Bullshit: Video Games

[Funk, E]

Everything about Bullshit makes me a happy man.

[General Chaos]

I managed to watch most of it before it was removed.

I think I'm going to get a hold of a copy and show it in my classes to stimulate discussion about video games and violence.

Not that that conversation needs much stimulating.

[the7k]

I knew I should have downloaded them when I had the chance. Oh well, I enjoyed it! I'll have to see about getting a copy myself so I can show it off to others. Very good episode from 'em, although I don't know if anything beats the Abstinence-Only Education episode.

[BIZ]

http://www.wisevid.com/view_video.php?v ... ecqgg26262

[J T]

This episode had its moments, but I don't think they took the opposing opinion seriously enough. Penn & Teller usually use a little science to discredit most of the crackpots they encounter, but in all fairness, there actually is quite a lot of literature out there that does link videogames to agression, beyond simply just "lighting up the brain" in MRIs. I felt like Penn and Teller just brushed off the science as no big deal, which isn't really like them... though I can understand because when it comes to politically fueled research like anti-videogame research, it's hard to find the well designed studies amidst all of the crap, but they do exist for this topic. Of course, nothing proves playing games will lead you to blow up your highschool and neighbors, but there is plenty of evidence that kids will engage in more aggressive play or be more short tempered after a hefty batch of violent games. And who among us hasn't lost their cool and thrown a controller across the room before? That is an act of agression, isn't it? And who hasn't gotten irate with someone that said "Calm down! It's just a game!" The agression that researchers find is a little more pedestrian than a shotgun to the face, but it is there.... of course, the same research is there for violent movies, books, sports, music and every other form of media we deem socially acceptable. We can't ban everything.

[Original_Name]

Oh wow... that was one striking last shot.

About J T's comment, something I'd like to note is that video games, as one of the most effiecient forms of escapism (being that your actions and very existence are being simulated in another realm) make themselves excellent places to release oneself from the constraints of reality. I find that the act of throwing a controller is linked not to the violent suggestions of the video game manifesting themselves in the real world, but out of the disappointment of not living up to the godly standards you wish to achieve in your otherworldly state, supposedly separated from the constraints of humanity. Unfortunately, proness to failure definitely falls under the constraints of humanity, thus that moment in which your super hero avatar gets his head blown off will inevitably lead to frustration and, more importantly, disappointment.

Something I've noticed is that in controller-chucking fits of rage, the subject at hand usually just chucks the controller, which is seen at that moment as an extension of the video game. Sometimes they'll hit a pillow or something, but these are natural responses to frustration; the violence against the controller is actually frustration being exerted towards the virtual realm more so than the physical realm. Furthermore, no one's attacking Super Mario Bros., saying that it'll turn our children into killing machines - but damned if I haven't seen more people get pissed over a missed jump in Mario than messing up a couple times on Half-Life. I used to be a goalie for my local hockey club, and I can promise you that I've never seen a goal scored in which at least a single member of the offended team didn't whack their stick down in frustration. They wanted to be super heroes, but it didn't happen: "Goddammit, I'm human!".

The controller-chucking phenomenon is brought on by being suddenly separated from the state of escapism; suddenly not having fun. Have you ever seen someone chuck a controller after winning a violent video game? The instance of controller-chucking and the violence of a video game are unrelated based on my understanding. Feel free to counter if you'd like!

[jfrost]

^ Very interesting.

[jfrost]

I can't watch the show anywhere. Anyone kind enough to upload the video somewhere (Vimeo?)?

[Original_Name]

I can't watch the show anywhere. Anyone kind enough to upload the video somewhere (Vimeo?)?

Did you try BIZ's link? It worked fine for me.

[J T]

I found it. It looks like it's a review article, not a meta-analysis. Here's a link to the pdf:

The Impact of Electronic and Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research
L. Rowell Huessmann, PhD.

http://www.youngmedia.org.au/pdf/2007.H ... Health.pdf