I read the book. I lost intrest in a video game which I played quite often.

I lost pride in all of my fantasys of violent heros. I try to stay away from such violence yet still. I am exposed to such through the television occasionally. It is so very primitive, its so very sad. Once I examined violence and thought about why, whats the purpouse, what dose it really accomplish. It gave me a renewed respect for those whom stand up against such actions.

Among such people I admire for this reason is the Unknown Teintament (exuse the spelling) Square Protestor. He was in the pedestrian cross walk anyways Perhaps he just had a cramp or something.

I think that both Tom Chalko and Michel Desqmarqet make references to this man. Hes unknown in name, however I feel this individual has true attributes to character. Courage is a word that comes to mind. I think it takes more courage to do that then it would to fire a missle at it the tank?
Jump out infront of it with machine guns.

Also of course Gahndi and Mr. Martin Luther King Jnr.
In my nation people remeber MLK, however for what? I think he had courage and even proved that many more people did as he encouraged them to act with out violence.

I know each time somone asks me about joining the millitary, they are offended or simply dont understand why I would refuse to join it. I simply tell them, "Its my choice".

[Marcus]

I know each time somone asks me about joining the millitary, they are offended or simply dont understand why I would refuse to join it. I simply tell them, "Its my choice".

Great answer Kestrel.

[Meedan]

This is a good page on violent video games: http://www.chris.cc/video.htm

[Kestrel]

I think there are many aspects to violence.

Violence brings power via fear. It becomes tools of tyrants.
Violence makes you a man. Violence makes you a hero. Ect. (Steryotypical of course I dont think that.)

I once asked my cousin whom is always at odds with me because I am "ye of little faith" dispite my attempts to convince him otherwise.

I said and this was before I read the Thiaoouba prophecy. "Thou Shall not Kill" Then why do chrisitan individuals goto war?

He of course has a witty explination, "Its mistranslated it's actually "Thou shall not murder" So basically its not murder when you're fighting for you're country. Again in his eyes.

I think this is common that people just make exuces like that. Anyone whom has the courage to understand the perpetual circles of violence. Then decides its wiser to resist or "love thy enemy" or attempt co-exsistance, thats courage to me. I respect that.

Its so sad to me, that people are so entertained by such violence. Animals recive so much abuse I think because of it too. I know of some sick kids I've heared stories, they shoot their pets and ect.

The worst part is that these kids their parents get them other pets its just horrible.

I also think that this would be a good quote. " The first ingredient in violence is ignorance to the universe and you're intellect " ~ Kestrel

~ K e s

[Marcus]

This is a good page on violent video games: http://www.chris.cc/video.htm

Very good link Meedan - I will be forwarding to someone I know who plays a game called Postal 2. I won't even begin to describe this filth.

One thing though, the guy who wrote the article owns a number of firearms and claims they are available for car thefts. This takes away from the impact of the article I think.

[Meedan]

I haven't looked at the other pages on that site yet, I just feel that the page encapsulates all of the reasons so clearly why I stopped playing violent games.

I have seen Postal 2 being played. I marvel at the stupidity and/or ignorance of these game developers. Since stopping playing violent video games, I have explored some 'adventure' games. There are very many excellent adventure games, and these types of games can combine puzzles, humour and creativity. Unfortunately, most adventure games are seen as being for children only. It seems that anything without violence is.

[bomohwkl]

Last week I watched agains't my better judgement a movie called 28 days Later

It clearly demostrated that city is a death trap when wide scale disaster happened.

The reason that people playing violent games are
1.) There have nothing better to do in real world
2.) They want to escape from the reality into fantasy just to escape of the problems or tasks.

I don't think playing violent games really relax your mind and body. Basically, most people can be classified into the 1st reason. There are so much stuffs to do in the world such as self-improvement which is very beneficial to yourself rather than playing violent games where techniques learned from the game could rarely be useful in the real world.

[Kestrel]

Just a few weeks ago, there were 3 Kids that threw rocks off a bridge unto the highway below.

Thats not only a great disrespect to bricks, being they possibly could have been a antique brick, or even worse an antique fire brick. (Keep in mind I lay bricks So I try to add some humor)

Anyways yeah its sad because these kids are throwing these objects off a bridge onto cars going 65-70 Miles Per hour. Its simple pysicis. If it hit in a windshield of a car they could have EASLY killed somone with a face impact.

It said on the news one person was taken to the hosbital via ambulance. Also an Amblance was hit and dented the celling in the back. It was enroute to the hosbital. However it clearly dose demonstrate that these kids are bored !
The judge made them write lists on things to do when bordem sets in, thats terrible. They live in a big city and indeed apparently there is nothing for them to do ?

