Video Game Influence

[Fratelli]

NY Daily News to WrestleZone.com


Shakar, Damori's best friend, said his pal was imitating his favorite PlayStation2 game,


"He tried to do a swan dive like Jeff Harding (jeff hardy, poor journalism) does in 'SmackDown.' That was his favorite game. He played it all the time," Shakar said.

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what is everyones opinion on the topic of kids dying due to copying wrestling moves, and how the media react to it?


i believe that the wwe will always have this problem. it doesnt matter how many times cena or cm punk has to tell them dont try this at home, they will do it.
the parents need to tell their children not to try it at home. they might not know it but kids will do what their parents say more than any other person.



these kids need their mum and dads to pay for the games they are usually a 15 rated game (i dont know the u.s rating for smackdown vs raw sorry) so what these games should come with is a leaflet in pouch of the game waring parents to tell their kids dont try this at home as some people have died copying them. if i was 9 and my mum and dad told me "promise me you wont copy what these people do in the game before i let you play it, last week a kid died copying them". it would scare me pretty bad on copying wrestling moves in real life, and i sure as hell wouldnt try swanton bombing my mate from the top of a ladder.



on the other hand people accuse 18 rated games of influencing older teenagers to commit murder and other crimes. i find this complete crap i must admit. if you are playing say, grand theft auto and you are old enough to buy the game and you kill a passer by with a shot gun and a thought comes into your head, "wow that looks like fun, im gonna do that" then you have a severe mental problem (im not trying to make a joke here) and you need serious help.

note: i realise there is a forum on the wwe section, but i would like to point out im discussing all types of video game influence for people of all ages and not just kids playing smackdown vs raw

 

[Azrael Cain]

This is indeed a hot topic in psychology and society these days. Does video game violence (or whatever) have an effect on people? Some would make the argument they do and cite the military training simulators as evidence of "violent video games." Others would make the argument to the contrary and proclaim it is all about the individual's will and ability to tell the real from the virtual, in which the entire thing starts all over again.

In some aspects, I believe that video game(s) [violence] can influence people. Those individuals have to be somehow "disturbed," (if such a term can be utilized here) for the game to take effect. Most "normal" (there's a debate for the ages!) people know that a game is a game and the real world is the real world. Some know and don't care. Others are just unable to tell the difference.

I believe that the need for the constant stimulation that video games provide comes out of an unfulfilled need of some sort, and so video games fill said void. It's kind of life alcohol or sex or cutting for some -- a void is filled.

What it is, to me, is misdirected intentions. If as much effort was put into, let's say, learning how to dance or play piano or any other musical instrument, or weightlifting, or anything deemed productive (and here it's not up for debate: some things are good for you and some are not, period) then the individual would not have the need to turn elsewhere. Of course, this is an idealized solution; no one studies themselves this critically and tries to solve their problems in this way. And it is always someone else's problem or fault -- that's a mantra with human beings, and one can check history if there's any doubt. But my lobby is that there is something missing in society and culture and this world to make this debate as huge as it is. Clearly people are leaving their kids for the new babysitter, the PS3 XBOX or Wii, but they are forced to when working x amounts of jobs just to keep a roof over their kids heads.

Now, in more specific terms of people imitating wrestling games, I think that the parents of the children need to make it specifically clear that this is not to be done in real life and it is because this is dangerous in real life that the game exists. The parent needs to explain this concept if their child is even watching or considering watching wrestling. The distinction must be made and must be clear -- do not try this, these people are trained professionals. Mimicking wrestling moves without supervision and off of a video game is idiotic, and again, more misapplied intention.

Having written all that, does it sound as harsh as I think it does...?

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

This is indeed a hot topic in psychology and society these days. Does video game violence (or whatever) have an effect on people? Some would make the argument they do and cite the military training simulators as evidence of "violent video games." Others would make the argument to the contrary and proclaim it is all about the individual's will and ability to tell the real from the virtual, in which the entire thing starts all over again.

Heres an idea, if the child is 9 and the game says 15 and over, then dont buy the damn game, I hate watching idiotic parents buy kids way too young to understand games that there tiny minds cannot process, then go blaming the game manufacturers because their child did something stupid!.

