Shock Development: Violent Kids Like Violent Media
Noted purveyor of hysteria Keith Vaz has roped an actual member of the academic community into his ongoing campaign against violent media. Professor Kevin Browne from Liverpool university has made the startling observation that violent children generally enjoy violent forms of entertainment. In comments reported in local Liverpudlian newspaper, the Fleetwood Weekly News, Professor Browne produced some choice quotes. Speaking about the borrowing habits of criminals incarcerated in a youth offenders institution he claimed:
They could borrow films like Rambo and violent video games like Carmageddon despite the fact that we recognise they are some of the most vulnerable people in society
OK, I’d like to point out at this point that we are talking about criminals incarcerated in youth offenders institutions. This means that all the young people Professor Browne is speaking about are under the age of 18. So he’s trying to tell me that kids at least 5 years younger than myself are borrowing Carmageddon, a game I barely remember at the age of 23, from prison libraries. It’s a small point I realise but stands as an excellent example of exactly how out of touch this man must be. Carmageddon raised a few eyebrows upon its original release and was most likely referenced for its pop-culture significance than any actual influence on the youth of today. Much the same could be said about Rambo.
What really disturbs me about the report is the way that parental influence and home life are almost dismissed as potential causes for violent behaviour. The Fleetwood Weekly News report that Professor Browne believes,
…children who lived in violent homes were more likely to be influenced by games and films showing extreme violence
So apparently just living in a violent household isn’t enough to turn a child into a violent offender. It just makes them more vulnerable to the real culprit; violent media. I honestly cannot comprehend how a report that acknowledges the origins of violent teenagers could immediately switch to focusing on violent media. Once again the influence of parents and peers are put to one side when the opportunity to demonise violent media arises.
Via: GamePolitics
Children who are exposed to violence/hate/aggression/anger/pathology in their home, are going to adapt to said situations and interpret the world around them in those contexts.
Violent games do not make violent children, bad/neglectful/hateful parents make violent children…who as a result turn to violent media as a means to exact some control of their own over what goes on their respective worlds.
Wait… You’re kidding right?
Was this really all that surprising that such a mismanaged study was preformed when dealing with video games? Of course children convicted of violent crime are going to prefer a video game over a movie, a movie last for 2 hours give of take, a game lasts for as long as you want it too.
Goddamn worthless scientists. These people need licenses to release studies to the public so when they fuck up bad enough we can revoke them.
@Halfleft no I’m not. What do you think? Are you saying that violent games make kids violent?
Its called sarcasm Philbart.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I don’t get it. lol
@P Marsh: It’s not the scientists. The real scientists are the ones saying that there is no direct correlation. They’re the ones who should be in the news. No, this bullshit is pushed by politicians. Why? It makes them more money. I will guaran-fucking-tee you that 99% of political decisions are based purely on the size of the check in question, and it’s sickening. You could make a politician say ANYTHING for the right price. Did Johnny Smith down in Texas drop an f-bomb? Blame video games. Did George over in Oregon get momentarily distracted and bumped another car? Blame it on GTA. It doesn’t matter if there’s any evidence or not. Give them enough money, and they’ll do anything. I wish they’d all just fucking die, personally.
@timeshifter: I’m in agreement with that timeshifter but there are people who have a reputation in the scientific community that are preforming these studies. My problem is not so much that they demonize video games but rather that their scientific method is so improper and full of errors even though its being touted as a flawless study.
You know, I actually kind of agree with this guy, I mean, come on. It’s not like there were violent people before the invention of video games and movies. It would be rediculous to say that humanity would sink so low as to go on a rampant killing spree without a violent media source readily available. We all know that genocide, murder, and random acts of violence were unheard of in days of yore, in comparison to know, where they are all too well commonplace. I think, that for the continuation of a moral human society, we need to ban all forms of violent and obscene materials. I’m sure it wouldn’t have any effect on the global economy, after all, how many people does it take to create one of these barbaric games? Furthermore, I would suggest banning all forms of pornography, as pornography only serves to spur on rapists and pedophiles. The developers of Rockstar Games are evil and are bent on taking over the world using a subtle form of hypnosis and propaganda distributed by violent video games. Also, I detest the putting down of vicious beasts. All life is sacred, and if it is natural that a larger dog would attack some one, then that is nature’s way. We can’t just kill helpless animals!
Of course violent people like violent games. Just like my friend who drives rally cross loves racing games, and my friend who graduated as a music major loves music games.
Also, any good scientific researcher who has taken a basic course in statistics knows that correlation does not equal causation. The people must be followers of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.