Intelligence and Violence

By commandercandyfloss. 02/03/09, 09:46 am

At school for English we have a research topic and for my topic I chose how video games affect intelligence and violence levels.
Anyone know anything about it, or knows who i can ask/where i can look to get info?
And what are peoples opinions on it? Do you guys reckon that playing games makes ya stupid, or increases the chance that you'll run into the streets and murder someone?

By Rikashiku. 02/03/09, 09:50 am

There is a high chance you'll become dumber and violent only if you are stupid in the beginning.
Vid games actually make you smarter because they have alot of Puzzles to solve and you're reading most of the time.
So yeah, only stupid people kill because they played a game.

**Guest** Guest

Before playing Final Fantasy games used to be really dumb at English based work and basically everything within that subject - because the series used writing in a box rather than hiring voice actors was able to learn and study so much more complex words at a young age
like- Sophisticated.

If you play puzzle based / role play based games then your able to come smarter however if you play a Fighting or shoot em up then the game creates a sudden urge to do those things like if you see a cool move on a Street Fighter game then you have a human desire to try.

It's like watching a movie- you see Superman fly and save people and lift massive trucks up so you watch it, and the movie unleashes happy emotions and you want to be like Superman.

Which can either be good or dangerous Final Fantasy games created the urge to help others in need and become a Social worker and not leave Friends behind in need, but it also created the urge to fight-relating so much to one character's past-felt the need to be strong like he did, and he battled his self hate by beating people up and therefore followed .

Think you have to have knowledge from a parent or somebody else when playing a game somebody who can explain to you that this is wrong, this means that, and don't follow that if we didn't have knowledge then Video games will be so much more dangerous than what they are everybody would play Halo and then start shooting each other XD

Though those who commit crimes via murder are already mental screw ups before they play the game .. It's not the game it's the human's mind ..
Though if a game is R18 like Grand Theft Auto don't be a fool and buy it for a young child..
Of course your going to get affected by a game like that..

Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, think that it's really the only game on the market that is really dangerous- sure Soul Calibur, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter you may end up punching somebody- whoop DE do - everybody ends up doing that, and we learn from the mistake

Time Crisis, Metal Gear Solid, Halo- games with guns- you may end up becoming addicted to laser strike- anybody with a brain KNOWS that you shouldn't shoot somebody via gun

However a Game that Grand Theft Auto that includes abuse to women, stealing, drugs and a heavy amount to violence WILL cause you to dumb down and strike towards violence

apart from that Games usually increase a certain amount of knowledge, life lessons and fun

hope it made sense~~

By commandercandyfloss. 02/03/09, 12:46 pm

mhmm, I definitely agree with you there.
THe thing with Halo is you're mainly shooting aliens, so it's not too bad.
GTA is bad though... so bad...

By Static. 02/03/09, 12:53 pm

This is a really widely studied area - TIME magazine have looked into it, more than once, you should be able to find research journals looking at it, New Scientist maybe? Google is your friend :) There's quite a bit on the psychological side of things been published too, you shouldn't have to look too hard.

If you're keen on a bit of over-enthusiasm, go have a look at university libraries. You won't be able to take stuff away, but use and abuse the photocopiers - and I'm pretty sure (like, 99% sure) that the general public are allowed on campus, so don't be shy :)

By Rikashiku. 02/03/09, 12:53 pm

Tsk Tsk children.
Its not really how much Graphic content a game has. Its how dumb the person playing it is. eg. LA and Texass, and some idiot from Christchurch but they're full of em....*cough* *walks away*

All games have a puzzle to them. Like how to kill an enemy with a Pistol and 10 explosive barrels lying around.(eg, dirge of Cerberus)

GTA isn't so bad. Except for the violence, language, and stuff. But thats for Mature people, not kids.
You have to be dumb at the start of the games to be dumb after them.

By **Auroa**. 03/03/09, 03:14 pm

So... Christchurch is full of idiots, gee thanks stare

don't judge an entire city by a person or a couple of people. nono

/offtopic

Kay warning long post ahead ahah.

XOrengenOX; I agree with Static, you'll be able to find a lot of studies on the subject.
My opinion, well my brother and I grew up on violent video games (Duke Nukem, Doom, Quake)… and our personality … we don’t even kill flies. =3

If playing games inspire a murderous intent in someone, then why not watching violent movies? Why not watching the news …? o_O Well I guess watching is different from playing...
Regardless games can inspire people, be it in a good or bad way. So a link may exist, but I think no more so then a link with watching violent movies, and it'll be less then having a link with something like a violent childhood ... in theory...

