When the WikiLeaks video hit, the video game comparisons came fast and furious, including on this show, where we looked at a report that video games might help overcome people's natural resistance to shooting at one another. Now the Supreme Court is going to look at whether the a ban on sale of violent video games to minors is constitutional. If they support the ban, it would be the first time that the obscenity rule has been applied to violent images rather than sexual ones.
To discuss video games, violence, and the shrinking difference between gaming and military technology, we have Joel Johnson of Gizmodo and Seth Schiesel of the New York Times, two technology and games reporters. And since we had a Gizmodo reporter on the line, we just had to ask about the iPhone. . .
The people you had on commentating on this issue were obviously desensitzed to the violence caused by the use of video games. They misinformed such as comparing the interactivity of the violent games to reading a book. They don’t know what they’re talking about. The use of simulationis is a useful tool–in this case learning how to kill–used in everything from learning to fly an airplane to snuffing out the so-called bad guys. Gee, funny the so-called enemy thinks we’re the bad guys. How strange.
The military industrial complex are quite happy with the jerks who are teaching our kids that violence is cool.Simulaed killing is a form of killing–by definition.
Killing under the cloak of war is murder, albert einstein.
By tomcavanaugh on April 30th, 2010 at 4:14 am
lol amazing info bro.
By limewire on April 30th, 2010 at 5:07 am
[...] would be the first time the obscenity law has been applied to violence rather than sexual content. Let’s let GRITtv take up the slack here, who interview Gizmodo’s Joel Johnson and the New York Times’ Seth Schiesel on the [...]
By RPS On GRITtv On Supreme Court On Games | Rock, Paper, Shotgun on May 1st, 2010 at 6:01 am
As I watched that actual video feed of Americans, ( shown in this interview), engaging insurgents I was not struck by any feeling that they were dislocated from an actual “killing”. These soldiers knew that it wasn’t a video game and didn’t treat it as one. They were actively requesting permission to ‘shoot’ these insurgents. In a video game you “die” over and over and children can differentiate between violence toward a person in reality and violence on the video screen. I feel that banning these games would only serve to stereotype children as unintelligent and not as the bright individuals the majority of them are.
By Rod McPhie on May 1st, 2010 at 8:16 am
Excuse me, Mister Cavanaugh, but if anybody here is misinformed and not knowing what they are talking about, it is you. Yes, games are interactive, requiring the gamer’s participation in the act of killing via the actions taken by the player character against enemies in the fictional realm in which the player character exists. Unfortunately what you so obviously fail to realize is that the act of this simulated killing is NECESSARY to the ADVANCEMENT of the game. Whereas to read a book, one must keep track of his place and turn the pages, to play a game, one must operate the controller device to make his simulated avatar go through the motions of combat. And while, yes, the use of simulation can make you, well, BETTER at killing, should the need for you to kill arise, no amount of conditioning can prepare you for when the time comes and you have to pull that trigger, because not everyone can. And God knows, if your enemy is prepared to kill, it might not even matter if you yourself are, because being prepared to kill is no guarantee of survival, it’s just a chance to live a little longer.
And as for these “jerks” as you call them who are teaching our kids that violence is cool? My friend’s brother is a game developer. Of course, he makes games like Mario or whatever. Kids’ games. But it ain’t like he wouldn’t rather work on a real game like Call of Duty. Because these jerks are real people. They aren’t some asshole handing your kid a loaded gun and saying “Hey, see how many dudes you can pop,” they’re real people, people like me, people who want to come up with new ideas, new weapons to run around and kill each other with in a fun little simulated battle (one that we take no actual part in, and nobody goes home injured, missing arms, shell shocked or dead), and just basically, at the day, tell a cool story that we thought up that has mature themes like sex, drugs and violence, and if any kids hear the story, well tough shit, they weren’t supposed to anyway, so I really don’t care.
And as to that Einstein quote: I ain’t never done nothin’ of value with my life, but I killed hundreds of thousands of people that never existed playing videogames. Einstein did many wonderful things with his life in the service of making the world a better place, but his scientific knowledge was used under the cloak of war to murder hundreds of thousands of people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and those people DID exist.
