Voilent videos

Now they are finally saying what some of us have thought all along, that violent video games are bad for kids. It is suspected that they are behind a spate of 14 shootings in one city in just over a year.

A Councillor in Salford, Manchester says teens in Salford "have a different mindset" after watching computer games where bloodshed is rife.
He says " Younger criminals are coming up who are not afraid of using firearms. It used to be fists and baseball bats."

If these sort of films weren't made in the first place, the kids wouldn't be able to watch them, would they!
Having said that, nearly every film on telly later last night was about murder too. There's far too much exposure to it IMO. I'm sick of it.

Re: Voilent videos

I've watched violent films since my teens and played violent computer games on both consoles and computers for decades, and I've never had the slightest urge to run amok. There will always be people who snap and resort to violence, even if they only play chess, Monopoly or collect stamps.

As you say, there's ample violence displayed on the TV in the form of films and in the news and endless amounts on the Internet. Blaming games is just simplistic.

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I remember years ago debates about this but it all fizzled out and not a lot was done about it but it was plainly obvious to me that it affected people to a huge extent. Will anything be done about it now? Doubt it.

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Emmerdale, need I say more!

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Same goes for me too, it will alway's be there...

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Spot on.

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People are quite capable (unless they have a serious mental illness) of distinguishing between real violence and the fantasy violence seen in films and games. The increasing use of guns as described by the Salford councillor (and how many councillors do you know that have a good grasp of psychology/sociology?) reflects the increasing availability of guns on the street, rather than anything else. British criminals have always used guns when they were available, but their availability has always been limited. Nowadays they are easy to get hold of and are therefore more often used in violent situations.

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So 'no' youngster is influenced by what they see ?
No adult or youngster is influenced by TV adverts ?
Role models are not influential ? I've seen evidence of all the above - burying heads in the sand is not a wise option, but that's what has happened and its too late now to turn back - the damage will never be repaired

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I think there will always be the slightly disturbed ones who want to act out what they see.
But then has anyone else noticed thats how advertising works?

As for violence and suffering, do you remember the first time you saw children starving in Africa? Can you remember feeling ill at the sight, and how you wanted to do something to help?

I wont ask for a show of hands but how many of us now just zapp past or ignore it when the latest pictures pop up?
We have becomed conditioned to it , it no longer shocks or provokes an emotional response, the same is true of violent films and games..

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Yep - good post
Saw a docu recently on the influence of Rock n Roll and the controversial film Blackboard Jungle - what happened - cinemas wrecked - so please don't tell me 'anything goes'