Quote:
Originally Posted by Achilles
As I states earlier, I would be perfectly willing to accept this as true if there were solid studies (i.e. studies with sound methodologies, etc) that could show this to be true.
The problem I see with this conclusion is that there are far too many other possible factors that could go into explaining a phenomenon that doesn't even seem to be very clearly defined ("more violent" compared to what? When? Whose standards? Etc.)
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I'm not proclaiming that video games are the ONLY factor in this. I remember TV shows 15 years ago which inspired me to become more violent, because I was a child and thought it was cool to mimic my favorite heroes. That's definitely something that I actually would consider more influencial than video games. Movies are also a major thing.
I probably would say that violent video games do not exactly corrupt our youth, but they are a part of a much greater society which adds appeal to violence. That doesn't mean everyone who spends eight hours a day or more watching/playing violence electronically will shoot everyone in their school with an AK, but those who start by emulating them are more likely to escalate things to a more extreme level. The counter to this is a firm grip on reality. The biggest problem I see with electronic/digital worlds is that they are much more appealing than the dullness of reality. I would also admit that I have lost touch with reality even when I was 20. I was simply not interested in the world anymore because nothing was as stimulating as good-old electronic fiction.
Very young children are more likely to just become wild, but the older they get, the more likely to go from physical violence (punching, kicking) to using a gun. That's when they seek to hurt other people rather than just emulate Batman or Spiderman.