Another factor is money of course. I think that we stop taking care of people, in this case I think that the children should have some place to go to just play what ever or run around in a park or something what not. I think that with the all mighty dallor this is just pushed aside its tragic. I mean as a whole we should take care of eachother.

[Vesko]

Good to hear about your interests. My company is developing an adventure game that you may be interested in when it is released. No, you won't be forced to buy it in order to try it. I've been playing the Sierra, LucasArts and others' adventures since early childhood. Such games are almost no longer in production since 1996, and unfortunately the proliferating amateur scene right now is doing little beyond pushing half-baked games, IMHO.

I haven't looked at the other pages on that site yet, I just feel that the page encapsulates all of the reasons so clearly why I stopped playing violent games.

I have seen Postal 2 being played. I marvel at the stupidity and/or ignorance of these game developers. Since stopping playing violent video games, I have explored some 'adventure' games. There are very many excellent adventure games, and these types of games can combine puzzles, humour and creativity. Unfortunately, most adventure games are seen as being for children only. It seems that anything without violence is.

[Vesko]

It would be a glaring omission not to mention Mr. John Carmack, the creator of Doom. The US Columbine school shooting in 1999 was due to his game, according to the shooters' words and the material evidence. The kids who did it were obsessed with the game, and one even did a Doom level just like the school.
Then come Rockstar Games, with their GTA 3 and the kids who in 2003 managed to shoot dead people on a highway, and later admitted they were copying the game. Simply gruesome, unbelievable things.

Lachie, could you please post the link I fowarded to you recently about games and violence? I can't find it, yet it was a good one.
It is such a bad feeling to read how only psychologists are the ones who think that violent games cause violent behaviour. Amazingly, even despite the many apparently highly-educated industry geniuses out there who somehow must be able to work out that violence breeds violence, the industry and the government are not of this opinion, too. It makes me feel strange that people do not understand such things with all the evidence before them.

[Lachie]

http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101, ... _tophead_4

Whenever I play violent games before bed, I can never sleep well, I always think violent things in my head as I lay there. I have found meditation a good cure for this.

As much as I can't fully believe that violent games CAUSE violent behaviour - after all, many many people play violent games, and only 1 or 2 cases of violence have been recorded (and the link was quite dubious) - i certainly can believe that they cause some mental effects, and they can warp the user. for example, instead of walking away they might start to fight instead (wrecking the basic fight or flight response).

Lachie

[Vesko]

Thank you, Lachie.
Here are I think the 2 most, hm, how to say, sentences in the article.

Game makers counter that parents are responsible for the games kids play -- and need to understand that games aren't just for kids anymore. Some evidence also exists that kids don't particularly seek out violent games and don't have unfettered access to them.

Did they mean that the game developers were kids?

[Vesko]

See the following for how a young life was wasted in a gruesome manner, and how we don't get it at all. As long as official conclusions as those in the article are made by so-called experts on Earth, there will be no hope of seeing a better future for the planet. This is the second murder by young kids "inspired" by "the leading" game company Rockstar Games. The first murder was already mentioned in this topic and has been caused by their previous game Grand Theft Auto 3.

"Manhunter Blamed For Teen's Murder"

http://games.keypoint.com.au/modules.ph ... cle&sid=84

Notable quotes (the emphasis in bold is mine):

14 year old Stefan Pakeerah was lured into a park by 17 year old Warren Leblanc in Febuary of this year and beat Pakeerah repeatedly with a claw hammer before stabbing him to death.
After Leblanc's guitly plea on Wednesday, Pakeerah's mother, Giselle, claimed that Leblanc was obsessed with the game that rewarded points of excessively violent killings.

"When one looks at what Warren did to Stephan and looks at the brutality and viciousness of the game one can see links," she said

Any such links have been rejected by the British Board of Film Certification (BBFC), saying that game (which had been given an 18+ certificate) could not be held accountable as there was no evidence directly linking the playing of games with violent behaviour.

Likewise, the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association, the voluntary standards body for the video game industry, said: "We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah. However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of the video game Manhunt."

A statement from the game's publishers Rockstar North said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by these tragic events.

"Rockstar Games is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment geared towards mature audiences and markets its games responsibly, targeting advertising and marketing only to adult consumers ages 18 and older.

"Rockstar Games submits every game for certification to the BBFC - British Board of Film Certification and clearly marks the game with the BBFC-approved rating."

Amen.