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Link between violent crime and games
‘greater than the effect of smoking on lung cancer’
by GrathiusXR:
©2010 Arthur Kotsopoulos
Last night after some serious Heroes of Newerth 2v2 Noob Matches I stumbled across the Australian Xbox.com Forums to check out the threads that I had posted in to see if there had been any replies. A gaming/violence thread came to my attention which I instantly thought was about another news website posting about a crime which somehow related to video games.
To my surprise it was actually a news piece Channel 10 aired last night which was the most useless utter garbage of a report I have ever seen in my entire life.
• Channel Ten’s coverage – Does Activision or Infinity Ward know of this?
Sure there have been plenty of supposedly related crimes in America which have actually been linked to video games but it now seems that Australia feels the need to jump onto the bandwagon and join in on the game-bashing party.
During the news segment we are shown a cooked chicken shop in the notorious Kings Cross area of Sydney where blood is spilled all over the floor due to a brutal attack on a teenager where his throat is slit by a broken glass bottle. Where does gaming fit into this attack since Kings Cross has countless violent brawls all the time?
Then the next scene talks about a bouncer who was slashed in Melbourne who was the latest in a string of weapon attacks that seems to be plaguing Melbourne lately.
What I don’t understand is: where do these two attacks fit in with gaming?
Well they have Dr. Wayne Warburton of the Council of Children and the Media say the link between youth violence and gaming is “much greater than the effect of smoking on lung cancer”. Really? Evidence?
Next we are shown a football match where, if I remember correctly, we see very very old footage of two rival teams starting to brawl and one player falling to the ground ending up getting kicked in the face by a bunch of the opposing team.
Then we have Youth Advocate Angry Anderson telling a room full of people how the stabbing of a young 12 year old boy is the call for action against violence in young people.
Now I’m all for stopping violence especially when young innocent children are involved, but I completely fail to see where this death as well as the Facebook page in memory of the child have anything to do with gaming?
Now for the best part.
Matt Doran reporter for Channel 10 news seems to have made quite possibly the biggest and most amateurish mistake in his entire life. When you watch the video you will see exactly what I’m talking about.
I quote Matt Doran: “Experts say that the gaming industry has much to account for. In Modern Warfare: Call of Duty 2 the highest selling media product of all time, gamers plot terror attacks against civilians.”
Now correct me if I’m wrong but firstly Modern Warfare: Call of Duty 2? Is it really that hard to get the title of the game correct especially when you are a respected and one of the biggest news media in all of Australia? A bit of wiki research and a piece of paper or a tele-prompter- it really isn’t that hard.
On top of that gamers are given the chance to plot terror attacks against civilians? I strongly urge Ch 10 Reporter Matt Doran and any other reporter from Ch 10 to please come forward and explain to myself, the rest of the gaming community, developers Infinity Ward and publishers Activision exactly where all this terror plotting is that we do against civilians in the game.
Last time I checked the undercover airport level ‘No Russian’ in Modern Warfare 2 (the correct title) which has at least three disclaimers prior to the level even starting is the only part of the game in which you have the ability to really gun down innocent civilians and this is used to shock, not plot realistic terror attacks. Besides I thought this was about the rise of youth violence not youth terror cells.
You can even skip the level if you do not wish to even see or take part in it. Of course young people under the age of 15 aren’t even supposed to play it.
At least in America the reports dealing with violent attacks and gaming try to make some questionable link, like the attacker was a GTA fanatic, or there is violence because parents banned their child from playing video games, or two friends somehow have got into an argument over something that has to do with a video game and violence ensues. Here they don’t even bother to do that.
The assumption is that rising youth violence is due to video games yet there is no actual connection made at all between the ‘examples’ and gaming. They use a psychologist who says that kids are being desensitised because they witness thousands of murders. Yet the rising graphic violence on TV and in film isn’t included in the report as a major desensitising force.
This news segment shows a very rushed and quickly thrown together piece of fluff just to take up some space because there wasn’t anything else interesting to talk about, and violence complete with scapegoat makes entertainment.
The only good thing to come out this news segment is the publicity for the R18+ Classification that ever so desperately needs to be introduced for video games in Australia. So hopefully the good out of this appalling news segment is an awareness of the need for change in the ratings system here.
