computer games: harmless fun?

Yanlee · Post by **Yanlee** » Wed Sep 05, 2001 9:56 pm

As a child and teenager, I was always told that computer games were bad for you, because they were immature, discouraged you from physical activity, made you socially inept and, in some cases, fostered violent and even demonic behaviour. The same arguments, particularly the latter, are becoming even more prominent now in relation to the media and pop-culture.
I have heard many parents and prospective parents say that they will never let their kinds get into computer games, especially violent/D&D/fantasy games.
Despite all these warning, I continued with my games, and I turned out fine *twitch* *foam*

So what do you all think? I would think you would all be in favour of them, but, if so, how do you respond to the points above?

You all seem like a sane enough bunch…
but then, for all I know someone could be thinking about this right now in their Grandma’s panties, covered in peanut butter and drooling over guns’n’ammo…

Carbonyl · Post by **Carbonyl** » Wed Sep 05, 2001 10:20 pm

I can say from personal experiance computer games have made my games suffer in the past.

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Wed Sep 05, 2001 10:23 pm

Originally posted by Yanlee:
As a child and teenager, I was always told that computer games were bad for you, because they were immature, discouraged you from physical activity,

Well I played plenty of sports to - and got more injuries from thoese than I'd ever gotten from computer games

made you socially inept and,

Well I must say that much sociallising in certain parts my life if also based on computergames. Actually recent scienetist have claimed that the networking children gets while playing computergames with/against each other and then talking about it gives the same "sociallising" as playing sports together.

in some cases, fostered violent and even demonic behaviour.

well people (parents?) always key things they don't understand together with behaviour they don't like.
So when they hear that a person in the USA has run amok at a school shooting people - it must be because he has done something wrong, ei. playing violent computergames. etc.

<snip>
So what do you all think? I would think you would all be in favour of them, but, if so, how do you respond to the points above?
<snip>

I respond with a "pffee".
IMO all people that state that computer games make you nuts (so to speak) is because they are trying to cling on to "things were better in the old days" mentality. Where children played in the street(??) and were healthy.
I think that it is not the computer games that make some children click. If you ei. look at the shootings at schools, it is mainly in the USA (mainly) and this would lead to the thought that it is because they've seen to much violence in movies and played to violent computergames.
But do kids in Denmark (ei.) not also do these activites? - And to answer my own question - trust me, they do.

I think that a main reason why children snap, is because in todays society so much more responcibility is place on young people.
You're always told to study, because if you don't you wont get a job ei, etc.. This is a lot of pressure.
Young people have to grow up very fast, which IMO is a more disturbing element then violence in the media.

BTW I've played violent computergames since I was 15.
Before that I played violent real games where we ran around played "fights", shot each other with made belive guns, threw appels at each other etc.
And the only thing I've ever been affraid of as a child, was if I would be unemployed when I grew up!

(Hmm - rambeling

)

[ 09-06-2001: Message edited by: Xandax ]

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 1:33 am

Originally posted by Yanlee:
You all seem like a sane enough bunch

Me? Sane? Perish the thought!

When the "bandwagon" says something is evil, I tend to check it out to see if they're right because usually they're wrong. This is why I read the Harry Potter books(which I rather enjoyed). My mum read them as well, and also enjoyed them. I asked my parents if they thing D&D is evil. They said yes. I asked them what was wrong with it. They couldn't give me any specific answers. The most specific one was "it's because of the type of people that tend to be attracted to this type of thing." Well, though some of ya'll might be offended by this, I don't think anyone here is particularly evil, at least, not in the way my parents meant. A few days ago, I (with virtually no trouble at all) convinced my mum to install Baldur's Gate on her computer. She hasn't had time to play it much, but she does not seem to think it is evil. I guess I'm lucky to have parents that trust my judgement and ability to discent what is right and what is wrong.

Quark · Post by **Quark** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 5:45 am

The games themselves are not bad. People who already have problems with reality (generally related to how bad their parents are) can take the games seriously and start to blend fiction and reality. This makes already volatile people even more volatile. If you get rid of thier cause for being off-center, then the games won't have any effect on them.

Actually, playing computer games relieves stress for me.

Gibsonajt · Post by **Gibsonajt** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 9:59 am

You should ask your parents whether they would prefer you to read a steven king novel or play bg2

they seem to think that reading doesn't affect children in the same way but thats only because most children don't read books

I read so many books that people at school walk into a room and see me alone reading a book think me wierd

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 10:05 am

Why is it whenever some kid goes on a rampage and kills a bunch of people, games, movies, music and such tend to get most of the blame? What ever happened to responsible parenting? I don't see how anything like a computer game can set someone off that way unless they had some serious deep problems in the first place.

I think in some cases, parents don't want to admit that they may not have done a perfect job raising their child.

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 10:06 am

Ah man! Not this! Always politic debate on this, first carmageddon, then SoF ect ect ect...
A game is a game, no more, no less! PERIOT!!

rapier · Post by **rapier** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 10:15 am

Originally posted by Rob-hin:
Ah man! Not this! Always politic debate on this, first carmageddon, then SoF ect ect ect...
A game is a game, no more, no less! PERIOT!!

Exactly! Parents always have to use computer games as scapegoats íf they failed with their child

Stoner Cold · Post by **Stoner Cold** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 11:00 am

ive played violent games (including both carmagedon games, all the quakes, unreal and unreal tourny, the BG series and loads more) for ages, and im almost perfectly normal person

rapier · Post by **rapier** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 11:01 am

Originally posted by Stoner Cold:
ive played violent games (including both carmagedon games, all the quakes, unreal and unreal tourny, the BG series and loads more) for ages, and im almost perfectly normal person

Right...Almost...

Sailor Saturn · Post by **Sailor Saturn** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 11:52 am

Originally posted by Dark Angel:
You should ask your parents whether they would prefer you to read a steven king novel or play bg2

they seem to think that reading doesn't affect children in the same way but thats only because most children don't read books

I read so many books that people at school walk into a room and see me alone reading a book think me wierd

I know what you mean. I have an hour between my two classes on MWF, so I go into the psych building(where the most comfortable chairs are) and sit and read for an hour. When people who know me see me without a book, they walk up to me and ask, "Where's your book?" Usually it's just in my pocket. My parents don't like letting me go into bookstores because I start reading the books in the store...cheaper than buying'em, though.

If parents really thought about the "A picture is worth a thousand words" they might think differently. There is a big difference between seeing someone get brutally murdered and reading the gory descriptions of a brutal murder. In one, you just see what's there to see. In the other, you're having to imagine what's happening.

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 4:07 pm

The media and the public have always blamed pop culture or entertainment for their own mistakes. They blamed Rock-n-Roll, saying it was the Devil's music. They blamed Elvis. They blamed TV. They blamed Eminem. Don't you think that someday the public will run out of things to blame?

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu Sep 06, 2001 10:02 pm

Originally posted by humanflyz:
The media and the public have always blamed pop culture or entertainment for their own mistakes. They blamed Rock-n-Roll, saying it was the Devil's music. They blamed Elvis. They blamed TV. They blamed Eminem. Don't you think that someday the public will run out of things to blame?

No I don't - there will always be things to blame. There will always be a development that make people feel "alianated"(sp?)

IMO people should start takeing responsibility for their own lives and the lives of their children.

Bloodstalker · Post by **Bloodstalker** » Fri Sep 07, 2001 10:22 am

As long as people are different, there will always be something or someone to take the blame.