Do Violent Games Hinder Development of Empathy?

donniebaseball23 writes "Although there's yet to be a study that conclusively proves a direct causal relationship between video game violence and real-life violence, psychologists are continuing to examine the effect violent media can have on children. A new study in the Journal of Children and Media notes that violent video game exposure can actually hinder a child's moral development. 'Certainly not every child who continues to play violent video games is going to go out and perpetrate a violent act, but the research suggests that children — particularly boys — who are frequently exposed to these violent games are absorbing a sanitized message of "no consequences for violence" from this play behavior,' said Professor Edward T. Vieira Jr."

Comments

"No consequences for violence"

[cheekyjohnson]

I believe that only a few of them would get that message. But even if they did, instead of having parents ban the games for the child, why don't they teach them otherwise and then let them play them?

Re:"No consequences for violence"

[cheekyjohnson]

They're concerned with the varying percentage of kids whose parents won't take the time / know better to talk to them and give context, etc. Ideally, sure, all the world's parents would have a bit of guidance and insight for each of the things their kids see/hear/experience, but we know that's not the case.

I see. However, the number of children who would get such a message from a fictional piece of entertainment are few in number, I think. That number can be thinned even further if they have responsible parents. What you're likely left with is a few children who do get this message, but they are so few in number that they are likely not worth worrying about (well, in the sense that games should be censored or banned for children, anyway).

We should accept the fact that many, many families lack parental guidance, and the results should be studied and understood.

Then those families shouldn't have children.

Re:"No consequences for violence"

[jhoegl]

Perhaps a similar study or "side by side" study should be performed on basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, and football.

Because, we all know hockey and football are the worst for anger issues, then soccer (if outside the US and Canada).

I will bet it will be higher percentages for physical contact sports. A PR term for "violent sport"

Re:"No consequences for violence"

[vux984]

However, the number of children who would get such a message[...] are few in number I think

Exactly. "You think"!

And that right there is why its worthy of study. Lets actually find out how few in number it is.

Then those families shouldn't have children.

And the only way you get to enforce that is a policy of eugenics, forced abortions, and sterilization.

I may well agree that many people shouldn't have children, but I have no desire whatsoever to live in a society that actually tries to decide who and then enforces it.

Re:"No consequences for violence"

[dave562]

The imagination is a powerful thing. I've seen kids come out of the movie theater after watching Kung Fu Panda, and they were trying to kung fu fight each other. That was after what... 90 minutes of animated animals fighting each other. I remember when Power Rangers was popular. Kids all over the place were "playing" Power Rangers, punching and hitting and kicking at each other.

Violence is an innate inclination in human beings. Part of becoming cultured and civilized is learning to find other solutions to inter-personal problems that do not involve the quick and dirty inclination to just simply remove the problem.

On one level the issue is the cultural acceptance of certain behaviors. Look at a game like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that portrays the gang life style. Sure, there are gangsters in any city of any reasonable size. Yet to glorify that behavior to the point where you are allowing children to live it sends the wrong messages. It delivers the message that such behavior is okay. Perhaps it is funny. Dangerous? Nope, it's a video game. You die and come back to life.

During play time, children try on roles. Every second they spend "playing" a socially destructive role is a second wasted where their mind is not focused on making positive contributions to their environment.

Re:"No consequences for violence"

[cheekyjohnson]

And how many children actually become violent in real life because of this? Based on statistical evidence that I've seen, not many at all. The most some studies have been able to do is correlate temporary aggressive thoughts with violent entertainment. But, as far as I know, that was it.

Every second they spend "playing" a socially destructive role is a second wasted where their mind is not focused on making positive contributions to their environment.

The same could be said about just about every hobby.

Re:A comment on Fark sums this up perfectly

[hedwards]

It's a valid point, you don't see people getting up in arms when it's a female protagonist beating or generally abusing male antagonists. I gave up watching most prime time TV because it was typical for the wives to behave like abusive bitches and for the husbands to more or less cower.

One has to wonder whether it's not as big a problem as is advertised or whether men just have that little value in modern society.

Re:Humans do not exist in a void...

[Skidborg]

The thing is, when you actually go outside with your friends and play swordfight or war, you learn a degree of empathy that you don't get from video games since you won't have anyone left to play with if you insist on actually harming people. With video games, there's an entire internet full of strangers for you to remorselessly frag/spawncamp/teabag so there's no reason to learn how to actually socialize with them or even consider them to be human beings.

The sponsor is always right

[Lead Butthead]

Every sponsor of the study has its own angle on the issue, as such the result of the study is already predestine to prove the sponsor right. It's largely irrelevant what the result is as the result is pegged long before any data is collected or interpreted.

Studies that disproved their sponsors' views have ways of disappearing into unfunded abyss.