Fantasy Violence vs. Real Violence?

Question

For my criminal justice senior thesis (capstone) paper, I want to examine the link between media violence (video games, Hollywood movies, music...NOT news programs) and violence among students. I know it's not the only cause of school shootings, but I think it plays a role in the scheme of things. What do you think? (Intelligent opinions only!)

Answer 1

Seeing violence isn't the cause of anything. The person who commits the violence already had mayhem in mind. TV / Movie violence might give an otherwise unimaginative person ideas about HOW to do what they would already have done anyway.

Otherwise every kid who ever saw a violent movie would be a mass murderer.

Thats how I see it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I think you have an interesting thesis.  My reaction to video violence (lumping all of the types you list) is a logical nexus or connection between violence and consumption of video/media  stimulus.  I think the media violence study cannot be divorced from the transition of many parents in the post WWII  into fun seeking adults from parents who nurtured and loved their children above all else before the cultural changes WWII brought to U.S. society.  Parents, this is a generalization, treat their children like like a competitor for money to spend for entertainment. You children have always just wanted the love and time of your parents. Not the latest electronic play thing.

Answer 3

As a Psychology major, I can tell you that there is a direct correlation between teen and adult crime and the amount of violence they were subjected to through video games.

Answer 4

I think this would be a good paper.  It will have its challenges and give you a chance to have to back up your argument in the paper.  It will make it a more interesting paper because of this.

It is good that you point out that it isn't the only cause.  After all, I grew up with a lot of kids that watched all kinds of violence on TV from Looney Toons to Nightmare on Elm Street.  None of them are violent people.  However, like all things factors have a greater effect when combined with other factors.

In my own home I have seen this factor at work.  My oldest child was very mature for his age and could handle shows like Water World at a very young age.  He is one of the kindest least violent kids I know.  However, my youngest watched Elmer Fudd hunting Bugs Bunny and now wants to shoot everyone in sight.  After catching a glimpse of seeing someone punch another person on Criminal Minds (he wasn't watching it--he just came in the room at that point) he suddenly started punching everyone.  

Now, I don't say that it is the TV's fault.  He is just that kind of kid.  However, if you have a bunch of kids like him with no parental guidance in their lives, you are working a spell of disaster.  You might want to ask yourself, what combinations of factors (with this) are creating this problem.

There are a lot of studies out there on the desensitizing of the American public.  It is not that hard of a stretch to understand.  After all, when I took Osteology I couldn't see how I was going to handle handling human bones.  When I by the first week or too, I was already desensitized to the fact.  Your mind makes a seperation of sorts.  Forensic personel have to do this often.  Maybe there are some parallels to how people that work in a morgue make that seperation, and how it is happening under our noses in public.  

I do want to add that guns help this concept along.  Sure the killer is not the gun.  Guns don't kill people, people kill people and some people would still kill without a gun.  With that being said, there are kids that wouldn't be able to kill someone without a gun.  It is not something everyone can do without outstanding circumstances.  In some way, shooting someone like a gun is like shooting another kid with a water pistol.  There is a connection between the action and the result that is missing.

So, if my generation watched violent things in the media why aren't they violent.  What has changed from the 1980's to now?

I don't know if this helps at all, but I wish you luck with this project.  Don't forget that there are a few Supreme Court cases that you can look into regarding this issue and others like it.

Answer 5

I think there is a direct link between real violence and the violence in games. It's the next logical step...

You plan a videogame where the object is to shoot/kill/destroy. Not only do they make it fun, but they award you for it and take away the seriousness of killing by turning it into something that is made to be entertainment. Whether we like it or not, it has an effect on us. Desensitization. We begin to accept that this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I've heard people say that playing these games is to take out anger or whatever but i think that that is a load of c**p. They may not say it's ok to kill but they sure imply it.

Answer 6

Violence has been a part of human history since as long as we can trace it back. Computer games and movies etc fantasy violence has no link what so ever with "real" violence. You will find that people who are going to kill someone etc are not going to care if they have the game or not...they are still going to do it.