By Chris Mathers on May 2nd, 2010 at 8:13 am
Alber einstein was an avowed pacifist, as am I , and your attempt to insinuate he was responsible for the bomb is absurd and inaccurate.
At least you seem to admit it’s all about making money your mentioning of a fun simulated battle pretty much says it all
At the risk of sounding pompous, I don’t find training to kill to be either moral or fun and people like yourself have degraded this cultuere because violent, interactive video games most definitely alter the brain’s ability to empathize with their fellow humans
Creating enemies so you can destroy them is very immoral, in my opinion
Love your enemies. Jesus of Nazareth
By tomcavanaugh on May 3rd, 2010 at 6:12 pm
[...] Source: GRITtv [...]
By Violence, Video Games, and the Supreme Court | Amauta on May 4th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I’m very pleased to see a news report that fairly represents the side of video games. Most media is very biased on these issues to get shock value.
By Mashmagar on May 5th, 2010 at 8:55 pm
I have been playing violent games for 30 years. I am much more empathic than most people I talk to.
I find my hostility is vented by these games, not increased. Those who claim harm to children need to
show accepted studies to prove the charge; as i do not see it. Video games sales of mature games are not
allowed for children already. Accusers like to pretend to take a stand on imaginary morals so to avoid the
real world issues involved in military murder and theft of the resources of other countries.
By Allen Gerhardt on May 6th, 2010 at 9:54 am
I hate to rehash something that you’re probably not even gonna respond to since it’s been so long, but meh, I really am that bored.
My point about Einstein had nothing to do with the man himself, but with his research. He did wonderful things, better things than you or I, and you know what happened? Other people bastardized his research to create a weapon so powerful it could theoretically wipe out the entire planet and, if we really are alone in the universe, which I kinda hope we aren’t, life itself.
As for pacifism, you go right ahead with that. Have fun handing over all your money to some scumbag with a weapon. Be happy and optimistic and make the best of a sh*tty situation, I guess.
I never said anything about money. There’s money to be made in the games industry to be sure, but being a writer, artist, designer, programmer, animator or actor is usually something that somebody wants to do for reasons other than money.
Okay, that risk of sounding pompous you took was a swing and a miss. Fun is what you make of it, so if you don’t like videogames, go fly a kite. If you think I’m degrading your culture, well, I feel sorry for you. I can’t sympathize with everyone, but, like Allen Gerhardt over there, I also consider myself more empathic than most people I talk to. I can see where you’re coming from, but I disagree because you haven’t given me any hard statistics to back your case up, although I wouldn’t trust stats anyway, because I’ve seen stats arguing both for and against. The fact is, you might not like the way most people think, but look at it like this – games are the domain of geeks and nerds. 10 years ago gamers were stereotypes who lived in mom’s basement, had imaginary girlfriends, and didn’t use deodorant. Now with the widespread popularity of the internet, gaming and geekery have become mainstream. Grand Theft Auto, that one they blame for ALL of society’s problems, expanded my horizons in terms of musical interest. Now I enjoy punk rock, heavy metal, rap music, country music, classical music, disco, new wave, and pop music from the 80s.
And lastly, I ain’t creating enemies to destroy. Other people are creating enemies for the main character in the game’s story to destroy. Hell, they aren’t even really my enemies, they’re my player character’s enemies. Allow me if you will to compare games to movies for a second – Star Wars: Luke Skywalker doesn’t NOT join the Rebellion simply because you stop watching the movie. And the Doom guy doesn’t stop killing demons to teeny tiny pieces just because you don’t play Doom.
Love your enemies…that’s funny. I don’t HAVE any enemies. Unless you feel like being more open-minded toward video games, all I can say is enjoy your Bible. Hope you take it’s most important lessons to heart. I don’t believe in any one religion, but I figure they all have their merits, so, uh, yeah.
By Chris Mathers on May 26th, 2010 at 4:28 am