Videogame violence

[August]

So here's a interesting question I thought of. What do you all think about violent video games? Unlike movies or TV, where you only see acts of violence, many popular video games require the player to committ acts of violence, sometimes in sick, gruesome ways. How do you feel about this? What about a game like Grand Theft Auto, where you can murder innocent bystanders? Is a murder committed in a virtual world still a sin? Just thought it was a good example of the moral dillemas posed by new technologies. What do you think?

[pam]

Last time I saw the game Grand Theft Auto it had a warning on it about foul language etc. I heard quite a few pretty bad things said on that game.

[urb0123]

I've given that some thought in the past. I used to play video games, but I gave them up under the direction of the spirit, and it has been great since I did. I didn't realize that they were the number one priority in my life at the time. I've never played some of the more questionable games though.

To answer your question, I do think the violence has a negative affect on people and it drives away the spirit. I can't imagine that killing an innocent bystander in a video game that is just a generated character could be considered nearly as bad as killing an innocent in real life, but anything that drives away the spirit is a sin. I also believe that killing an innocent in a MMORPG is similar to stealing because you are stealing a real person's time.

[john doe]

I will admit, I bought GTA. I only played it a few times, and never let my child play it or even watch me play it. I won't let him play first-person-criminal games. I do let him play the Medal of Honor games, though. I see no difference between that and when I was playing Army or Cops and Robbers when I was a kid.

[Heavenguard]

To answer the main point, I don't think so. Characters are not people. They are made up representations of an idea of a person. They resemble people, but are not people, and only exist intangibly as ideas. Although you can metaphorically kill an idea, you can't really, literally, kill an idea.

I think GTA pushes the envelope, though, not because it's violent, but the entire premise glorifies organized crime, and along the way drinking (not that I don't drink, but not to drunkenness), drugs, "loose" relationships, etc.

That said, Medal Gear Solid 4 was awesome fun. I played it three times through, back to back to back. Right now I'm playing Star Wars Unleashed, which is basically a hack and slash, but with some really cool moves mixed in (force, thank you).

Would I ever hurt anybody? Not while I'm of sound mind.

I know the difference between right and wrong, and fantasy and reality, and I am not driven by the games I play - they are of entertainment only and do not have enough of a grip on me to influence how I think and behave. Video games don't make people violent. Kids who do learn from violent video games did not learn enough from their parents.

[tubaloth]

I have always been big on video games. I probably played the Doom (1) long time ago on the computer and even pixilated blood seem to never bother me. Move that up the Mortal Kombat years when it was “fun” to do a Finish move on your opponent (from ripping out there hart, to electrocuting them). But I always new it wasn’t real, honestly I don’t think it ever effect me. With that said, when I play against others (in Mortal Kombat) and in a way beat them, or if they played each other it seemed like aggression was easier to come by. I don’t know if that was because of blood and violence, or because people hate to loose.

I am playing a game called Far Cry 2, you are in the middle of some African Civil war, and you pretty much are killing about everybody (because they are trying to kill you).

It never has effect me. The reason I guess I say that is because once I see something on CSI of blood and guts I have to turn my head. I passed out in the hospital when the nurse was explaining (nothing visual) my dads by pass surgery. I’m the first one to get qwezy the moment I see the real thing! (I even hate watching those sports videos where people break there leg).

For some reason I have just been able to separate it out. I realize one is just a game. The other I know is more real.

With that all said, I still could never get myself to play Grand Theft Auto. I had heard about the game, but I guess just felt it crossed the line some way. (Maybe its just didn’t appeal to me).

My bigger probably, is dealing with the Language in most of these games now days. I do put up with it, but I’m not really liking where it is going.

[August]

I think GTA pushes the envelope, though, not because it's violent, but the entire premise glorifies organized crime, and along the way drinking (not that I don't drink, but not to drunkenness), drugs, "loose" relationships, etc.

That said, Medal Gear Solid 4 was awesome fun. I played it three times through, back to back to back. Right now I'm playing Star Wars Unleashed, which is basically a hack and slash, but with some really cool moves mixed in (force, thank you).

MGS 4 was pretty awesome. This is pretty much how I feel about it. For an adult player it's not violence I have a problem with, it's the glorification of crime in GTA and similar games.

[August]

I know the difference between right and wrong, and fantasy and reality, and I am not driven by the games I play - they are of entertainment only and do not have enough of a grip on me to influence how I think and behave. Video games don't make people violent. Kids who do learn from violent video games did not learn enough from their parents.

There was actually a study done on this, I might need to see if I can dig it up. What it showed was that there was a correlation between violent videogame playing and more agressive behavior, until they screened out the kids with risk factors for violence in their home situation. The correlation then disappeared.

[Guest Godless]

I've only played GTA once, and that was 4 years ago. I don't see anything inherently wrong with it. I just think it's a dumb game. I'm a Halo man myself.

[Moksha]

I find shooters, that have humans as the enemy targets, make my feel uncomfortable. It feels much better to shoot alien monsters bent on destroying the Earth or one of its colonies.

