51 replies to this topic

[thefobishone.EXE]

I've been working on a project for my speech class about videogame censorship...was just wondering what everyone here thinks about it.

Should it be done?
Are we doing a good enough job as is?
Are our policies to strict/lax?

[NARU.EXE]

Ha ha,
Well Naru HATES CENSORSHIP
on any level.
Be it video games, news, music, literature...ANYTHING.
Naru sees censorship as a roadblock to learning the truth
of a thing.

Video games are a fictitious events played out on a TV.
No matter what you are doing in the game it has no
tangible effect to the real world, (other than the use of electricity)

Violence has been around thousands of years before video games
to claim they inspire violence is ridiculous period.

[saiyanlogo]

Violence has been around thousands of years before video games
to claim they inspire violence is ridiculous period.

I agree

[thefobishone.EXE]

I agree with you Naru...
I believe everything out there that could be learned should be available to those who wish to find it...
I also believe the whole videogames influencing violence is preposterous...
i have played many of those violent games, and have yet to kill someone from them...
But still...i have to convince my non-gaming classmates that the whole thing is absurd...

[NARU.EXE]

I agree with you Naru...
I believe everything out there that could be learned should be available to those who wish to find it...
I also believe the whole videogames influencing violence is preposterous...
i have played many of those violent games, and have yet to kill someone from them...
But still...i have to convince my non-gaming classmates that the whole thing is absurd...

Wow, good luck with that friend.
For each of us that know pretend doesn't translate into reality,
there is some chicken shit who believes it will.

[theaddicane]

Ha ha,
Well Naru HATES CENSORSHIP
on any level.
Be it video games, news, music, literature...ANYTHING.
Naru sees censorship as a roadblock to learning the truth
of a thing.

Video games are a fictitious events played out on a TV.
No matter what you are doing in the game it has no
tangible effect to the real world, (other than the use of electricity)

Violence has been around thousands of years before video games
to claim they inspire violence is ridiculous period.

Oh you know thats the truth! Preach it...

[dawnveil]

In response to those thinking all censorship should be removed. True that it keeps us from the "truth" however you want to percieve what the truth is. More often than not, we just get lied to instead of "censored" information.

The idea of censorship actually brings in other debates as well, including very much the "nature v nurture" debate of human development theorizing that either you are born how you are going to be or it's your environment that will create you. Personally, I believe it is a bit of both. I believe people are predisposed to certain developmental areas, and that their environment either reinforces and strengthens those tendancies or discorages and contols those natural tendancies.

Now then, going back to censorship in a game. Let me ask you this, if a child constantly watches porn with their parent (as sick as this example is) do you think this would reinforce the want or urge to be more sexual active earlier in life? That being said, do you think that participating in same thing virtually would do the same thing? Now, since the child is below the age of 18, who takes responsibility for this action legally? Now, should the parents have censored the child's viewing habits?

Moving on to a different point. Does anyone know that one of the basic ways to brainwash a person is to constantly show them a picture or a video of an action in order to bring about more violent tendancies or to pacify them?

Now to toss in some studies:

American children watch an average of three to fours hours of television daily. Television can be a powerful influence in developing value systems and shaping behavior. Unfortunately, much of today's television programming is violent. Hundreds of studies of the effects of TV violence on children and teenagers have found that children may:

become "immune" or numb to the horror of violence
gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems
imitate the violence they observe on television; and
identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimizers

Extensive viewing of television violence by children causes greater aggressiveness. Sometimes, watching a single violent program can increase aggressiveness. Children who view shows in which violence is very realistic, frequently repeated or unpunished, are more likely to imitate what they see. Children with emotional, behavioral, learning or impulse control problems may be more easily influenced by TV violence. The impact of TV violence may be immediately evident in the child's behavior or may surface years later. Young people can even be affected when the family atmosphere shows no tendency toward violence.

Now then, on to the final opinion that I have:
I think that censorship of certain things for certain ages is most definately good.
I think parents need to take more responsibility for the raising their children.
I think that when parents can learn to take more responsibility, then the censorship can be lowered.
I do think that ESRB rates things a bit too strict.

All in all, our current level of censorship is a bit high, but I believe that will always need to be there due to the human urge to always try to pass off our problems or our responsibility onto others. No one likes getting in trouble, and therefore most people try to just pointt he finger away.

