Stick To Grand Theft Auto

[lame54]

Run time: 01:37 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M95_gcLq1O0   Posted on YouTube: May 04, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: May 04, 2009 By DU Member: lame54 Views on DU: 1516

 

[grantcart]

1. This is like a pusher giving free drugs too kids to get them hooked

You have to wonder what happens to the boys who play the games get hooked on violence don't join the Army and get a little high and get their hands on a gun

[SIMPLYB1980]

3. I don't think that violence in games cause violence at all.

http://www.switched.com/2009/01/26/school-shootings-not-caused-by-violent-games-study-says/

"Professor and lead researcher Christopher Ferguson found the subject worthy of interrogation due to the popular trend of blaming violent video games for incidents such as the Columbine High School shooting. Naming complex sociological conditions as the primary causes of violence, Ferguson refers to video games as a "straw man," claiming that -- by faulting video games -- "politicians can create an appearance of taking action against crime.""

Having said that, I don't like the military using this game as a recruitment tool for kids under 18. I think that games which involve war and extreme violence should be rated as M for mature and not sold to children under the age of 18 with out a parent present. If the parent thinks their kids can handle a game though I don't believe that their is anything wrong with that.

[YOY]

4. Watch out...they're gonna pull out the dreaded APA study of 2001.

That has so many holes shot in it that it resembles swiss shit.

[SIMPLYB1980]

6. LoL!

Yeah I remember when Jack Thompson would use that failed study.

Good interview on video game violence.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2470257055588964629

[YOY]

8. It's so rediculous. Some here are completely anti-video game and have never even played anything.

The only thing that bothers me is the Army wasting money on this. Totally a non-fuctional tactic...and the game sucks.

[SIMPLYB1980]

9. Yeah I don't get the hate for video games here at all.

Other than it being a easy scape goat for bad parenting. The Army is definitely wasting there money on this. Lots of better games than Americas Army, out of all my gamer friends everyone agrees that game sucks big time.

[Ladyhawk]

14. I love first-person shooters. I've played them a LOT.

Funny...I've never killed anyone.

[bc3000]

5. I agree completely

with both of SIMPLYB1980's points

[SIMPLYB1980]

7. Thank you and welcome.

:hi:

[shadowknows69]

13. Maybe doesn't cause it, but I fully believe it can make it easier

There is definitely a desensitization to violence that can occur. Even television. They show scenes of blood and carnage on prime time network TV that I would have shit myself to see 20 years ago.

edit to add: I'm an avid "gamer" still today in my 40's so I've played about everything out there and some of them really do cross some lines of good taste; and some go running over those lines at full speed.

[Seldona]

16. Then call me a pusher I guess. An ex-pusher anyway.

:eyes:

I owned an internet cafe for years where gaming was the main attraction. Unlike a lot of people's over-broad characterization of the kids who play these games, these kids were respectful, helpful, loyal, wonderful, customers who nearly all went on to receive advanced degrees in computer science and the like.

Not a single ONE has even committed a crime that I am aware of, let alone killed someone. I would know, many of them are still my friends.

In fact we had lock-in LAN parties on the weekends that kept a lot of these kids OUT of trouble. It's a small town. There isn't a lot for kids to do outside the bowling alley and parties.

To a one these kids, or former kids as it has been a few years, are a credit to society. I think it is completely unfair to link playing even violent video games with real life violence. At least in my real world experience.

Now this on the other hand is unacceptable. ANY recruiter should have to go through a parent before even being allowed to talk to an underage individual imo.

Nor is this the first time this has been done, though I believe it is the first time the military has actually opened their own gaming center.

Believe me the free site-license for 'America's Army,' which was a first-person shooter game the Army put out for free when I was still open, was hard to turn down.

It was a pretty good game, and was FREE. As anyone who has been in the business knows, you can't simply go down to Walmart and buy the games. You have to call corporate and get a 'site license,' which allows you more legal rights with the software than a typical license would. It is also quite a bit more expensive.

However morally I simply could not take advantage of the offer. It was never installed on any of our computers, even when people asked for it.

[grantcart]

18. Your comments are very interesting and I understand what you are saying about

limited outlets for teenagers in small towns.


I think that for many of us of the Vietnam area we were sensitized to violent images and I can't understand why anyone would want to spend one minute watching that violence.

Its hard for me to believe that the cumulative exposure doesn't have some desensitizing effect, something that might only occur in small percentages over a long period of time.