©2010 Arthur Kotsopoulos
xxxxxx
Filed under: Blogbanter, Console gaming, Editorial, GameBanter, Industry News, Xbox 360, Xbox 360 News, Xbox Community Network | Tagged: Activision, Infinity Ward, GTA IV, Modern Warfare 2, facebook, Channel 10 news, Call Of Duty 2, Dr. Wayne Warburton, Council of Children, Youth Advocate Angry Anderson, Modern Warfare: Call of Duty 2, Ch 10, Matt Doran, "Channel 10 Reporter Matt Doran", GTA fanatic, "children being desensitised", "R18+ Classification"
sadly this country has its priorities out the window.
sex on TV is fine, having carmans mothers snooch pounded in almost every single episode is fine for a m rating.
god even having gays pound it out is fine for a m rating.
having peoples heads blown off with blood covering the camera, walls and surrounding victims is fine for a m rating.
but having a few zombies heads blown off is not ok for a MA rating?
wtf?
so decapitating zombies warrants a 2 higher classification slot than sex scenes and blowing human animated characters heads off?
apologies but i really can not see the reasoning and logic behind that, i really cant!
I can’t believe this, and what a coincidence the R-18 for video game debate is still raging in Australia, I think Atkinson is behind this damn thing. He must have threatened Channel 10 to broadcast this.
On the 28th of February the discussion paper for an R18 rating finished:
http://www.ag.gov.au/gamesclassification
2 days later THIS F***ING REPORT comes on. Good on you channel 10, you brought this country backwards with your horrible reporting. It’s not like you had any competence, when the Masterchef Australia final was on you used time on your “news” program to do a “report” which was nothing more than an advertisement.
One: This just proves we NEED R18+, these games arent for kids, and they are saying it “REWIRES CHILDREN’S BRAINS” well these shouldn’t be played by children, make them R18+
TWO: If your gonna do a report get the shit right “Modern Warfare Call Of Duty 2″? Never heard of this game?
THREE: You plot Terrorist attacks against civilians? i must have missed that level, must be a secret unlock.
FOUR: Why won’t any of these goons talk to someone educated who knows the industry? Because shock and awe sells people. Its the rules of media, point the finger, omg Vegemite kills child, child care workers call for complete Vegemite ban (kid slips on brown cream and all of a sudden its the main cause of kids slipping on kitchen floors causing sever brain damage) sounds ridiculous right?
Yup…we live in a society where our politicians, our news, our tv shows, our movies, and yes even our games are all about trying to scare the s*** out of us.
Fear gets our attention, especially in the ‘news’. I love the episode of How I Met Your Mother where they make fun of today tonight type shows with headlines like: How your drinking water might actually kill you!
NO! Games aren’t the reason for violence, its because today’s generation of kids and young adults are absolutely pathetic. I live in an area that isn’t a ghetto, but its got its share of scum and low-lifes, but that isn’t because of games – and the rubbish they get up to isn’t because of games either – its because they are just idiotic. Parents aren’t talking to their kids anymore about what is wrong or right, drinking is seen as ‘cool’ (no matter what the people say – most teens and new adults drink because they think its cool – which I think is stupid but that’s for another discussion) and violence is almost encouraged.
Stop blaming the games, stop blaming the media and start blaming yourselves!
I still don’t know why they haven’t banned alcohol yet? I heard its the main cause of alcohol related violence, death, and brain damage? Maybe if they ban violent video games, all the Alcohol related issues will go away? Does any one remember the Cronulla riots? I think video games were to blame, not alcohol.
no games had NOTHING! to do with the Cronulla riots.
that was all about [two groups that] hate each other.
[comment edited due to language and content. Please, just like we can't blame all violence on video games we can't do the same with an ethnic group either. I love your participation in our comments section, but please lets not vent our frustration here.].
i live near merrylands it use to be such a beautiful town 90% of the population were older people and everyone knew everyone it was like the town was one big family.
now… you walk around theres burnt cars, graffiti on the walls, doof doof… chrome cars showing off. and the amount of violence OMG.
hell just last week there was a… bashing because this guy looked at him funny.
and you can NEVER! drive around there, hell today i went down and was turning and this guy was turning next to me because its a dual lane turn.
than mid turn he changes into my lane no blinker, no looking no nothing and i had to slam on the brakes i beep at him and he gives me the finger…
i swear to god if i was a cop on commission i would be a multi billionaire by now!
Yup…there has always been youth violence but agree that it is a general deterioration of respect of others more than the evil influence of games. Parents do need to be more involved with kids, including in their interests like gaming and contribute to a sense of what is appropriate and inappropriate.
But then I’m an old fogie parent and we always remember the good old days.