I think we covered a little bit of Violence and its possible link to Video games at Uni in my psychology courses, I'll have a hunt around for my notes xD

As for intelligence~
How can something make you stupid oO Do you mean makes you stupid in the examples of people going out murdering after playing a violent video game, or makes you stupid cause instead of say reading a book or stuyding, you're playing a game? Well if its the latter... and to turn "do games make you stupid" ... into "do games make you smart..."
You dont become stupid by playing video games, I believe we learn from everything we do, no matter how small. It may not be learning, it might be just practicing what we've learned. As the saying goes practice makes perfect ^^

What about DDR, its still a game, but you can get fit and increase your reaction time and reflexes... also time crisis or those arcade ones where you have a gun and point to the screen lol practice your aiming XD ... the eye toy games, singstar (practice singing XD), guitar hero (I know someone who played it and got inspired to actually learn guitar)... nyahaha

Depending on what type of game, you may read a lot, you may have problems to solve, you may even learn new words or facts, or even be inspired from say a side-story in a game - to write your own book… who knows.

click spoiler tag - just saving room not a spoiler - just an example

Spoiler:

In multiplayer games, you are able to make new friends and even from different countries - you learn facts, random things, whatever, from people, and even more so from people overseas. So by playing a game it could lead to new discoveries.
Some MP games require a lot of team work - people skills!

Another example~

Spoiler:

Anyway, all these are skills – solving problems, patience, team work, planning … they are skills you learn, you grow. Sure they are from a video game, and may not relate to real life (ie finding a way to escape a zombie horde...) still each little experience even if it is just from a game, can help you as a person – you’re still using your brain, you’re still thinking.
Its pretty hard for people to understand, most think games are games – a waste of time. But in the long run they’re aren’t XD

OooOooh a quote to help show what I mean:

Quote :: "Probing" refers to the strategic thinking and complex problem solving of video games, according to James Paul Gee, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Gee says that playing a video game is similar to working through a science problem. Like students in a laboratory, gamers must come up with a hypothesis. For example, the hidden treasure is in the castle. They engage in an action by hunting for the treasure. Gamers discover if their hypothesis is true or false when they search the castle. If they don't find the treasure, they revise their hypothesis the next time they play. Video games are goal-driven experiences, says Gee, which are fundamental to learning.

...well thats typical. After my essay, I find a quote that sums up what I wanted to say in a nice little paragraph xD Pikachu

By **Riven_**. 04/03/09, 01:15 am

*applauds epic post*

I was just going to say that it depends on the person. Some people tend to me more violent than others so there's a chance that playing violent video games could bring out their 'inner violence' (my that sounds cheesy) whereas other people could play the same game and not become violent.

>.>

By commandercandyfloss. 04/03/09, 08:25 am

whoa, long post o.O thanks for the help!

btw what happened in Chch?

By **JVCA**. 04/03/09, 09:01 am

Over the years Chch has been in the news now and then for violent crimes - Rikashiku is implying that the reason these events have happened is 'because Christchurchians are stupid' and therefore decided to copycat video game scenes - rather than referring to a specific event. Rikashiku, I agree with Aura - don't make sweeping generalisations. I know a bucketload of Christchurch people who are a damn sight smarter than the majority of Aucklanders I've met.

@rengen: I did an ncea assignment on this - there are a few herald articles I looked at which you could try and find. :) Generally my research found that where age restrictions are upheld (Rikashiku is right in that GTA is NOT for kids), video games are generally positive and children can determine the difference between and consequences of fictional violence and real violence. There was one really good herald article about Spongebob - the St Kentigerns School Principal had written against the show in the school newsletter after seeing the episode where they go panty raiding, and told parents not to let their kids watch it. The article pointed out how silly his argument was, and referred to the Doodlebob episode, where at some stage Spongebob is raging at Doodlebob, and Patrick says "Relax, it's only a drawing". Awesome quote right there. :)

By Doughtnut_Bandit. 06/03/09, 07:28 am

This is something that the media always tries to play out, it happened with movies (still does) and before they were around, it was music that made people violent and such. It's the people playing the games that commit the acts, not the games. If a game inspires someone to commit a violent act, it's the person that has serious issues, not the game.

If anything, they make you smarter or read better or just generally have fun, depending on the type of game you play. Also parents should watch what they're kids play, I used to work at Gamesman Lower Hutt and the amount of parent that would buy them GTA games and such was appalling. I worked on this as part of a uni assignment, and there's plenty of material to use :3

Well, hope mine and others stuff has helped =D

**Guest** Guest

I was brought up on RPG's since age seven; they were the sole source of my creative expression and language development through childhood.

