Check out the White House video used to illustrate violence in video games

[midian182]

Yesterday saw President Trump meet with US video game executives to discuss possible links between games and violent crimes such as the Florida shooting. The gathering reportedly began with an 88-second montage showing deaths from M-rated games, which caused Trump to comment, “This is violent, isn’t it?”

The meeting was closed to members of the press, but the White House later released the clip on its official YouTube channel. The scenes were lifted from other YouTubers, and in some cases, you can see the watermarks.

According to The Verge, the conversation revolved around age restrictions and voluntary measures that could be put in place by the industry itself, rather than any government restrictions on content, which would be a legal minefield.

The choice of games in the supercut is interesting; it feels as if someone really has it in for Call of Duty. There are several scenes from the CoD series, including Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2. It should come as no surprise to see CoD: MW2’s infamous No Russian mission appear in the clip.

There are a few killings from multiplayer horror game Dead by Daylight, Nazi assassinations from Wolfenstein: The New Order, X-ray cam kills from Sniper Elite 4, and a beheading from The Evil Within 2. There’s also some content from Fallout 4, including a scene where it takes five shotgun blasts to Malcom Latimer’s head before it finally explodes. It seems whoever picked these titles went for more mainstream options, rather than something like Hatred, which, while ultra-violent, was so bad that few people ever played it.

It remains to be seen whether the meeting will result in any actual policies being put into effect. Trump asked the industry “to explore things they can do on their own to make things healthier in society.”

In a statement yesterday, the Entertainment Software Association said: “We discussed the numerous scientific studies establishing that there is no connection between video games and violence, First Amendment protection of video games, and how our industry’s rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices.”

Earlier this week, the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), which did not attend the meeting, said games should not be made a scapegoat for the gun violence problem.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/73644-check-out-white-house-video-used-illustrate-violence.html

 

[Dimensive]

So, where are movies, television shows, and the news in this discussion?

 

[Prosercunus]

What other policies? I do agree these video games are way too violent for kids and kids shouldn't play this sort of stuff but do we not already have age restrictions put in place? We can't legislate bad parenting if parents are not keeping up on what kind of media their kids are consuming. Maybe quit giving them smartphones and such easy access all of the time, which I admit is a challenge. We had one computer growing up and it stayed in the living room in view of our parents, so now it's more of a challenge with so many network connected devices.

I wouldn't blame videos games anyhow. You have to evaluate a kids behavior. If he or she is shutting themselves in their room all day they could just as easily be browsing unsavory websites or playing violent video games or both. The details of the child themselves is way more relevant.

 

[Ean Mogg]

Well it would take The White House to double guess every specialists for the last twenty years and come up with a different outcome that Games don't create psychopaths ,,,

 

[gusticles41]

Much of the footage is war. Trump wants to beef up the military, where people could very well witness real life versions of this type of violence. Real life decapitation of enemies = OK. Fantasy = Not OK.

They couldn't be barking up a more incorrect tree.

 

[Kibaruk]

Much of the footage is war. Trump wants to beef up the military, where people could very well witness real life versions of this type of violence. Real life decapitation of enemies = OK. Fantasy = Not OK.

They couldn't be barking up a more incorrect tree.

Well 14 year olds who shoot other 14 year olds don't actually go to war do they? Not that I'm in favour but your post is way too much...

 

[CaptainTom]

Yeah this is so smart to attack one of America's biggest and most lucrative industries they are ACTUALLY leading the world in.

Maybe he can give us a trifecta: Senselessly attack a major entertainment industry, start a useless trade war, AND hold back the energy sector where the US finally achieved near-self sufficiency...

 

[gusticles41]

Well 14 year olds who shoot other 14 year olds don't actually go to war do they? Not that I'm in favour but your post is way too much...

I made that connection because I've always thought Call of Duty really pandered to avid military supporters. For the government to criticize them is surprising, and kind of silly when the Call of Duty stories are based off of events our Government supports.

Children not having access to M games is something I can get on board with locking down. But Trump asking the industry “to explore things they can do on their own to make things healthier in society” is the most wishy washy, non-effective statement one could make.

 

[kombu]

I love the current administration but this campaign is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[oldikes]

"and how our industry’s rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices"
Or rather, the rating system they tend to completely ignore?

 

[cliffordcooley]

What I find ridiculous is that it is our inherent nature to be violent that spawns these movies and games. But yet no one wants to admit that, because that would threaten our way of lifestyle and demand change. Change such as removing violence from our movies and games. The only way to remove violence is to make violence an inconceivable act. As long as violence is in our movies and games it will always be conceivable and someone out there will want to act upon those thoughts.

