Seeking the help of my fellow Heroes...

Now, I'm doing some research for an argumentative essay involving Video game violence, and so far, I've gotten some pages that have provided me with some good, juicy information.

However, I would like to ask for your help in searching for more articles about the subject matter, (the evil) Jack Thompson, or both.


To the Mod-tachi: If you feel that this belongs in Gamestation Taisen rather than the Power Chamber, then please do move it. :thumbs:

Here's a good place to start:

http://www.nantucketindependent.com/news/2007/0822/The_Arts/033.html

This is an article I wrote for a local newspaper around a year ago on the topic of media scapegoating and videogames, which is more than a little related to what you seem to be writing about. If you want stuff about Jack, wikipedia is a good place to go.

The Entertainment Consumers Association's website has some useful statistics you can look at:

http://www.theeca.com/

Good luck with your paper, and if there's anything more I can do to help I'd be glad to, the effects of videogames on real life violence and it's perception in the media is something I've been keeping up with for a very long time.

The way I see it is that the main thing contributing to the idea that videogames are destroying civilization is that the generation of people who are making legislation and buying games for thier kids grew up in a time of Frogger and Pac-Man, when videogames were just for kids. Because of this, parents and politicians assume that all games are made for kids, including the violent ones. While R-rated movies are just as violent as M-rated games, the false impression that violent games are made for and marketed to children is what makes videogames a more frequent target of the media. The fact that isn't getting through with these people is that as videogames continue to exist, they have changed to appeal to a broader audience, and now just like there are movies for kids and movies for adults, there are games for kids and games for adults.

I hear this is the best site you could use for all things Jack Thompson:
http://www.gamepolitics.com/

Arigato, Badonkadonk-san, Keith-sama! ^_^

Also, Badonkadonk-san, I wholeheartedly agree with your point of view there. It's just politicians wanting to keep children in a sugarcoated world -- whereas the real world is anything but.

While I am in favor of keeping T- or M-rated games out of the hands of Children, I believe that that's more of the parents' area of expertise, not Congress. Also, this side-stepping of the issue has more to do with parents thinking that talking to their kids about sex or violence will make their kids want to perform those acts more. But that's my observation anyway, and I think that kind of assumption is flat out wrong.

It pretty much all comes down to people who don't realize that games aren't just for kids anymore.

Common sense is a problem too. Last Christmas I went to someone's house where they bought their ten-year-old a copy of Gears of War, and while we were playing it his Mom who bought that game was shocked at how violent it was. Not only is the lack of awareness of the rating system of problem, but common sense should have played a part. I mean come on, the cover of the game has three guys with huge guns and flames in the background!

It's unfortunate that it's so hard to say for sure whether videogame violence leads to real-life violence, because as I said in the article I linked you to no matter what your opinion is, there's a study to back it up. Science is as divided on the issue as we are.

True. Psychological sciences are a rather tricky field.

And in regards to the issue, in many of the pages I have looked at over the internet, it is stated that many do not know whether violent video games increase violent behavior in people, or if people with violent predispositions are merely attracted to violent video games like moths to a light bulb.

As for your common sense story, I kinda found myself in the same scenario (although the only difference is that it involved an anime DVD). One of my bro's buddies came over to our house with his kid one day and saw the DVD. He asked me if his kid can watch it (coz he thought it was a cartoon -_-;. I told him I couldn't, coz of the Violent content in the anime. It's a shame not many people do the same thing I did that time, especially with video games.

EDIT: Keith-sama, I'm kind of mostly focusing on the violence aspect of Video games, and while I do enjoy my cheap smut from time to time, That was very informative and I thank you. ^_^

Who is Jack Thompson ?