Today, I am a raging nerd, but I'm also a skilled artist and writer. ~~Modest, too!~~

I haven't killed or assaulted anyone. In fact, I'm devoting the next four years of my life to the healing arts; and I wholeheartedly still believe in magic.

'Nuff said.

By Lavi_x. 10/03/09, 12:21 pm

Grand Theft Auto is barely even violent compared to many games out there you know.
Ever heard of Manhunt?
Or Postal?

By Doughtnut_Bandit. 10/03/09, 12:29 pm

Those aren't games.... Well.... Yeah they are, but they are also quite boring xD

By CMKMStephens. 10/03/09, 12:44 pm

Hmpf, I've always enjoyed creating as much as destroying. My first computer games included SimCity 2000, The Settlers, Civilization, Transport Tycoon, and so on. Also have always had a major thing for Lego. This ran parallel to Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Perfect Dark, and so on.

**Guest** Guest

God. Everyone thinks Grand Theft Auto is satanspawn lol.
Actually, *rant face* everyone just wants the whole world to be a bunch of golden puppies sliding down a rainbow. Its not.
There are violent people. There are intelligent people. (And highly intelligent violent people =P).
There are video games promoting violence. There are video games that stimulate and encourage intelligence.
The same can be said for pretty much everything, everywhere.

People who think video games only serve to make our youth stupid and violent are looking at things from a lopsided, half-light perspective; and the same goes for those who insist that there has never ever been a case in history in which a youth has played a violent game and been prompted to act it out in reality. Whether the kid was previously messed up, or whether the game is entirely to blame, you'd have to ask a shrink and do an individual, case-by-case analysis on a number of reported incidents -- which is practically impossible.

By commandercandyfloss. 15/03/09, 12:43 pm

you've got a point there...

One of my friends was made slightly more violent by video games, but not dangerously/worryingly so

By Doughtnut_Bandit. 15/03/09, 03:03 pm

Midsummer-snow wrote:: God. Everyone thinks Grand Theft Auto is satanspawn lol.
Actually, *rant face* everyone just wants the whole world to be a bunch of golden puppies sliding down a rainbow. Its not.
There are violent people. There are intelligent people. (And highly intelligent violent people =P).
There are video games promoting violence. There are video games that stimulate and encourage intelligence.
The same can be said for pretty much everything, everywhere.

People who think video games only serve to make our youth stupid and violent are looking at things from a lopsided, half-light perspective; and the same goes for those who insist that there has never ever been a case in history in which a youth has played a violent game and been prompted to act it out in reality. Whether the kid was previously messed up, or whether the game is entirely to blame, you'd have to ask a shrink and do an individual, case-by-case analysis on a number of reported incidents -- which is practically impossible.

Have to majorly agree on that Clap

**Guest** Guest

Grand Theft Auto is like MC Donald's ..

It gets picked on for doing 'wrong ' while KFC and Burger King ( The Getaway, Manhunt )
get away with crap from media, for doing the same 'wrongs'..

Weird way, of putting it but yeah..

Grand Theft Auto = Coke in the fizzy drink/ Soda world..
The Getaway = Pepsi

Notice how MC Donald's had to resort to selling healthy foods and not advertise for children after school finishing time, while KFC still sells unhealthy fried cooked chicken and Burger King still hasn't introduced a single salad ??

The media just picks/uses Grand Theft Auto because it's more mainstream/ more popular..
and used Grand Theft Auto for a example, for the same reason.. it was the first violent/ extreme game to come into mind.. ~~and was too lazy to think of anything else~~

Don't think that Grand Theft Auto was/ is the Devil's creation.. but think that you have to have a rather stable/ mature mind to play the game, just like other games that show extreme bloodshed like Mortal Kombat..

Having the ambition that we should be able to hold hands under the rainbow, love everybody and be in peace is a rather naive ambition and rather show violence, bloodshed, and physical fighting to learn from these things and have knowledge to understand these things, showing violence isn't always a negative thing, because we can learn to deal with it and understand it's nature.

If all shows/ TV programes/ Video games didn't show violence or murder, if somebody did die we would be running around like headless chickens, with NO idea whatever on what to do, or how to handle it..

Hope it made sense, really suck at explaining things..XD

But yeah, Midsummer does have a point. We need to look into it more, and do more psychological studies rather than just assuming things turn out this way..

**Guest** Guest

Lol! I LOVE your metaphor. xD

By commandercandyfloss. 16/03/09, 08:16 am

Hehe Maccas...
You guy's are right though.
But the reason GTA is attacked so violently, is because it's more well known and popular. (and don't tell them there are more games! XD the media would love that)

**Sponsored content**