Are Games really to blame? (Violence, death, neglect...)

[Mez]

LOL i could see that happening over a dota..

[Crixx_Creww]

is funny doh

alyuh bring up valid valid points

Why dis ish does neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr happen in trinidad?

De amount ah stupid talk does pelt during game wda!!

Like durin an after ah dota sweat, men realll loud up dey mout

an yuh know was de result of that??

de men who loss does go into vex mode and say "siddong, lewee sweat ah nex one!!"
An share levellll cut ass in de nex game lol.

Not go outside an take out de cutlass from de trunk an come een tech source swinging.
Lol

STUPID FORKIN AMERICANS!! DAS DE PROBLEM!!

[ZUSE]

Yea it's just to spice it up, damn the media they always do that.  Man i strongly, think that americans have a prob, if i can recall i've only heard of Americans doin that sorte of crap, yuh dont hear bout trini ppl doing them thing, geez. What is with them, theres the gaming world and there reality   , omg cant you tell the difference.

[TinyGrasshopper]

Yea it's just to spice it up, damn the media they always do that.  Man i strongly, think that americans have a prob, if i can recall i've only heard of Americans doin that sorte of crap, yuh dont hear bout trini ppl doing them thing, geez. What is with them, theres the gaming world and there reality   , omg cant you tell the difference.

You sure about that? You pull down a Trinidad Express rss feed on any given day and you can come up with some pretty weird stuff. (and most certainly an above average number of gruesome crimes). Granted it won't be necessarily anything about gaming, but still, we too have our fair share of 'he make meh do it' stories. But it's clear though that something that mental is because of a falldown in family values. It's a cultural divide too. That falldown in family values is far more prevalent in an affluent country like the U.S. than in Trinidad (although we catching up quite quickly). <sweeping generalization>I mean these children doh have no broughtupcy</sweeping generalisation>

As for the media that's partly becuase they appealing to the generational gap. The kinda people that watch their news at 6 o'clock on abc. Those people can't see the better parts of the medium(http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.04/wright.html) and will always be fretting like this. In thirty-fifty years they'll all die out and it'll be business as usual.

That child must have been brought up by a TV CLEARLY.

And games too. I'm sure he had his hands on God of War, The Warriors and whatever else.

[Gambitt]

Why dis ish does neverrrrrrrrrrrrrrr happen in trinidad?

Because when you was little you learned that if yuh get on bad and out of control someone will buss two hot slap in yuh tail and set yuh straight. Up in yankeeland they cyah beat they child, so the brat learns that if yuh get on a little bad mommy and daddy does tell yuh sit in the corner. But if yuh get on like the devil himself, they does just buff you and say "i doh know what to do no more yuh know".

There's an interesting bit of social commentary on this same issue in the book "Starship Troopers". Read it if you get the chance.

[W1nTry]

I agree with yuh dere gambitt, in the US punishing a child is like a FEDERAL OFFENSE. The government will come and take yuh child away if yuh buss 2 clout on de child and they complain to their teacher. (we not far behind eh, we reaching dere) And becuase of this a child can do no wrong mentality things start to go awry. But then what can you expect from a country that went into plenty other countries under false pretense to stop international crimes... these days they call it a war on terrorism, I call it, we put our needs first and will do ANYTHING to get what we want. REAL BS.

[TriniXaeno]

well as a prolific gamer and father I can't help but agree that violent games play a part in a child psyche.

Also, like Grasshopper pointed out people get killed in Trinidad for all sorts of nonsense. I saw articles with guys getting killed for $2.00 and less.

No kidding. That's TT$2.00, not US$2.00

When tempers flare, tempers flare.

Gaming is gaining momentum as a past time of choice for kids the world over.

It is only natural that instances of violence related to gaming related transgressions will begin to increase.

Whether that is a taunt after a game of DOTA or stealing someone's Dusk sword in Lineage2.

It's a natural progression.

Personally, I don't think Trinidad will be immune from it for one second.

We have been exceptionally fortunate not to have any major violent incident at GLs the island over (headhunter's father cuttin his arse being the only exception) lol

[Shogun]

baego is right

i know i wasn't brought up playing violent video games. Mario, Sonic, Shinobi. sure some of the game i played when i was younger had a level of violence in it, but today games are getting more explicit, more graphic, more real. and i can have an effect on an immature mind. an immature mind doesn't have to be a young one mind you.

so whether or not gaming can be rooted as the cause of crimes, it sure as hell can influence an individual in both positive and negative ways, just as any media form be it music, movies or even books can.

[W1nTry]

Even so it's the responsibility of those who are older to install discipline and patience in a child, not to mention keep an eye on what de hell dey playing/watching/liming with/talking bout. I mean if de rents bussing de child @$$ and abusing de mudda what go happen to de child. Its not the GAMES fault, sure it is a factor, however is a gun a man killer? by itself NO, put in the hands of the WRONG person YES. Its just a tool like anything else, its those that control the tool are the guilty parties... in this case the neglective parents and society at large.

