# Are video games influencing our youths?



## Kaya (Jun 4, 2014)

I think so. They get numb, what with the drivebys, the shootings, the rapes, the hit and runs, the deaths and the points you get when you do all those things. Which is why so many kids are in lalaland when it comes to the REAL THING.

And those kids would not be able to get those games if the idiotic parents didn't buy them for them to begin with. Tv and video games are babysitters nowadays, I think. And no way would I buy such a game for my kid without knowing what that game is. Which is why its a good thing I don't have kids, eh? They wouldn't like me much because I would be like a warden.

So what are your thoughts on why kids today are so empty of empathy.


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## Kaya (Jun 4, 2014)

Like those two 12 year old girls who stabbed their friend. It was not a game, but their parents let them wander around the net unchaperoned. What about kids that drive over pedestrians while playing a game just to get brownie points? Same thing.


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## meg (Jun 5, 2014)

*yes !!!!*


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## Misty (Jun 5, 2014)

I think so too. Many of the games are so violent and lifelike, they desensitize the value of life. It's turning killing into entertainment. Many of the murders today, have happened by those who spent many hours playing them.


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## Kaya (Jun 5, 2014)

Agreed. Now..what to do about the idiot parents that buy those games for their kids.


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## Fern (Jun 5, 2014)

Send their parents off to a parenting course.


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## Mirabilis (Jun 6, 2014)

I am one of those idiotic parents but then again I grew up in the Silicon Valley and I played video games myself.  I think that it is all about balancing your life.  I don't undestand how people let games consume their minds in a such a way, other than there is some underlying problem.  I hear from relatives all the time how video games are evil, computers are evil - to me, that is just fear of the unknown.  My son chooses games carefully, no violence, nothing that is rated above his age and he rarely plays any of the consoles that I buy for him unless the cousin is visiting and then they play 1 hr or so.  Blaming a game, a TV show, a comic book, a song, etc for a murder is ridiculous in my opinion.


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## Bettyann (Jun 6, 2014)

I believe that it is how the child is raised. If he gets plenty of love and attention...not just 'the best money can buy' plus is TALKED WITH (not just TO) by his parents (provided THEY are mentally stable)... then he or she will not turn out to be a no-feeling murderer. 
I think its when a child has to take 'refuge' in non-reality such as violent games that it becomes his world.
There are _some _video games, however, that should never been played... but I am not for government interference to have them 'banned' either. I have often wondered if the shadow government doesn't use some of those games to desensitize young people...because that is how future wars (AND SOME NOW!!) are fought. Push a button, kill masses of people. Big deal. After all, they are 'terrorists' and Muslims...so who cares. 
But believe that with a good relationship with your children, this doesn't have to happen. We have always had 'good and evil' and it will continue... it comes down to how we handle it. I'm not saying parents are _wrong_ for forbidding those games in their homes...but the absence of something will not insure that everything will be 'just fine.'


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## JustBonee (Jun 6, 2014)

Just something I read ...  a study is showing no ill effect of video games on kids.    ?

http://venturebeat.com/2013/11/20/m...-games-have-no-negative-impact-on-11000-kids/


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## Kaya (Jun 6, 2014)

Mirabilis said:


> I am one of those idiotic parents but then again I grew up in the Silicon Valley and I played video games myself.  I think that it is all about balancing your life.  I don't undestand how people let games consume their minds in a such a way, other than there is some underlying problem.  I hear from relatives all the time how video games are evil, computers are evil - to me, that is just fear of the unknown.  My son chooses games carefully, no violence, nothing that is rated above his age and he rarely plays any of the consoles that I buy for him unless the cousin is visiting and then they play 1 hr or so.  Blaming a game, a TV show, a comic book, a song, etc for a murder is ridiculous in my opinion.



Well, goody for you.
Obviously you are not an idiot parent if you pay attention to what games your child is playing. Point is, most don't give a damn what their kids do and don't pay attention because that almight game is a babysitter.
So I guess all your relatives are the crazy ones? After all..so many saying the same thing must be wrong, right?
Why you got so offended is ridiculous in my opinion.


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## avrp (Jun 12, 2014)

YES!! Influencing then tremendously!


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## SeaBreeze (Jun 12, 2014)

The kids who sit there for six or more hours playing and ignoring everything around them are likely the ones with a problem.  These younger kids have no experience with real life, socializing or feeling empathy for another person...all they know is what's on their screen, that is dangerous for sure! 

 Mirabilis, sounds like your son is just fine, and knows right from wrong. I played a little of the old video games, but I can't sit there for more than an hour for sure.  Ones like Doom, Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, Unreal, Half-Life, System Shock, etc.


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## Denise1952 (Jun 12, 2014)

No, since I don't have children, but they are influencing me!  I played one last night that rocked, LOL!!  All you do is stomp your feet to step on little green men, and flap your hands to slap them down, LOL!!  I know, I went off topic:badgirl:


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## Denise1952 (Jun 12, 2014)

SeaBreeze said:


> The kids who sit there for six or more hours playing and ignoring everything around them are likely the ones with a problem.  These younger kids have no experience with real life, socializing or feeling empathy for another person...all they know is what's on their screen, that is dangerous for sure!
> 
> Mirabilis, sounds like your son is just fine, and knows right from wrong. I played a little of the old video games, but I can't sit there for more than an hour for sure.  Ones like Doom, Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, Unreal, Half-Life, System Shock, etc.



Whenever these topics start, I always think of when we were young.  We were outside, we had some games but we made them all up, like cowboys & indians, army, post-office (wait, no, not that last one, ok, maybe once:love_heart:  We build forts, we slept out under the stars.  And look how good we turned out, LOL!!  Seriously though, there's a lot to be said to growing up without technology.  We had to be more creative, didn't we?  Maybe the kids are still creative, but what are they creating  Hmm, I don't know where to go with this..help!


