Violent games lead to violent crimes?

[Shrygue]

via Games Industry


Superintendent Bill Harrison, New Zealand's national manager of police youth services, has told a youth offending conference in Wellington that he sees a link between the rise of violent videogames and the increase in the number of young people arrested for violent conduct.

According to a report in the New Zealand Herald, Harrison noticed the link after finding his own son playing a game.

"It was desensitising him to violence. It was shifting his norm about how he would deal with conflict. You see these kids - their hands are wringing wet with sweat because their bodies are taking in what's going on on the screen and they are acting it out."

Harrison also believes that the crime rates in youths aged between 14 and 20 are also rising due because of a greater focus on family violence, which is leading to a greater detection rate.

But he added that the government would be commissioning research into youth violence, which should take in the influence of interactive media.

[Psyberjock]

More nonsense from people who pretend to know everything.

You know, some people just have sweaty hands. You can't say that sweaty hands is any kind of connection to anything.

It could just be that his kid has played for an hour since the last save point and the thought of dying in the game with his few hitpoints left has caused him to get a little nervous. That happens to me all the time.

You might then have to connect sweaty hands to other things and claim that they are equally abhorrent. If his son suddenly starts dating some girl and his hands get sweaty when he's with her, then maybe we should stop children from interacting with members of the opposite sex. Oh wait, religious nuts are already trying to do that.

Instead of placing the blame on games, how about placing the blame where it belongs: on parents.

My parents raised me well. I'm well adjusted, prefer to be happy rather than sad, hate fighting (except sports), and I love video games. All games, even "violent" ones.

Maybe that guy should spend some time with his kid instead of going to conferences and talking to other people who don't spend time with their kids.

[ExcruciationX]

Psyberjock pwns!