[W1nTry]

Dread I rest meh case... now white collar crime oui

Computer games cause inflation

Bank of England pleased

By INQUIRER staff: Thursday 23 March 2006, 13:47
&lt;A TARGET="_blank" HREF="http://ad.uk.doubleclick.net/click%3Bh=v5|33b1|3|0|%2a|h%3B29619866%3B0-0%3B0%3B12933649%3B31-1|1%3B15529848|15547744|1%3B%3B%7Esscs%3D%3fhttp://www.vnunet.com/compliance/"&gt;&lt;IMG SRC="http://m2.2mdn.net/1122679/CAcom01_336x280_qe.gif" BORDER=0&gt;&lt;/A&gt;
PRICE HIKES in computer games have been blamed for this month’s rise in inflation.

According to bean counters at the Office for National Statistics inflation increased for the first time since September.

The rise took the annual growth of the consumer price index up to two percent from 1.9 per cent in January.

According to the Guardian, it was not petrol or electricity prices that were responsible for the rise. It was the increase in prices on video games. Sheesh usually they just blame gamers for the increase in violence, now it seems that Grand Theft Auto is responsible for a possible future increase in interest rates.

Apparently the Bank of England is pleased. Thanks to Civilisation IV players, the Bank is smack on its predictions for inflation this month.

[TinyGrasshopper]

I'm sure it's fairly easy for some gamers to just say that parents should do their job and take care of their children. I'm not a dad though and I can't imagine handling that responsibility. Sometimes I think we tend to just blame the parents a little too much. A child is not just raised by a family but by the village. And if that village, the society, is not helping to make parents job easier, what's a parent to do? A lot of media is becoming less and less family friendly. tv(primetime and cable), movies, music, games. I guess it's always been like that but the technologies of acessibility of this information have changed too. We're bombarded by it on a daily basis. Developmental roles should ideally grow with it but the opposite's happening. Parents: stressed, neighbourhood: what neighbourhood?, School: depends, friends: they in the same predicament as the child.

A human being is the some of many parts. Media can have an influence, conscious and unconscious. Games may be a miniscule part, but it's an influence like anything else. I think sometimes gamers should realise that. It seems like we just cup our hands over ears and go 'lalala, parents parents parents'. The industry should take its critics to heart (And I think in some ways it has) to try and make any further criticisms seem absolutely unequivocally ludicrous.

I'm not in disagreement but every argument has counterpoints.

[TriniXaeno]

well said Shogun and tiny.

Without a doubt, it is an influence.

Sometimes positive (Ultima) glorifying morals and heroic deeds.

sometimes negative (Grand Theft Auto) glorifying violence and illicit acts.

As a parent, it is no easy task keeping a kid away from the wrong games. They play it at school, a friend's house, family or even a GL.

We have a strict age rule for gaming at HQ for instance. No one under age can play a teen / mature rated game. However, if they aren't playing it themselves, but looking over an older person's shoulder...the exposure is still there.

What do you do? Ban them altogether?

Tough call.

Cartoons and TV in general ain't much better.

Digital Entertainment is a two edged sword, for sure. Managing your child around it is a job in of itself. A job most of us will not do 100%. I often lapse and my experience in technology is greater than most parents on this island.

What can you expect from the rest?

* [X]-Baego crosses fingers.

[Spazosaurus]

Not being a parent myself, I cannot say that keeping children away from certain games/tv shows or any other 'reactive' solution is the answer because those are damn near impossible to enforce. I feel that a more 'proactive' solution should be sought in terms of the parent teaching the children from an early age the ability to determine what is right from what is wrong and how they should react when they feel that someone has wronged him/her. I feel that the main problem is that the children don't know what to do in a situation of conflict. So what do they do? They do what they see on TV and in games. If a man have a beef with ah nex man....out he lights or damage him in some way. The way I see it, if parents can successfully show children the right way, we will see a lot less of this violence no matter how much shooting and killing is seen in the games.

[AIDS]

On the way to work this morning I was listening to 96.1 where Niki & Paul was going off about Violent Video Games breeding criminals in this country.

They sited 50 Cent Bulletproof as an example of children being rewarded for killing.

Firstly, I don't think they realize that video games have ratings and that it is up to the parent to be informed about the ratings of these games before deciding to let their child play the games. It is no different from allowing a child to watch a XXX rated movie. You would not let a 6 year old watch a movie rated XXX so why let him play a game rated M?

Secondly, saying that games rewarding a child for killing leads to the child commiting such an act is not neccessarily true.  By that definition it can be said that Pac-Man which rewards a child for taking drugs (power pellets) leads to the child becoming a drug addict.

Regardless of what a child sees in a game or movie it is up to the parent to train the child and let them know right from wrong so that they can make proper choices about their actions. I live in a place where their are killing, robberies and other criminal acts going on in front of me 24 hrs a day, I play violent video games, watch action movies & horrors and even listen to rap music but I have never commited a violent criminal offense in the 26 years I have resided in Laventille.