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## SeaBreeze (Jun 12, 2014)

I think the problem with technology today is when use becomes abuse.


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## Ina (Jun 12, 2014)

I find it unusual that we are not hearing from the teachers of today's students. It seemed for a long time that every time anything was happening they had the answers. I love teachers, and they helped me many times, but they always seemed to be telling us how to raise our children. And many times they were right.
But I haven't heard them on any of these so important issues of today youth. Why not?
If we are afraid for our children, they must know just how dangerous these issues are. 
Who is stopping our teachers from discussing this, and why? :magnify:


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## Mirabilis (Jun 13, 2014)

Kaya said:


> Well, goody for you.
> Obviously you are not an idiot parent if you pay attention to what games your child is playing. Point is, most don't give a damn what their kids do and don't pay attention because that almight game is a babysitter.
> So I guess all your relatives are the crazy ones? After all..so many saying the same thing must be wrong, right?
> Why you got so offended is ridiculous in my opinion.


I am not offended, just my opinion.  My relatives are not crazy.  My point is that people usually create demons out of those people or things they do not know or have not experienced.  It is the fear of the unknown.  Don't blame the guns or the games, blame the lack of basic values.


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## Mirabilis (Jun 13, 2014)

SeaBreeze said:


> The kids who sit there for six or more hours playing and ignoring everything around them are likely the ones with a problem.  These younger kids have no experience with real life, socializing or feeling empathy for another person...all they know is what's on their screen, that is dangerous for sure!
> 
> Mirabilis, sounds like your son is just fine, and knows right from wrong. I played a little of the old video games, but I can't sit there for more than an hour for sure.  Ones like Doom, Castle Wolfenstein, Quake, Unreal, Half-Life, System Shock, etc.


 My son is picky and he only plays constructive games like Little Big Planet and Minecraft.  He has not been raised with violence so, he stays away from all those war games - they are just not appealing to him.  We also do not subscribe to Cable, do not watch TV at all unless we are visiting someone and even then I cannot watch too long.  We have Netflix which we watch ocassionally but life is beautiful and it is out there, not within a computer monitor.


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## WhatInThe (Jun 13, 2014)

I don't think the game or content affect people directly BUT...

I do see several problems with video games in general. Especially the teen especially getting used to instant gratification. If you lose a game just reset it and start all over. If you fail at something in real life it's not a reset button. You have to sit with your defeat until another time.

 Also in video games the computer follows the rules to letter, no slack. Real people don't necessary follow the rules to the letter. The only laws you can count on being enforced in real life are the laws of physics.

And large amounts of time spent on any one thing take away from other things including socialization, academics and the miscellaneous business of real life. The avid young game player can stifle their maturity simply because of all the time not spent on developing it or gaining real life experience for future use.

I think large amounts of time spent playing video games can distort reality simply because one does not have to deal with reality. I think that's why many of the mass murderers view their victims as points or a target only. They see cartoonish blood but not real blood, it's the high repetition that creates problems , not the game itself.


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## Denise1952 (Jun 13, 2014)

Mirabilis said:


> I am one of those idiotic parents but then again I grew up in the Silicon Valley and I played video games myself.  I think that it is all about balancing your life.  I don't undestand how people let games consume their minds in a such a way, other than there is some underlying problem.  I hear from relatives all the time how video games are evil, computers are evil - to me, that is just fear of the unknown.  My son chooses games carefully, no violence, nothing that is rated above his age and he rarely plays any of the consoles that I buy for him unless the cousin is visiting and then they play 1 hr or so.  Blaming a game, a TV show, a comic book, a song, etc for a murder is ridiculous in my opinion.



I think it's much deeper as well Mirabilis, to me it's more because a child isn't taught good morals, or just right from wrong.  I mean, sometimes there is a fine-line, and opinions on right or wrong, but I mean the basics like "it's wrong to steal".  I think that children need to be prepared for life/the world we live in.  There is more technology every day, I don't think trying to shelter our kids from it would work, could work the opposite.  I think, again, it's about giving them a good foundation of right and wrong to begin with.  I also feel that humans have a tendency to try and blame everything but themselves, and I mean "own" something, admit the fault may lie with them, not a video game or other influences that are here to stay, Denise


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## Denise1952 (Jun 13, 2014)

Kaya said:


> Well, goody for you.
> Obviously you are not an idiot parent if you pay attention to what games your child is playing. Point is, most don't give a damn what their kids do and don't pay attention because that almight game is a babysitter.
> So I guess all your relatives are the crazy ones? After all..so many saying the same thing must be wrong, right?
> Why you got so offended is ridiculous in my opinion.



I think you were really rude to Mirabellis here Kaya.  I read her reply to your post and see no offense taken by her??  Denise


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## Denise1952 (Jun 13, 2014)

Mirabilis said:


> My son is picky and he only plays constructive games like Little Big Planet and Minecraft.  He has not been raised with violence so, he stays away from all those war games - they are just not appealing to him.  We also do not subscribe to Cable, do not watch TV at all unless we are visiting someone and even then I cannot watch too long.  We have Netflix which we watch ocassionally but life is beautiful and it is out there, not within a computer monitor.



I agree with SB, you are the parent I am talking about in my reply that teaches their child, doesn't neglect what I believe to be "good parenting".  It's because of  my mother, and other adults that influenced my life in positive ways, I never "followed" the crowd that was getting in big trouble.  I didn't dislike them, or look down on them, I just didn't like the idea of the things they did.  I don't think that all comes naturally, maybe some of it can, don't know Denise


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