I for one wont even let my two daughters watch anything with dark humor or adult themes because i believe they should be children first and start exploring later on in their lives, for now its just play time, eat shit and sleep.
a

In some aspects, I believe that video game(s) [violence] can influence people. Those individuals have to be somehow "disturbed," (if such a term can be utilized here) for the game to take effect. Most "normal" (there's a debate for the ages!) people know that a game is a game and the real world is the real world. Some know and don't care. Others are just unable to tell the difference.

I played no more heroes, I was chopping people down with a katana blade, am i gonna go out now and start chopping people like dead wood?, no its simple, people should take responsibility for thier actions, if you know your kid is gonna act out then dont buy them something that will encourage them.
a

I believe that the need for the constant stimulation that video games provide comes out of an unfulfilled need of some sort, and so video games fill said void. It's kind of life alcohol or sex or cutting for some -- a void is filled.

What it is, to me, is misdirected intentions. If as much effort was put into, let's say, learning how to dance or play piano or any other musical instrument, or weightlifting, or anything deemed productive (and here it's not up for debate: some things are good for you and some are not, period) then the individual would not have the need to turn elsewhere. Of course, this is an idealized solution; no one studies themselves this critically and tries to solve their problems in this way. And it is always someone else's problem or fault -- that's a mantra with human beings, and one can check history if there's any doubt. But my lobby is that there is something missing in society and culture and this world to make this debate as huge as it is. Clearly people are leaving their kids for the new babysitter, the PS3 XBOX or Wii, but they are forced to when working x amounts of jobs just to keep a roof over their kids heads.

Again this is where the parents come in, the games are rated, the guy at the store is under stricked orders not to sell it to your child, but mommy decides to come down and buy it so you can stop whining, then he ends up mowing people down and say it was the games fault, its simply a cop out!.

If your child is disturbed then seek counsellings dont ignore it and buy him GTA, If your little timmy is stupid dont buy him wrestling games so he can go and jump off a roof, has jeff ever roof jumped?...the answer is no!

 

[Azrael Cain]

It's a solid idea. I don't disagree, quite the opposite, I encourage parents being practical and rational. But not everyone is, or can be.

That's good for you, and your daughters. You're a practical and reasonable parent. I salute you.

You're a "normal" individual that can distinguish between the real world and the video game, that's why you're not going out and replicating the activities. By my theory, nothing is missing from your life and so you do not use video games for the same purpose as someone with an unfulfilled void.

Again, I do not disagree, it is a cop out. But again, as I have stated numerous times through my posting career and other threads, human beings want instant gratification and a quick fix to a problem rather than pause to think of the bigger picture. I.E: the kid is crying and bitching now because mommy won't buy the damn game and mommy wants to make him stop crying right then and there (because what will the on lookers think of her if she cannot control her child in a store!) and so she buys the damn game, not looking at the advisory sticker (and the advisory stickers themselves are bullshit, anyway) or thinking about anything other than how she looks in other people's eyes. And after Little Jimmy shoots a friend, whose fault is it? Certainly not the parents.

It's been the trend lately so that no one takes responsibility for anything. I advocate the opposite, I agree with you. I am just saying that for some, it isn't as easy as that.

Taking your kid to counseling means admitting you fucked up as a parent. That's not an easy thing to admit. Admitting your kid is "disturbed" means labeling him or her, it means that certain doors get closed. In the grand scheme of things, if your kid mows down other kids, a prison door is closed and it's end of story -- but again, quick fix solutions to the problems that are bugging us right now, not down the line.

 

[HBK-aholic]

I think the effect is exagerated a lot. There was a study done a few years ago looking at the effect watching an adult role model participate in violent or agressive behaviour has on the child. While the effects were slightly high I think people need to calm down.

I can't be bothered going into more detail when the answer is simple. Don't let your child play video games not suitable for their age - they have ages on for a reason, yet even my mum goes out and buys my 15 year old brother games with an 18 certificate.

 

[Ushiku]

Its completely stupid that parents would blame anyone but themselves... they're the adults here, and ultimately a good parent should be in control of what their children have access to.

I understand online that's more difficult, as I remember at 11 I knew my way around a computer and could find instant access to porn and other things I shouldn't be looking at, but even that could be prevented by parents who have a basic knowledge of password protected encryption, I think the perfect password would be the full alphabet in Al Bhed from Final Fantasy 10, its long, no kid would think of it unless their parents were uber geeks, and its hard to remember off the top of your head.

But computer games don't kill people, its the people that play them that do. And if you think you're kid is easily influenced and/or doesn't have the mental capacity to distinguish between reality and fiction then don't give them anything that could incite them and act as a catalyst for destruction.

