Video Games Make Kids Fat, Violent And Criminal

from the and-what-do-documentaries-do? dept

Mon, Mar 1st 2004 3:01pm — Mike Masnick

A new documentary in Sweden is getting some attention for claiming to show that video games make kids fat, aggressive and violent to the point of committing criminal acts. Of course, there's no actual evidence that this is true, but they do find a lot of people to quote who say it might be true. Oddly, the article doesn't say much about the documentary itself - but focuses on a panel discussion after a preview of the movie. It would be a lot more interesting if there were more information about the actual movie being discussed. In the meantime, wouldn't we be better served with studies that actually show what the impact is, rather than sensationalistic documentaries that are trying to prove a point? Maybe someone should make a documentary about the impact of these sorts of documentaries instead.

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25 Comments

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dorpus, 1 Mar 2004 @ 4:09pm

Ah yes, the industry line
Video games cannot possibly influence people's behavior -- which is why the video game industry also refrains from making games that involve killing children, raping people, etc.

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Mike (profile), 1 Mar 2004 @ 4:41pm

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
Or maybe, just maybe, the reason people don't make those video games is they know they wouldn't sell, because most people don't want to play a video game like that.

Anyway, nowhere did I say that video games cannot influence anyone's behaviors. I did say, however, that there's isn't much evidence that they do, and a documentary saying they do should at least back up that claim.
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dorpus, 1 Mar 2004 @ 5:29pm

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
"Or maybe, just maybe, the reason people don't make those video games is they know they wouldn't sell, because most people don't want to play a video game like that."

People in polite society are obliged to say that such games/movies "won't sell". Been in a video store lately? Last time I went, seemed like every single movie on the wall had sex or violence in it, explicit or implicit.

"Anyway, nowhere did I say that video games cannot influence anyone's behaviors. I did say, however, that there's isn't much evidence that they do, and a documentary saying they do should at least back up that claim."

That's just it. As long as the video game industry refrains from making exceedingly antisocial games, they can claim "lack of evidence". They know how to play the game of brinksmanship.

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Anonymous Coward, 1 Mar 2004 @ 6:42pm

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
the video game industry also refrains from making games that involve killing children, raping people, etc.
....
People in polite society are obliged to say that such games/movies "won't sell".

Just because YOU want such games doesn't mean that they would sell to others.
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2004 @ 7:03am

No Subject Given
Welllll, I agree with the FAT part anyway.
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Joe Schmoe, 2 Mar 2004 @ 9:17am

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
Video games cannot possibly influence people's behavior -- which is why the video game industry also refrains from making games that involve killing children, raping people, etc.

heh, never saw custars revenge for the atari 2600 eh?
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Anonymous Coward, 2 Mar 2004 @ 6:00pm

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
"People in polite society are obliged to say that such games/movies "won't sell". Been in a video store lately? Last time I went, seemed like every single movie on the wall had sex or violence in it, explicit or implicit."

HAHA!! This guy is crazy.. You aren't making any sense.

"That's just it. As long as the video game industry refrains from making exceedingly antisocial games, they can claim "lack of evidence". They know how to play the game of brinksmanship."

Ok.. i no longer think this guy is serious... replying to him makes me feel stupid.
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Chris "Slikdude" K., 3 Nov 2004 @ 4:51pm

Go fuck yourself in the butt.
First of all, my 12-year-old brother plays Grand Theft Auto and other games like them every day of his life, watches TV, and uses the computer for more than 3 hours every day, he weighs 80 pounds, is not even remotly aggresive, and gets a 4.0 GPA. Call me crazy, but are you on any cocaine?
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Cj, 26 May 2005 @ 11:14am

video game article UNTRUE
look i play video games and im not violent at all and i know people who play too and they dont get violent eather so ughh
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dorkster, 30 Nov 2005 @ 2:13pm

Re: video game article UNTRUE
how do you know that others are not violent because of video games???!!!!!
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mini shocker, 13 Mar 2006 @ 10:13am

Re: Ah yes, the industry line
I don't think that video games influence any body to be violent.I think that if a child would want to kill some one that is all in their head. I play at least six hours a day and I don't want to kill some one. I do play fisrt person shooters. I think that if you want to kill some one or rape some one htat it is all in your head. I think that you need help if you want to do that sort of things.
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Cameron Lindsey, 21 Mar 2006 @ 9:12am

totally absurd
no way is any of that true. i have been playing video games since i was six and now I'm 16 and i have never been aggressive or violent or criminal. i only play games that are rated E, T, and M. and only E if they are good. not many people like the G ones since they suck. any way off topic.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Jul 2006 @ 6:48am

Re: totally absurd
games=fat people
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laura, 4 Jul 2006 @ 6:49am

opps 4got t rite my name on comment above
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Anonymous Coward, 27 Mar 2007 @ 11:53am

I agree that video games can be bad for the most part because yes the violent games are making the kids do crazy things and making them fat ONLY if they don't know when to quit playing. They need to be set on a time limit for one hour not have people talk about them on line!!!
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concerned citizen, 15 Apr 2007 @ 7:30pm

the evidence they ignore
science has already fully proven that people in normal states of minds and normal situations do not commit extremely violent crimes (assault with intent to kill, aggrivated assault, murder, rape, ect.) acts against other people... the evidence that the right-wing extremists seem to forget is that any and all persons accused of extremely violent crimes who use a defense along the lines of "video-games made me attack/kill/rape that person" is that all of the said accused were either under the influence of narcotics when they commited the crimes or were later found to be mentally unstable... do your homework people, it makes a much more effective argument
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Anonymous Coward, 14 Jul 2007 @ 10:43pm

well i play video games also and im not at all violeny... NO I PRESSED 'T' GET IT RIGHT YOU STUPID COMPUTER!!! I HATE YOU ALL!!! GO TO HELL!!!!!!!
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philip, 2 Oct 2007 @ 10:27pm

go stick a giant fucken car up your ass crack
you can eat a fucken boob because your a crack fagit fuck face monkey moda fucka im back to da bank to do your mum ha funny P.S fuck you
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rick james, 17 Mar 2008 @ 6:34am

im rick james bitch!!
im fukin rick james bitch and i play games and do wat eva da fuck i want!!! fuk ya bitchez im rick james motha fuka!!!
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Alysha, 31 Mar 2008 @ 6:36am

violence in video games
I'm 20 and my parents use to tell me to play video games. If i came home from high school made or pissed off the first thing my dad would do was hand me a video game controller and tell me to go beat the shit out of something.

I'm not violent and i wouldn't ever hurt somebody intentionally... yet when i am upset i play violent video games. So explain to me how that works?
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Ivan Cavlina, 9 Jun 2008 @ 11:15pm

helloooooooooooooooooo
hi peoples im dinosaur rex
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Ivan Cavlina, 9 Jun 2008 @ 11:17pm

helloooooooooooooooooo
hi im dinosaur rex
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Alexis, 9 Jan 2009 @ 6:27am

doesn't make any sense
people always argue about this subject;
anyway I have been playing violent games since I was 13years old but i'm okay I'm not quiet but I'm not criminal or realted to school violence or something.
It doesn't make sense at all.duhggggggg
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poncho, 22 Jan 2009 @ 4:26pm

FUCK YOU BITCH
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asdf, 18 Apr 2009 @ 4:18pm

lol
Whoever made this documentary, go suck my joy stick!
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