You make a good point. I read that article as well, and as you said addiction is bad. Too much of anything is not good, even farmville. No one has any proof video games lead to violence, so I'll believe it when I see it, but until then, I don't think violence in video games leads to real violence. Violence usually comes from a more personal issue, not a game.

That was a good write up, especially for a first blog. The only thing I would suggest is add a picture, it makes it more interesting for the reader.

Nice point man! I agree..

I find that after playing a few rounds in COD or playing for an hour or two on GTA that I become a different person around my family. I would say that violent video games can change how you act.

vaguely familiar...

hahaha, jk good, but I kinda was hoping for pictures or more depth

oh boy, you've just earned a meaty post from God Of Irony, this almost never happens... Media Influenced Violence was the topic of my senior paper, so i happen to have quite an understanding of it, in all the studies that i looked into, they all pointed to the same thing: People have these walls, which filter out most of the bad... now in the study, almost all negative "Imitatable" behaviors were filtered out of the test study (subjects being school kids) however, the researchers discovered that a few of the individuals lacked these filters, and would repeat any negative behavior that they saw. basically, the studied showed me that most... MOST people were well equipped to handle violent imagery without concern, but others weren't. the study then concluded that media entertainment shouldn't be sullied by the few that couldn't handle it.

Nice article, while I have never done any Violence, I have changed with ym addiction to games. I've played games since around 3rd grade. I was nice to everyone and went outside every single day for majority of the day. Then came the day of the dreaded Xbox... Got the Xbow, Now I go outside maybe only 30 minutes a day. I yell at my parents when they interrupt me while playing games. Not me at all.

Violent video games have the opposite effect on me. I play them to get my aggression out so not to injure myself or someone else. I also use it as a stress reliever. I know I am probably not a typical example but I can't be alone in this. And from what I have seen violent people are violent before, during and after playing violent games. But I do believe if children play violent games they would be more likely to commit acts at a later date but far in the future not 30 minutes later.

I think the two things are exclusive to one another. I think violence is a problem with some more impressionable and immature kids, while addiction is another. I personally struggled with game addiction while I was in school. I skimped on homework and studying so that I could play more Goldeneye. I think you are right that addiction causes agression as well but that doesn't exclude violence from causing agression either.

Games don't cause violence, in fact they negate the violence, however addiction is plausible, like you said, if you take someone's addiction away they'd become aggressive.

So games don't cause the violence, the addiction does.

I think it could be both.  Some kids that don't know reality from fantasy might get violent because of violent video games, yet I think that people who are addicted to video games have the potential to be violent as well.

Addiction of course plays a huge part in outward aggression. Whenever someone is short of their comfortable level of exposure to - whatever it may be, alcohol, drugs, gaming... escapist coping - they're likely to lash out, especially when someone or something is keeping them from getting their fix.

You see it in kids a lot because they haven't fully developed an understanding of all that yet... whereas adults who exhibit this behavior are generally just running from some other problem in their life.

I KNEW IT!! NOTHING GOOD EEEVVVVEEERRRRR COMES FROM FARMVILLE >:0

All I can say is, I was jumping out of trees, shooting pretend guns, and sword fighting with every stick I could find before I started playing video games.

That is not exactly the best case to use for an example as there are other factors that God of Irony stated, there are some people that lack the filter to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy actions. Beyond that, military studies have found that the act of shooting at a figure that looks like a human makes it easier for you to fire at a person in a combat scenario.

What does this mean for gaming? There are a small number of people that might try to re-enact depictions from various forms of media, but more might act in a similar manner if placed in a situation where the feeling of fight or flight presents itself along with opportunity (weapon availability). There are no studies as to if there would be a similar correlation, but seeing as how the military has started to implement video game type weapons training, it would not surprise me.

everyone needs something to blame. if there were no video games, the media, or ANYONE really would find an excuse. video games do not cause violence. people are violent all by themselves

I blame violent video games on television.

Violent people are drawn to violence.  Why isn't it ever mentioned that many violent people like violent things, so they are quite likely to gravitate to games where they can play out their violent fantasies.

Of course, this also includes the many millions of gamers who NEVER DO ANYTHING VIOLENT when they are playing said game.

Correlation does not equal causation.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a personal problem and anything could have been a trigger for it.  Farmville didn't "make you" kill your child.

Now if you ask me, it all depends on the player's ability to reconcile the difference between reality and fantasy. Now I know some people that are 13 and play Gears of War 2, Duke Nukem Forever, etc. and I'm completely fine with it because it doesn't affect their personality at all - they are still the encouraging, dependable friends that I grew up with. Despite their maturity (and trust me. They are mature - Good, original jokes and polite behavior) they are hated on when playing online. Worst? I know a guy - literally, a year older than them - and on LIVE, people are fine with him. For the sole reason that his voice has cracked.

Now some people think that uncracked voices are "retarded" or "screeching" or some sh*t. I've never had that problem - they sound just fine to me, and haters can just click that mute button.

Now what sucks is when the 13-year old even SUGGESTS to the jerks that they could mute him, and they outright say "NO. YOU SHUT UP"

And these friends of mine are no slouch at the game either. Instead of dragging the team down and using only unbalanced tactics, they play - legitimately - and typically score kill/death ratios of 1.50 or higher - this, by the way, is in playlists like Team Slayer.

Enough of my ranting. To answer your question, I don't think the simulated violence is the problem (because really, video game or not, some kids are always aggressive) and if it is, it most certainly doesn't just apply to video games. More kids (around here anyway) get off scot-free watching violent movies than they do video games. (Really. The first and only time I watched Avatar, which was rated PG-13, it looked no different from the intense shootouts in Battlefield Bad Company 2 or Homefront) Violence applies to pretty much anything these days - You TACKLE people in football - this is getting people comfortable with the physical act of tackling others as opposed to simply pushing the B button and kicking the enemy.

i believe people who have a mental disorder should not play video games without first consulting with a doctor or a parent