The real problem is that too many parents don't know how to love, nurture, or be role models... they see materialism or a fist as a quick fix to any problem with a child.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

[youtube]pXzI0WrlFwA[/youtube]​

Does anyone else remember this video? It's been playing on W.W.E television, and is a world wide promo/ad - has been for years now. Uhm.. so, when the media takes stupid shit and says "It's Wrestling fault the moronic stupid child killed him/herself and others by imitating wrestling moves".

That's the media and Parent's way of removing blame for bad Parenting, and piss poor journalism. As (I think David said) the game is rated for a specific age category. Mainly to indicate your children need to be smart enough to know not to copy this shit. And if you buy this game, you're taking all rights and responsibilities into your own hands if anything happens there on. Yet no Parent of this ever takes responsibility for this stuff.

So, is it Wrestling's fault? Uhm.. NO. Why would it be? Is it horror movies' fault if someone takes a knife and hacks up a Family? Is it the news media's fault if someone sees a serial killer and tries copying their M.O? Is it the Government's fault if someone notices a major world event (like the Oklahoma bombings) and thinks.. I should take credit for that.

NO.. because Humans aren't fucking idiots. Well, they are, but not without choice of being. (most of the time, anyways) My point is this.. we decide what we want to do. (ie. the kids decided to try those wrestling moves, knowing they could get hurt.)

Well, either that, or they assumed it'd be okay.. because their Parents kept telling them.. Wrestling.. was.. fake.

 

[Uncle Sam]

I haven't read any of this thread. Luckily, I read about this case before.

This is survival of the fittest, right here. Darwinism at its finest. Evolution in action. If a kid's stupid enough to jump off a roof and think he won't get hurt, then we should just be thankful nobody is inheriting his genes. Simple as. It doesn't matter why he did it. My headline would have been "Stupid kid is stupid, dies".

Harsh, I know. You're all thinking it really. Personally, I think the laws of gravity are to blame here. Damn you gravity, you win again.

 

[Ushiku]

I haven't read any of this thread. Luckily, I read about this case before.

This is survival of the fittest, right here. Darwinism at its finest. Evolution in action. If a kid's stupid enough to jump off a roof and think he won't get hurt, then we should just be thankful nobody is inheriting his genes. Simple as. It doesn't matter why he did it. My headline would have been "Stupid kid is stupid, dies".

Harsh, I know. You're all thinking it really. Personally, I think the laws of gravity are to blame here. Damn you gravity, you win again.

As much as its morally questionable to find that post funny, I must admit it was funny, yet also truthful. I can understand if it happened to kid under about 8, that's usually when ones brain starts to develop some sort of rationality, albeit at a limited scale... but by then one should know what shouldn't be tried, and what's safe. And if your kid is slower than most, then drum it into their heads they aren't to attempt to try this. If you need to tell them they won't be allowed any toys for a week, or will be forced to eat mint humbugs at grandma's whilst their sister goes to see the new Hannah Montana movie or whatever crap little girls are into these days...

 

[Dragonslayer]

I am really bothered by the whole "blame the video games" attitude that has risen in the past couple of years. Now I've been playing all sorts of video games ever since the glory days of the NES and GameBoy, and I've played all sorts of genres from RPGs to Beat'em'Ups to Shooters, and I guess I can safely say that most of the people who know me would say that I am one of the most peace-loving individuals they've ever met.

That been said, I think that putting the blame on video games is just another attempt to shift the attention from the real problem; as we all know, humankind is quite apt at this kind of thing, right? I believe the tendency of young people to run amuck and randomly shoot people at their schools and colleges is more a sign of the times and the situation in families and of social isolation these days instead of the influence of "bad, bad video games". People just need to realize that it is not the games that make people do stupid things, just like it isn't movies or TV shows that makes young people and kids do stupid things (such as shooting at people, or, in this case, jumping off buildings); but the fact that parents just spend too little time with their children, talking about the things they've seen on the TV or in video games. I feel that many parents just use TV and video/computer games as a sort of digitalized babysitting device, and rely on those instruments to gain some minutes of peace and quiet for themselves. Now this is quite understandable; I mean, imagine you come home after a hard day's work, and then should still do some work around the house, and at the same time look after your children and their education. Tough duty, eh?

