February 9, 2008
Omaha's KETV-7 has angered gamers with a report that says video games "normalize" killing.In the story, reporter Suzanne Deyo interviews a local child psychologist and a parent, both of whom offer a scary perspective on video games. The psychologist, Dr. Greg Snyder, seems to slam even the mildest of titles:
Exposure to violent video games, even E rated video games, increases aggressive thoughts, increases pro-social behavior and increases general arousal.
The more normal [violence] is, the more likely it is they're going to activate or engage in those behaviors when provoked or even unprovoked.
GP: If Dr. Snyder has any expertise in video games, it remains unstated in the KETV report. However, as GamePolitics has demonstrated, it is not uncommon for mainstream news organizations to pull an uninformed psychologist into their reporting in an effort to add credibility (see How Fox Morning Show Sensationalised the Halo-in-Church Issue and Fox News Smears Mass Effect).
Deyo also interviewed parent Chuck Payne, whose primary qualification seems to be that he "knows some teens who are allowed to play for hours a day." Payne said:
When they're done playing, that's all that's on their mind. Kill. Kill. Kill.
GP: Ooooookay... And Mr. Payne determined this, how, exactly?
Also interviewed was Ryan Miller, an exec with midwest retail chain Gamers, (and, we're proud to say, a GP reader)
Just like any new media, it gets attacked. When any new genre of music comes out, it gets attacked. TV will, of course, get attacked. I'm sure, way back when, books got attacked.
Comments
Maybe the News should explain again about Media being used to incite violence?
Sheesh.
You all argue that my belief in a legal attack on the MSM is a bit extreme, but given this story, I think it might be about the only thing retards like these people will understand.
http://www.ketv.com/station/177307/detail.html
Flood, anyone? Oh, and if you do, keep it clean. No need for them to see us worse than they already do.
My favorite E-rated game (except for Kingdom Hearts which it a E-10 rated game) is Rayman (the first one on PSX) and I hardly think about killing when I play this game.
It amazes me how many people are actually getting airtime to define "stupid".
Someday...
p.s. is there anyone out there that will let me cry on their shoulder?
how dare those evil video games.....
Seconded :D
Anyway, this is nothing more than ignorance and stupidity rolled into one package.
Hmm. Y'know. These guys are being offensive kids themselves. Just look at all their attacks in their videogames. All of them state one thing: "children are morons who can't distinguish fantasy from reality"
I was born with mild asperger's syndrome, and even I had no trouble distinguishing fantasy from reality when I was a toddler.
Hey! I think I've just found some ammo for us!
Back to the topic at hand, I'm no longer a teen (and haven't been for many years) but even at the time I don't recall finishing a game and thinking "Kill, kill, kill" (sic). Just as well too, can you imagine the blood-letting-anarchy the world would be in if that were true?
Is it just me or are these pop-psychologists just getting tiresome now?
Gift.
they even attacked E rated games!
omfg that kid just played some Mario Party he could blow at any moment!
Same old story,still no proof.
Remember the good ol days when the news wasn't a cesspit of lies?
According to these people i should have at least 8 murders under my belt by now,damn I am so far behind.
they even attacked E rated games!
omfg that kid just played some Mario Party he could blow at any moment!
Same old story,still no proof.
Remember the good ol days when the news wasn't a cesspit of lies?
According to these people i should have at least 8 murders under my belt by now,damn I am so far behind.
That is totally correct.
So, wait a second, how come the rise in videogames over the last decade has coincided with a general drop in violent crime?
Oh. WHOOPS.
Let's not let fact get in the way of the general sterotypical bandwagon shall we...
http://www.chsomaha.org/body.cfm?xyzpdqabc=0&id=522&action=detail&ref=891
Ok, that's the Children's Hospital info. Anything else?
:: chirp chirp chirp ::
Guess not.
:: Tosses "Dr." Snyder down in the basement with "Dr." Lawrence. ::
Nightwng2000
NW2K Software
He's right.
No.
Replace Burnout with Midnight Club or Gran Turismo and then you'd have something.
Burnout is known for it's uber-realisitc and over-done crash sequences. In fact it actively encourages you to wreck your opponents' cars, so I'd say that's violent.
How did we ever survive public hangings and Wild West shootouts!?
"Wow if that many people get mad at us we will get the spotlight for a while!"
Riiiight... as soon as i put down the controller from playing Smash Bros Melee, the only thing on my mind is finding somebody to FALCON PAWNCH.
I thought this guy was supposed to be a 'professional'. >_>
He needs to get his nose out of the tabloids that is Faux News...
Suggest strongly to me that it isn't about the content of the games we play, it's the contentment of the people within the society.
It also means that an anonymous poster on the Internet can provide more citable sources for his evidence than a supposed Psychologist on National TV.
and after playing Kingdom Hearts, it was really tough to resist the urge to beat people with my giant key.