Do Video Games Make You Violent? An In-Depth Analysis

This **** only happens in USA, the rest of the world doesn't become violent due to playing games for kids.

My my, are we in denial or just plain arrogant? Seriously, the rest of the world is no different? You will find violence in every populated area of the world, regardless of whether they just so happen to play games.

Truth be told I don't think so. I am a product of the 80s. My first game console was a passed down Atari 2600, later on I had a Sega Genesis with nothing but fighting games and sonic games. Now says I still play battlefield games, Batman games, Half-Life series, even Payday: The Heist. If anything they're more stress relief than anything else. While in middle and high school I would go home and play these games while my peers were busy getting arrested and transferred to Juvenile Hall.

Personally I believe this whole debate is the product of parents not wanting to take credit for their part in raising their children.

Really?! 10 Million is being wasted on research about Violent video games and real life violence?!

Fact of the matter is you've got to be a little bit messed in the head to walk into a school and shoot everybody, a video game will not force you to do this, the most a video game could do is suggest such a practice if the game has a violent enough story, but so do films and books (and music) so I'm pretty sure there's nothing to worry about.

That's all there is to it, why on earth would game developers develop games that force you to kill people in real life?

Wait a second, they're not forcing anybody! wow took me 5 seconds to work that out, guess 10 MILLION (seriously, 10,000,000) won't need to be wasted...

Yes. Violence comes from the animal nature of human. People killing/ fighting each other happens since the begin of our ancestors. There is no guilty on the Video games. Murderers just want to find an excuse and shirk their responsibility and shift the blame onto the games. There is nothing wrong with games. At least, I play shoot games but haven't committed any crime.

I agree with other posters that children playing adult rated games under age might be an issue (mainly due to the exposure of older players). Other than that, the whole issue is blatantly a highly subjective one and any attempt to perform a such study with the aim of reaching a definative conclusion/solution (clearly likely given source) is doomed to fail in the long term.

All I know is that level where you shoot civilians at a airport in modern ware 2 aint right, it gives crazy people bad ideas.

If I play violent video games & feel violent tendencies coming on I simply go & watch a few episodes of Pinkie & the Brain to deduce where they went wrong in their quest to take over the world then modify my own plan for taking over the world.

This subject has been discussed to death numerous times and I feel it's all to do with with the individuals themselves.
It's a touchy subject I know & we all have our personal feeling about it but there is no conclusive evidence that violent games & movies are the real culprits. The real culprit is the offenders weak state of mind at the time of the offence but bear in mind I'm just the average layman with no qualifications to diagnose the problem, It's just my view.

The most innocent title can cause an adverse situation.

That is why we need good parenting to act as a counter balance. Far too many gaming titles have dodgy morals and that is a big no no. ME3 & GTA are fine examples.

Games (as yet) does not spew the same amount of filth as Hollywood but I fear things are changing for the worse.

Been playing games since I was 12 and in last 14 years it has not made me any violent, as a matter of fact I can not even see extreme violence in movies. I still love games. We humans always have to blame something or someone but never our selves.

Does violent video games desensitize a child? Yes, but as a parent you should keep tabs on them to make sure that it is not real and look for odd behavior.

Really, I think that playing video games doesn't make you violent but you tend to let off some steam if you get pwned repeatedly if you're a noob to a game or if the child's mom and dad says, no more games for the day, "Johnny".

I suggest reading the SiFi novel "Ender's Game". It is a few years old but tells a chilling tale quite apropos to the article's premise.
I also think a close examination of the links between 1st person shooter game makers and military sniper recruiters might be in order.

No, it does not.

we already had brutal wars (world and race/ethnic/religion/beliefs) even before the advent of "violent video games".

however, I believe that "violence-prone" people have greater tendencies to like violent video games.

Won't be able to play madden any more because it causes head injuries

Well said.

I once played a game of Battlefield 3, and I killed a guy, so I went and killed a guy in real life cos' the game made me," said no one ever.

We all are capable of violence and we are all capable of love. Games, Movies, Media, etc. can't make us act one way or another this is a choice we make within ourselves however these things can and do influence us. I find if I play some violent games here and there it's no big deal however if I overdo it, I do get more irritable. I guess some of these questions become a chicken and egg type of question, which comes first violence or violent tendencies? As far as the recent shootings, I believe the answer is to have a more supportive mental health plan rather than eliminate all “bad” things.

Does Cartoons make Americans violent?? Hhhmmm...! Anyways, Video Games are the scape goat of sick indolent american kids who lacks proper parental guidance and role models.

If video games make one belligerent... then so does being swindled an inch from my "Foot Long" by Sub-way.

Video games are not, nor have they ever been, the problem. The problem is the culture and (poor) parenting that creates violent, aggressive individuals who are completely devoid of empathy and self-control. The sooner people figure this out the sooner we will be able to devise meaningful solutions that have a real impact. Until then, expect the typical knee-jerk reactions by voters/politicians/academics/etc. to accomplish exactly what they've always accomplished: not much of anything.

The US government is just avoiding the massive outrage that a ban on certain types of guns would cause because of whichever of your Amendments it is (I forget, sorry) that covers the "right to take up arms".
When it was written (and in the context in which it is was written - I.e. after a war), wasn't it possibly meant as "the right to take up arms _against a common enemy_" anyway...?

They are just seriously skating around the real issues here - no grubby politician who wants to keep their position will want to get in on THAT debate!

Perhaps they should also take care of parents who (as others have already stated) allow their under-age kids to play this stuff, and then complain that their kids are playing this stuff.

I also agree with the comments that the games don't make you violent - you need the tendency to want to hurt / maim / kill to play them.
I have played GTA4, but have so far managed to resist the urge to drive a vehicle into a load of people in the street, or go on a gun rampage (though the kids in the cities over here seem to prefer stabbing each other anyway...).

People are the problem. It's just that when either they get faced with the consequences, or their parents feel the need to defend their actions, it is a reason: "The video game made me him it! He was as gentle as a lamb before that!"

I'll leave it at that, but just end with saying that the first comment I made here is no way meant as anti-American. Very anti-government though. Including our own lying, cheating, thieving bastard government who skate around issues in exactly the same manner...