A couple of weeks ago I went with a friend to watch Watchman and a few minutes in it the alternate history showed a violent facist America. When one of the heroes shot his pregnant Vietnamese girlfriend we simultaneously got up and left, complained to the ownership and got our money back, they were expecting a few complaints. Of course we left a packed theatre behind us.

I have given up trying to persuade people that it is desireable to live in a society with less violence, looking forward to the day I can move back to places where violence is rare in art, culture and real life. America is just saturated with it.

[Seldona]

20. Perhaps there is a desensitizing affect.

I personally haven't witnessed it, but I realize I am no expert doing a study. I was simply sharing my experience, and why it has lead me to believe the opposite of what I will admit sounds entirely plausible.

I think if one has a propensity towards violence, one may be attracted to these types of games, though that is only the reasoning of a small percentage in my experience. It isn't the game imo.

A lot of the games that could be labeled violent are in fact morality plays in which the player not only gets to see the negative impact of violent choices, should they make them, but their game-play will in fact suffer for it.

Then again, there are games that are designed around 'ultra-violence.' We never featured those. Nor are many likely to cut it in today's market.

Take what Game Spot rated the technical best game ever made, Metal Gear Solid 4. Not only are you encouraged to use non-lethal means to achieve your objectives, it is the only way to unlock the special gear in the game, by 'beating' the bosses using those same non-lethal means.

These bosses were tortured by their war experiences into madness, all of them having been victims themselves of crimes against humanity. If you take them down using non-lethal means, your team arrives to take them for psychiatric help.

The main character, a Vietnam to current era merc, is dying. He is also facing the ghosts of his past. In many ways it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. No one playing that game to completion will ever feel the same about war imo, unless perhaps you have that propensity I mentioned earlier. Though in that case you would likely not enjoy this game.

You are also caught in the middle between two sides at war, and can 'join' either side by donning their uniform at certain points. It seemingly makes the game easier at first, but these actions reverberate throughout the game in a pretty negative way.

In fact in many ways it is an anti-war war game, if that makes any sense.

Half Life was another great morality play. I still get creeped-out by the guy in black, and the reason he was there. Though the anti-war message wasn't quite as strong, it is still there. That game is still being played by millions, even after all these years.

I guess what I am taking way to long to say is that a lot of the games being made today aren't of the simple 'shoot em up for no reason' or 'kill the aliens' style. Though they do exist, even those games are evolving beyond what they were even five years ago.

Most of the truly great games now are more movie than game.

[YOY]

2. Ah "America's Army"

The game no one actually plays...and if playing it makes one enlist...then I guess I can just hope the dope dumb enough to let a video game influence his life choices stays safe.

[Ladyhawk]

15. I tried it. It was boring. nt

[peace13]

10. I'd go for that if a percentage of the players received head injuries

and another percent died while playing the game. That would add a realistic element. How about after you are done playing the game you take a shower on site and see if you get electrocuted? Or maybe they serve appetizers and a percentage get food poisoning. If you want realistic recruitment let's have at it. This is better than giving out signing bonuses that have to be returned if you die or get injured before your time is complete.

[Tutankhamun]

11. I hope the protesters are successful in stopping this misleading bullshit.

At least they're using POS "America's Army" and not something that's actually fun such as "Call of Duty".

I can see some teenager playing "America's Army," walking away after five minutes and saying, "No thanks, Dude. The army's pretty fucking boring."

[iamthebandfanman]

12. FINALLY

you guys realise this army game has been out for like 6 years or something already ?


i mean, a video game about war published by the government !?

ive been angry about this since i heard they were developing it!

why that was considered 'okay' by ANYBODY is beyond me.

want to teach a kid to read? sure , government computer program is fine...

want to teach a kid to be a soldier ? wait til hes 18 and enlist his ass.

a 'game' like this just blurs the line.

and trust me,
im the type of guy who would NEVER think of banning any violent private video games.

(EDIT)
did some research and the first "Americas Army" video game came out in 2002.

[grantcart]

19. well not really 'finally' after all

even here this type of thing enjoys support as you can see upthread.

[underpants]

17. this report is indicative of "journalism" in our age

"angry"

"an Iraq war veteran among the crowd DOESN'T regret serving his country"

Who said he did?

The odd part of this that the first thing said to you when you get to basic training is "Damn y'all f$*ked up, YOU joined the Army didn't you?"