Violent Games Good for Kids

fjordboy writes "Scholars from MIT, the University of California in LA, and the University of London have worked together to oppose laws restricting children from playing violent video games. The battle is currently taking place in the US Court of Appeals and the case seems to hold a decent amount of merit. From Vnunet:"Experts on childhood and adolescence have long recognised the importance of violent fantasy play in overcoming anxieties, processing anger, and providing outlets for aggression." Similar article from Reuters as well."

Comments

So that's what's wrong with me

[principio]

I knew I should have spent more time playing video games and less time studying.

Whew!

[JUSTONEMORELATTE]

I'm sure the folks over at The Army are glad to hear this one!

Don't believe it?

[FreshMeat-BWG]

For anyone who doesn't believe this: Sit through a two-hour long meeting with a manager and then go play twenty minutes of GTA3.

Feeling better aren't you?

Good for kids and adults!

Re:Don't believe it?

[GigsVT]

Sit through a two-hour long meeting with a manager and then go play twenty minutes of GTA3.

That could be dangerous if you aren't allowed to play games at work like 99.9% of people. Imagine sitting in said 2 hours meeting, getting all riled up for GTA3, then having to drive home before you can play. :)

When I was a kid...

[kbielefe]

When I was a kid I released my agression by chopping wood and mowing lawns. Nothing like violently chopping the heads off of 1 million blades of grass to relieve stress.

Violent games do not exist

[Slashdolt]

When I used to play chess, I would often find myself getting very angry. I'm generally a fairly passive person, but when playing chess, I would just plain get mad. In fact, I would sometimes get so mad that I felt like hitting someone, but I never did.

Anyway, that's somewhat beside the point. "Violent" implies that you are doing something to someone. Nobody gets hurt when I sit down and play "Return to Wolfenstein" on my computer. No real Nazis die. My health doesn't deteriorate, and I generally don't even eat any real chicken dinners while playing. When I play a videogame that simulates violence, I often find myself relieved of lots of stress built up over the workday. When I play chess, I get really stressed and want to hurt people.

Obviously, chess is bad, and games with simulated violence are good.

NEIN!

[Sj0]

NO!

One should only supress emotions such as anger and hatred, so they can stoke a fire inside you, rather than making you look angry, until you destroy the world in a fit of rage! DEATH TO INFIDELS!!! DEATH TO NON INFIDELS!!! Oh. I feel better now. NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Supression, not control, is the answer!

Ask me, three time serial-killer killcount award winner SJ Zero!

Violent games are clearly bad for kids.

[MongooseCN]

If my kid Tommy needs to take his aggression out, I don't want him taking it out on video games. It's far better for him to take it out on his classmates, friends and neighbors dog. Actually the neighbors dog isn't around any longer since Tommy got his last test back, so it will have to be his friends and classmates.