 

[GeforcerFX]

While I doubt the video game market reaches enough people in the USA ( I mean actual video games not phone puzzle games) to be the number one violence influencer, it would have a impact in some way on a someone to young that wasn't taught about it yet. The system's in place can already help improve parents ability to control what there kids consume on the game front. If the gov want's to help make some of those "care" commercial for prime time, explain the rating system, let parents know the main consoles and phones have parental controls and give them a website link with more info. He should be meeting with TV and movie industry folks next if he's honestly trying to do something about violence in media, much larger market, much less restricted access. Unfortunately it all involves parents and parenting, not every person is going to grow up with good parents or any parents, so who knows what will happen to there head over the years with no guidance or attention. Violence in media is far larger than just video games, but parents that do want to care might need some help learning how to control the content.

 

[mattfrompa]

I've got a great idea, let's all live in a bubble where nothing can ever hurt us. I'm sure we can make our bubble invincible, and everyone inside can be ignorant as to what's outside without any consequences whatsoever! Doesn't history show that society makes it biggest leaps forward when we close ourselves off from reality, and each other? Going after violent video games is pure theater, passing the buck and fails to address the multitude of underlying problems which contribute to people devolving to commit murderous crimes. But truly addressing it would be expensive, take a lot of time, and f*ck that I've got backroom deals to make.

 

[OutlawCecil]

If you think these scenes are violent for children, they are. Hence why they are all rated M for mature (17+). If you as a parent ignore these ratings, that's on you. People used to watch real life executions and Colosseum battles, but sure, lets blame the virtual world for real life killings...

 

[Stiqy]

https://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/video-games-school-shootings-w516863

"Those who perpetrate acts of violence in schools are more than three times less likely to play violent video games than an average high school student"

Just completely barking up the wrong tree. No research supports this notion, and it isn't a factor in any country in the world except the US. But hey, let's not worry about facts, we have a mob to assemble and pitchforks to distribute. Can't be wasting time on facts.

 

[OutlawCecil]

https://www.rollingstone.com/glixel/features/video-games-school-shootings-w516863

"Those who perpetrate acts of violence in schools are more than three times less likely to play violent video games than an average high school student"

Just completely barking up the wrong tree.

Trump is a master at muddying the waters and that's all this is. That is an excellent article you posted by the way!

" If you were to enter any school in America you would find that about 70 percent of the male students habitually play violent video games. If there is any link between violent video games and school shootings it is in the opposite direction expressed by politicians"

 

[UncleSharkey]

Politics determine who has the power, not who has the truth.

PAUL KRUGMAN

 

[Stingy McDuck]

If we want to stop this, we need Obama to step in and say "I agree. Violent games should be censored". That would cause the typical Trump reaction of doing the opposite Obama says.

 

[stewi0001]

1. I laughed when I saw Fallout 4 was in the video line up.
2. GTA wasn't in which would have been a better choice than most of the other games.
3. I will skip the rest since they have been said already in other comments
4. This whole controversy is typical political BS that will ultimately do no good nor help resolve the real problem(s).

 

[Capaill]

It's a smoke screen. Trump is getting pressure from school kids and their families to do something about guns. So he goes after the games that kids play. That causes a sensation with everyone scrambling to protect their precious games and we all forget about the school massacres. All he needs to do is keep our minds off the shooting of children in a school for a few weeks and this will all blow over and it's back to normal until the next school shooting.
Radical suggestion: Instead of preventing children from playing violent games, how about you prevent them from using guns. There's a gun industry blocking that? Penalise THEM.

 

[dirtyferret]

About time our government passes a law to protect us from violent video games! We can't have another turtle genocide like we did in the mid 80's when kids would jump onto turtle shells after spending hundreds of hours being brain washed by super mario brothers! Only by arming turtles with guns were they able to survive the onslaught.

 

[wiyosaya]

Of course Trump knows better than all the experts in the field and who have studied the effects of video games for years! After all, he is, in his own words, "A stable genius."

That stable obviously has horses in it, and he admires their a$$es.

 

[wiyosaya]

If we want to stop this, we need Obama to step in and say "I agree. Violent games should be censored". That would cause the typical Trump reaction of doing the opposite Obama says.

Well, tomorrow, Trump will say something totally different anyway, so Obama does not need to do anything!

For the time being, Trump needs to make some people think he is actually doing his job. Tomorrow will certainly be another story, though.

 

[Numas]

"Video games don't kill people, people kill people"

If it works for guns, it should work for video games, don't you think?

 

[psycros]

Yeah this is so smart to attack one of America's biggest and most lucrative industries they are ACTUALLY leading the world in.

Maybe he can give us a trifecta: Senselessly attack a major entertainment industry, start a useless trade war, AND hold back the energy sector where the US finally achieved near-self sufficiency...

Uh, Keystone Pipeline? Authorizing limited offshore drilling? Rolling back some of the war on coal? Trump has done more for the energy industry than the last three administrations. Try getting outside your own head once in a while. And that "useless" trade war (which isn't a trade war) will bring these countries that have helped kill the American middle class back to the negotiating table. As for the violent video games, all but one study done on the subject was paid for by the entertainment industry itself. The one that *wasn't* found DIRECT correlations between the escalation of violent behavior and extensive desensitization to violence in games and other media.