However, there are many who are into past Earth battles such as the Battlefield or Call of Duty series of games, and I can understand that.

The GTA series and others like that are probably a bad influence for teens and twenties.

[countrygirl66]

Well I am old (42) so I grew up with centipede, jungle hunt, donkey kong. My kids play video games and really like them. My 15 yr old son has halo, star wars etc, my 18 yr old plays tony hawk etc., my 12 and 9 yr old play midnight club racing, and kid games. I hate the violence and any games we have have to get through me first. There are a few at the garbage dump because someone didn't ask before they bought. I think a lot of it is moderation. When summer comes we put all game systems up until fall and it is cold. The fun thing is for my kids it is like christmas every fall. I hate halo, but my son loves it so I play with him. He makes fun of how bad I am and I ask a lot of questions about what I am supposed to be doing. He also has friends come over and sometimes they all play on the big screen.

[Elgama]

I've played most of the games mentioned including the original GTA - subsequent versions include swearing, and are a lot more realistic. My friends and I played it a lot no big deal, my issue came when my brother brought a friend and his little brother up (their older brother and father were in prison for armed bank robbery - my brother has mixed with some beauties in his time), and for them the game had a realism to it I had never expected to my friends it was just a cartoon

I also love Buffy the Vampire Slayer its very therapeutic after a stressful day to kill vampires:angry2:

But I tend to be more of an RPG fan I have been playing them since a rather crude Bored of the Rings came out on Spectrum 48K

-Charley

[SeattleTruthSeeker]

So here's a interesting question I thought of. What do you all think about violent video games? Unlike movies or TV, where you only see acts of violence, many popular video games require the player to committ acts of violence, sometimes in sick, gruesome ways. How do you feel about this? What about a game like Grand Theft Auto, where you can murder innocent bystanders? Is a murder committed in a virtual world still a sin? Just thought it was a good example of the moral dillemas posed by new technologies. What do you think?

Here is a simple thing to answer this question it is from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. It is not the act itself that is considered sin, but the entertainment of the thought.

1) It was said of old time (Mosaic Law) - Thou shalt not commit adultry

2) Christ states: if a man looks upon a woman with lust has already committed adultry in his heart.

The very thought of the act, or the entertainment of the act creates an atmosphere of allowing the temptations to come in.

Yes, some view things like this as a game, others become so enthralled that they can't distinquish fantasy from reality.

To better explain this, I belong to an online writing community where there is an elderly lady who volunteers her time and talents to help beginning writers with their prose. Her only request is that the writing not contain any violence, criminal activities or any such behavoir. Her reasoning, because our society today has glorified violence and crime as an attractive way of life that has proven to be dangerous to ourselves, our families and our communities. She is not even a member of the LDS Faith.

So, in my own personal opinion, I think the interaction of violent video games open the door for temptation, glorifying the criminal activites as being fun and enticing.

Personally, I have never been a gamer. I prefer board games like monopoly, scrabble, trivial pursuit, yhatzee, sorry and other games that are family oriented.

[Elgama]

Personally, I have never been a gamer. I prefer board games like monopoly, scrabble, trivial pursuit, yhatzee, sorry and other games that are family oriented.

Computer games can be family orientated too - we play with the kids and enjoy playing as a couple

We also play board games etc but I am at a stage at 8pm where its either TV or computer games haven't much energy.

-Charley

[Oligith1]

So here's a interesting question I thought of. What do you all think about violent video games? Unlike movies or TV, where you only see acts of violence, many popular video games require the player to committ acts of violence, sometimes in sick, gruesome ways. How do you feel about this? What about a game like Grand Theft Auto, where you can murder innocent bystanders? Is a murder committed in a virtual world still a sin? Just thought it was a good example of the moral dillemas posed by new technologies. What do you think?

I love video games and play them all too much. I generally perfer the RPG (role-playing game) variety which gives me the opportunity to...explore the evil side of humanity some. Yep. I sometimes play characters which love going around killing all of the innocents they can find. I remember one time making a Blackguard Barbarian on Neverwinter Nights and making it a point of doing every single evil act available in the game just for kicks.

Does all of this make me evil? Heck no. It's a game and very seperate from reality. In reality, I would never hurt anyone...other than those stupid gohpers in my backyard *grumbles* But in all seriousness, people who cannot separate fantasy from reality are those who might want to be more cautious of what they do in their spare time.

All of that said, the ideal is set up in the scriptures:

If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

-- 13th Article of Faith

We are to seek after virtue and goodness. If what we are seeking doesn't qualify or is actually against such virtue, perhaps we should rethink our choice, eh? My playing a bad guy in a video game is probably not the best use of my time, I know. It was fun at the time, but fun is such a fleeting thing. True happiness is a much greater goal to seek after and you don't find that by playing the bad guy in video games if you get it by playing video games at all, but that is another topic of discussion isn't it?

[Jbs2763]

if somoene cannon differinciate (i have no idea how ot spell that) between violence "they" commit in a video game, and real life......

they have bigger issues, and the govt. should not interfere with my gameplay