The premise may be weak, but it is not false. I agree that playing video games is not going to turn you into a stone cold killer, however, it is a piece of the equation. It has been said several times, and rightly so, that crazy people will do crazy things no matter what, but the question is, are we creating psuedo-crazy people?
There is strong evidence that we are. Well researched, documented evidence was compiled in a book called _On Killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill at war and in society_ (or something very close to that). A well informed debate would have to address the evidence stated by the author, and if you have any interest in having a well rounded opinion on the subject, it is a must read.
In a nutshell, there are several mental "safeties" that need to be tripped before a human being can willingly kill another. The safeties include peer support, physical distance from victim, preconditioned response, desensitization, and several more. The violent video game is just one of several factors, currently prevalent in society, that trip the safeties. The problem is that all of the safeties can be removed by common, culturally acceptable activities.
Probably all of us in this forum can say that we loved to play those games, and it didn't turn us into murderers, but I can say with equal confidence that the most murderous youth in recent history (columbine, etc.) did in fact play those games as well. It was a necessary ingredient.
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The premise may be weak, but it is not false. I agree that playing video games is not going to turn you into a stone cold killer, however, it is a piece of the equation. It has been said several times, and rightly so, that crazy people will do crazy things no matter what, but the question is, are we creating psuedo-crazy people?
There is strong evidence that we are. Well researched, documented evidence was compiled in a book called _On Killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill at war and in society_ (or something very close to that). A well informed debate would have to address the evidence stated by the author, and if you have any interest in having a well rounded opinion on the subject, it is a must read.
In a nutshell, there are several mental "safeties" that need to be tripped before a human being can willingly kill another. The safeties include peer support, physical distance from victim, preconditioned response, desensitization, and several more. The violent video game is just one of several factors, currently prevalent in society, that trip the safeties. The problem is that all of the safeties can be removed by common, culturally acceptable activities.
Probably all of us in this forum can say that we loved to play those games, and it didn't turn us into murderers, but I can say with equal confidence that the most murderous youth in recent history (columbine, etc.) did in fact play those games as well. It was a necessary ingredient.