I think that before these people start proclaiming the bad influence that games have on children they should at least visit a gaming centre and speak to some real people who experience what they talk about first hand. Fantasy V for example is a FAMILY gaming centre. We have women and children in the cafe all the time and while men to get upset and argue over their games we never have to resort to physical violence to settle it. At best we play another game to settle the dispute.

I think that now would be a good time for the gaming community of Trinidad and Tobago to unite. call up the radio station and let them know that they are only showing one side of the story and invite them to visit your GL for the other side of the story. We can't allow them to continually give games, and gamers by extention, a bad name.

The number for their office is 628-9336

and to get on air is 628-9696

So call and let your vioce be heard.

[shivadee]

crap i wish i could call
dem eh know their head from their @ss about what they talking about

Ask them this

1. Would they prefer their children controling an inanimate character and making them do what they want rather than listening to someone kids today call a "mentor" like 50 cent and these wanabees and follow what they say?

2. So that means thngs like "wineup on a man/woman and do a fling and ting" from a song and watch a movie about gangsters, mafia and violent sex doesnt half any effect on children

3. SO what we see on Carnival Monday/Tuesday, in music videos on MTV etc DEFFINITELY doesnt have an influence?

If people take their head out their @ss and notice, the way people dress, act and talk is primarily influenced by what you see on TV, not what you see in a game. All the "gang wars" they talk about in the news, and the murders and kidnapings and this and this. You can tell me with a straight face that all this came from videogames or music/tv? Honestly?

And to add to this. You REALLY believe that giving your child to play (extreme example here) the bible game, or some educational game, would build character? That is what SCHOOL is for. Videogames are a form of entertainment and relaxation. Certain people in this country need to learn that thay living in the 80's when it comes to videogames opinion. Videogames have become categorized and genre defined for the public.

They attack the videogame industry with this nonsense. Not knowing all the things children think about, wheather parents want to believe it or not, can be played out in a game? Your kid wants to drive fast you prefer your child to pick up NFS or to take their B15 and play drift king? You prefer your child to get into a fight at school whenever he is mad or rather pickup a game like Street FIghter and lix the computer?

Oh WAIT no!! Your kid might know how to do an Had Do Ken? Or a Helicopter Kick! God forbid!! playing too much street fighter....or worse yet SHO RYU KEN!!.....oh noes!!!.....come on people, we have the blind leading the blind on 96.1 here.

Kids think about these things, they are influenced by the media, what they see on TV. EVERYONE plays games, you restrict them its like telling them they cant watch TV.

Their are strict rules (as AIDS said) as to what games should be sold to minors and the penalties involved. Violent games and such are advertised on TV w/o the level of violence in the game because its for the public. VERY careful steps are taken. Videogames are no longer "kiddie things". It is not longer 4 fellas sitting on a Comodore 64 copying somehting to a floppy disk and selling for 10 dollars. Its a multi billion dollar company, costing millions of dollars to make, manage and produce. They have rules, their are laws.

Parents are responsible for their children and know what their children can and cannot handle. And if children are old enough to know how to play GTASA or God of War, theyn they old enough to know what is morally right and morally wrong.

[Crixx_Creww]

I support yu whole heartedly there AIDS

If games were breeding criminals in trinidad, then the whole of gatt would be behind bars now wouldnt we.

[W1nTry]

Well crixx is a predator so maybe jes you behind bars :p jes kidding. I think this is a serious discussion that we could probably hit them a email with a link to the site with a Violence in games related link. I recently started a thread to try to consolidate the association of Violence with Games and i'l put a sticky on it so that anyone who might have a contact for them could pass it along in the hope they'll visit and learn a thing or two.

[ZUSE]

Laaaawd aaarrrrrgggg dis does upset me *steups* WTF they talkin bout jed, so wat about movies an crap deh doh say movies cause voilence jed, deh does go and watch ah man get hack to death and say "waaay, dat movie was bad!". And parents WTF don't they know what there buying for their children i mean would i buy 25 to life for my 3yr old son (if i had one) and say "here son go shoot some po po". Jah..ok i gettin emotional... 

[DreadNaught]

I agree with alyuh fellahs and not only that ...Paul and Nicky are a good example of 'have mouth will talk' regardless of if they know all the points about the topic the are discussing. Nicky already has a loud mouth and Paul's feminine tendencies tend to burst forth a lil too often if you ask me.

Personally i find it an insult to young people to say that they are so weak minded that games could influence them to commit violent acts. After playing God of War, I have never had the urge in my life to shave my head bald, tie a chain to a cutlass, wrap it around my arms and run around screaming "ARES You Bastard !!" at the top of my lungs (that was a bit extreme but you catch my drift).

Anyway i wish i heard the comments so that i would have called in....but i don't listen to that radio station on a morning anymore. I already have a nagging female boss, i don't need to listen to two more nagging females on the radio.

[W1nTry]

I have just consolodated ALL the threads relating violence, death, neglect, abuse, AKA everything negative about gaming into 1 thread. If any of the other mods find anymore threads please merge them onto this one. For all intents and purposes, from here on end, let us put other such related threads HERE.