Anyone who thinks censorship should be removed from everything is either trying to get their rocks off, or doesn't understand the mental development of a human being very well. Either that or just wants the world to revert to a violent state. (note that was REMOVED before anyone gets a hair up their ass)

And Naru, just because you don't believe something, doesn't make the opposing side "arrogant", as by having the view that you're always right IS arrogant.

-Dawnveil

[ksomaro]

but there are really some games that are unsuitable for the young.teenagers are okay, but children are easily influenced.(u will know if u have a younger brother that watches power rangers....)

[NARU.EXE]

Funny you claim Naru to be arrogant.
Naru didn't even mention you dawnveil, but so be it.
Here's some other interesting things Naru can be...an
ASSHOLE, a
DICKWEED, a
STUPID SON OF A BITCH, a
A WORTHLESS BASTARD, a
SHIT FACED RETARD, and a
DUMB ASS MOTHER FUCKER.

Perhaps that should be censored before some impressionable
youths drop by and begin calling themselves names.

[theaddicane]

Oooh, this debate is interesting..

I agreed with Naru, but i think that dawnevil has some good points. I certainly agree that censorship should have some relativity to age, and that repeated viewing of violent images can increase agressive behaivor in people. Im an in the middle kinda guy...

[dawnveil]

Funny you claim Naru to be arrogant.
Naru didn't even mention you dawnveil, but so be it.
Here's some other interesting things Naru can be...an
ASSHOLE, a
DICKWEED, a
STUPID SON OF A BITCH, a
A WORTHLESS BASTARD, a
SHIT FACED RETARD, and a
DUMB ASS MOTHER FUCKER.

Perhaps that should be censored before some impressionable
youths drop by and begin calling themselves names.

Nah, people don't do it to themselves, but you may have taught new words for the ignorant children to spew at others.

-Dawnveil

[thefobishone.EXE]

well...how about the people who did play these games at an early age, but still have yet to go out on a violent rampage...but following dawnveil's argument...maybe theywere just raised properly...

Edit: I still do hate censorship, but blame its existance on the ignorant parents. I want it to disappear so parents are forced to have more control over what their children do.

Edited by thefobishone.EXE, 26 October 2006 - 12:43 PM.

[dawnveil]

well...how about the people who did play these games at an early age, but still have yet to go out on a violent rampage...but following dawnveil's argument...maybe theywere just raised properly...

Edit: I still do hate censorship, but blame its existance on the ignorant parents. I want it to disappear so parents are forced to have more control over what their children do.

it's kind of a cause and effect deal. The parents get lazy, more censorship, then the parents get more lazy. Course there's larger things to worry about than censorship at this point, but *shrugs* what can ya do?

-Dawnveil

[Luis Franco]

Censorship is stupid, yes there should be a rating so that younger people cant access some material, but censoring video games stating that they are the cause of violence, etc. Would do no good

Its all on how parents educate theyre children i grew up with street fighter, mortal kombat, and the GTA game, and i dont go around ripping peoples head of, of doing drive by's

Edited by Luis Franco, 27 October 2006 - 09:39 AM.

[dawnveil]

Censorship is stupid, yes there should be a rating so that younger people cant access some material, but censoring video games stating that they are the cause of violence, etc. Would do no good

Its all on how parents educate theyre children i grew up with street fighter, mortal kombat, and the GTA game, and i dont go around ripping peoples head of, of doing drive by's

That actually isn't the expected result, the question is are you more aggressive for it since you've been exposed to acting out the violence in the video games?

-Dawnveil

[neochaos]

many people state the fact that videogames can encourage kids to do violent things. like how GTA is such a bad game. maybe ppl fail to realize that the game is rated mature, meaning its MEANT to be played by ppl 17+, and at that age im pretty sure no ones gonna be "influenced" by a game. ill admit its highly possible that a young child could be easily influenced, but again, thats why it doesnt have an E rating, lol

[dawnveil]

Unfortunately it's more that the acting out of violence in any respect actually makes the person more aggressive, regardless of the age. The more you can indentify as the character, the more influenced you are. (that is if you're of age to understand it all)

-Dawnveil

[thefobishone.EXE]

Well...now that I think about it...I think I was more aggressive before I started playing the violent games then I was after...and I'm still not that aggressive now...long after I have played said games...maybe I'm just a systemic anomaly...

[dawnveil]

Or your perception is a bit off. You may have been angrier beforehand, but not necessarily more aggressive.

-Dawnveil

[Madarris]

cool

not