Bulletstorm and its effects on people! Oh noez!

[KentaRawr!]

This is pretty darn old, but there wasn't a thread about it from what I remember, and I'm curious about EoFF's opinion, and I honestly hadn't heard about it until now because I literally live in my basement. Anyway, here, just read this article on Fox News' site about Bullet Storm, and what effects it may have on a person. A psychologist they brought in said this:

“Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems,” Weichman said.

Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist and book author, told FoxNews.com that sexual situations and acts in video games -- highlighted so well in Bulletstorm -- have led to real-world sexual violence.

“The increase in rapes can be attributed in large part to the playing out of [sexual] scenes in video games,” she said.

I actually only just heard of this because I was browsing through old Sessler Soapboxes and found Adam Sessler's response to it, found here.

Anyway, I was just curious what the people on EoFF General Gaming think about how violent video games may affect people's minds, and perhaps more importantly, the media's response to violent video games. So, yeah, go!

[Madame Adequate]

I think the overarching global structure of nation-states having a monopoly on the 'legitimate' use of violence is a rather bigger contributor to the use of violence to solve disputes.

[Del Murder]

I laughed when I first heard of this game. It seemed so much like some generic ultra-violent shooting game that you would see the kids going after in an episode of The Simpsons or South Park. I mean seriously, Bulletstorm? Just another shooter, of which there are already too many.

So it doesn't surprise me that this game was picked out for some parent or media person to cry over. This debate has been going on for years and will never stop. Do video games desensitize us to sex and violence? Probably, but no more than movies or television. Do they cause kids to do violent things? Probably not for a well adjusted kid. It's really up to the parents to determine if their child is mature enough to handle these kinds of games. I'd say most teenagers are, though. Kids can be pretty dumb, but most aren't dumb enough to go shoot someone because they saw it in a game. Those kinds of kids are problem children and should not have been playing games in the first place. They should be in counseling.

The media's reaction to violent video games is like their reaction to everything: overblown. They need to get people's attention, so a piece on how great games are and how little an effect they actually have on us psychologically isn't going to bring in viewers.

[Bolivar]

I think the overarching global structure of nation-states having a monopoly on the 'legitimate' use of violence is a rather bigger contributor to the use of violence to solve disputes.

nice one weber

[crono_logical]

Clearly they've not been graced with the presence of the God of War series

[Shattered Dreamer]

I love when the liberal media try to blame the ills of the world on violent video games. They need to get a life.

[Bunny]

I love when the liberal media try to blame the ills of the world on violent video games. They need to get a life.

I like when people tack on pointless words to things. Like "liberal" to "media".

I can't find the exact article but RockPaperShotgun had an article in response to Lieberman's claims (it also might've been in response to Melanie Killen's similar claims). The article was basically breaking down the entire argument against Bulletstorm with the conclusion that the "facts" presented don't actually exist.

I can't find the exact article, but RockPaperShotgun has an article in response to Lieberman's claims (it may have been directed at Melanie Killen, who had similar claims). It was, essentially, a complete breakdown of the argument in regards to Bulletstorm. The conclusion was that a good amount of the sources that Lieberman/Killen brought up either did not exist or were not conclusive. Doing a quick search I found this article, but I don't think it is the exact one I'm talking about. Still on the topic though.

The problem with studies that blame an increase in violent crimes are, mainly, that they are either inconclusive or there are other studies that prove the exact opposite. The general consensus by anyone who isn't a crazy, whacked out nutjob is that there is no conclusive evidence to support the idea that violent video games lead to an increase in violent behavior. One of the biggest examples the pro-violence (anti-video game) side uses is the example of Columbine, Harris, and Klebold. They were "obsessed" with Doom, therefore they shot up the school because of video games. The argument does not take into account that an FBI profile of Klebold concluded that he had a series of personality disorders that made him, without the aid of video games, violent. Harris, on the other hand, was viewed as a "weak personality" and follower of Klebold. It might have been the other way around, I haven't read the study in two years and don't feel like pulling it up.

It is silly to think that violent video games heighten violent activity among youths (as the arguments typically claim) while dismissing violent television, movies, and news articles of the same nature. The majority of people (read: those without predetermined violent tendencies) will realize that a game is a work of fiction and that these things do not carry over into the real world. People who claim otherwise are, typically, grasping at straws or outright lying about certain connections.

Another interesting fact I uncovered when I was studying this entire phenomenon was the supposed "Daddy" of violent video games, Mortal Kombat, was supposed to heighten criminal activity among certain age groups when it was first released. A lot of people claimed that it did just that, except a few studies that released information stating that the level of violent crimes actually dropped around the release of Mortal Kombat. I think the studies were supported by several different groups as well.

Regardless, the entire argument is stupid.

[KentaRawr!]

I love when the liberal media try to blame the ills of the world on violent video games. They need to get a life.

Fox doesn't really call itself 'liberal'. In fact, they damned the name 'liberal' to hell.

[Jessweeee♪]

hey guys did you know that in mass effect there are aliens having lesbian sex????

[KentaRawr!]

hey guys did you know that in mass effect there are aliens having lesbian sex????

That's the game where I draw the line. It totally objectified women, had full-frontal nudity, and was marketed towards infants. I learned that here.

[Jiro]

People love to villify stuff and so games are being the fall guy. They said the same thing about movies all them years ago.

[Loony BoB]

“Violent video games like Bulletstorm have the potential to send the message that violence and insults with sexual innuendos are the way to handle disputes and problems,” Weichman said.

hey guys did you know that in mass effect there are aliens having lesbian sex????

I have to say, if they honestly think that in reality we would respond to aliens in the same way as we would in video games, there will be some very conflicted young gamers out there.

EDIT: Just talking about this with Danielle, I was going on about how if aliens did land, a gamer would obviously respond by single-handedly destroying their mothership by using the latest weapon technology. And she responded (thinking of the lesbian sex bit):

I know! And it's not like we would actually go out and have sex with them right away.

Yeah!

Wait, what?

[DMKA]

I laughed when I first heard of this game. It seemed so much like some generic ultra-violent shooting game that you would see the kids going after in an episode of The Simpsons or South Park. I mean seriously, Bulletstorm? Just another shooter, of which there are already too many.