But here's my problem - people, when you decide to get children (and well, in most cases today you CAN actually decide whether you want to have children or not), then that is what you sign up for, for God's sake! If you decide to bear children, then you had better be ready to shift your priorities; you had better be ready to sacrifice even the last bit of "private" time that you have to invest it into your children. Because those kids are your responsibility, those kids rely on you, those kids need you; simply because for many, many years, they will simply not be smart enough or skilled enough or mature enough to take care of themselves.

People need to realize that video games, that supposedly keep kids busy for a couple of hours a day in which many parents seem to believe they can have time for themselves, can not replace human interaction; and that in fact, for each hour that a child of ten, eleven, twelve years plays violent games (that they shouldn't be given in the first place, but that's another problem), a parent will have to invest at least that hour to talk about the experiences with the child and to ensure a halfway sane development of that kid.

Speaking of violent games; I truly believe people and also storeowners should pay more attention to what kind of games the kids play. Now I understand that retailers will more easily "overlook" age ratings in order to make more profit, but it is at the very least the parents' duty to monitor the kind of entertainment their children indulge in. I mean, I would not give my 12, 13, 14 year old kid games like Gears of War, Call of Duty or Resident Evil to play; simply because of the fact that at this point in time, games have become so very realistic and increasingly violent that "playing" this kind of brutality is just not suitable for a person as easily impressed and influenced as a child of those ages. Of course children will WANT to play this, because their friends do too, and because it's considered "cool"... but even in that case, people should either be more strict in their monitoring or at least work up the time and dedictation to discuss these games and the experiences with their children.

But in general, there are two things that people/parents need to realize:

1) Videogames are no longer toys primarily designed to appeal to children. Especially in the current console and PC generations (but also in the last one), videogames have involved from a more or less "geek-position" in society, from being toys for a rather small and young audience (with brightly coloured and un-violent games such as Super Mario, Tetris, Sonic etc.) to being entertainment catering primarily to a demographic of young male adults ages 18-35 I suppose, with grown-up subjects and themes, and also graphic displays of violence that usually appear in that form not even in most movies, except for those few excessively brutal splatter/action moves that are also highly restricted when it comes to viewer audience. Once parents understand that the XBOX or PS3 they purchase no longer is primarily a toy for 12 year old Tommy, but in fact an entertainment system for THEMSELVES, they will also hopefully pay more attention to what games their children purchase.

2) People need to realize that no video or PC gaming system can be a substitute for human interaction, or for a balanced family life. People need to stop relying on games and TV as the aforementioned babysitter, and realize that once you have kids, you also need to have the time to spend with them. It's as simple as that.

But of course, putting the blame for unwelcome developments on a very nondescript entity like "the TV" or "the video games" is just an easy way out when confronting the real issues would require a lot more work and time on part of everyone - on part of children, on part of parents especially, and also on the part of the media.

 

[a7xoff]

Since I'm a pretty big gamer I'll throw out my take on video games influencing kids. Fist of all. On the back of every video game there is a rating, either KA,E,T,M,AO, etc. They all have an age range. WWE games are rated T for Teen and obviously hold some violent content. So if you have a seven year old kid who watches WWE and wants a WWE game.... DON'T BUY IT FOR THEM. The games have ratings for a reason. So when a kid kills himself trying to do a move he saw in a video game... You really can't say that it's the fault of the game. It is the responsiblity or lack there of, of the parent who purchased the game. I mean there are tons and tons of violent games. Mortal Combat way back in the day came under fire for it's violence and bloodshed... Yet again... Why would a parent buy the game for the kid when chances are they know the violence that it is made up of. I personally don't feel any sympathy for someone who claims that their kid did a violent act because of a videogame... In which they purchased for them. Sorry I just can't be sorry about it. Videogames are changing and becoming more lifelike, and as technology continues to improve... More and more games that are lifelike are going to surface. Cartoonish games like Mario and Sonic are taking a back seat to games such as Grand Theft Auto that offer a much more violent escape than jumping on walking mushrooms or turtles that pop out of their shells.

It seems that with each new generation coming into the world, the world gets more and more violent, and it's the parent's faults. Videogames are made for entertainment and that's about it. It's up to the parents of the kids who play them to either pull little Johnny or Susie aside and lay down the law sort to speak on that. Espically in games like WWE where the things are realitivly easy to attempt. Bottom line... Games have a rating. Kids should be playing EC-E, that's Early childhood through Everyone. That's it parents just need to stop buying kids Teenage games... let alone Mature ones...