BEHOLD THE KNOWLEDGE OF SOME LADY AT HARVARD, AND HER INCREDIBLY LOGICAL WAY OF MEASURING VIOLENCE!
In that sense a game like Streets of Rage is probably more violent than most modern games, since the only interaction within the game you ever have with anyone is to punch them in the face, while even in something like GTA you have a lot of non-violent interaction shown (i.e. people talking, negotiating, driving around, buying things, etc). If this were an attempt at an indicator of 'unwholesomeness' it would be a different story, but in the context of trying to quantify violence it's not a bad attempt at a pointless end.
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Anakha stopped staring at Deedlit long enough to write:
Thank you Mod, for the obligatory leftist comment. I would hardly call Pac-man eating a blue ghost, which immediately comes back to life, violent.
What the hell is leftist about it? If you're going to mimic other, incredibly annoying, people here and use idiotic stereotypes in place of arguments, just go ahead and stop posting in the first place.
It's because you're not understanding that those people were going by violent intent rather than the level of graphic violence displayed. I.e., Street Fighter may not really look 'violent' at first glance in that the level of graphics is not sufficient to induce a sense of revulsion as for example a movie like saw does, but the gameplay, to non-competitive players, consists of hitting some other guy and not much else.
In a psychological context when dealing with children this is something that could be significant to people trying to gouge the effects of game violence, since it sets a baseline for the kinds of social interactions the child is exposed to during play.
Personally I'm not a believer in sheltering kids from Scorpion breathing fire on people, but at least those people are trying to establish and actual methodology instead of using the gut instinct standard, the lowest way of judging known to man.
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Mod had this to say about Cuba:
In a psychological context when dealing with children this is something that could be significant to people trying to gouge the effects of game violence
Violent video games have already warped this man's mind!
So why are we trying to quantify something that, according to current studies, doesn't really have an impact on anything sociologically? Seems to me it's that "gut instinct" thing you're decrying: violence=bad, so we must warn people ONOS!
It might be another thing if there were actually any link whatsoever between behavioral changes in normal children and cartoon violence in video games. . .but there isn't, despite a lot of people trying to prove otherwise.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
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Bloodsage stumbled drunkenly to the keyboard and typed:
The problem, of course, is that all of this "research" and other crap presupposes a causal link between video games and real-world behavior. A link that has yet to be shown to exist.
There's plenty of published studies that have shown physical (increased heart rate, blood pressure, phsyiological arousal, etc) and mental (aggression, hostily, etc) links between video games and real-world behavior. There's also been plenty of studies that showed the exact opposite. It's impossible to say either way at this point, though I say that they have about as much an effect as any competitive sport.
Note: When I say studies, I mean short-term studies. There haven't really been any good long-term studies on the subject.
Right?
Additionally, all of these "physical effects" are exactly the same ones that happen as a result of a good book, or a good movie, or any of a hundred or so other experiences. The fact remains that there is no proven link between violent video games and antisocial behavior in otherwise normal children.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
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Bloodsage's fortune cookie read:
You do know the difference between something that might cause an elevated heart rate and something that might cause someone one to go postal?Right?
Additionally, all of these "physical effects" are exactly the same ones that happen as a result of a good book, or a good movie, or any of a hundred or so other experiences. The fact remains that there is no proven link between violent video games and antisocial behavior in otherwise normal children.
I do believe I mentioned mental links, such as aggression and hostility testing. I do believe I also mentioned that I see the games as not being much different than competitive sports, which have also shown the same signs in studies. I do believe I mentioned the studies go both ways too.
I'm on your side here. I'm simply stating that there are plenty of studies, which do go both ways. I'm not sure how you of all people on this board can simply discount all studies on the subect for no apparent reason, other than your own opinion.
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x--AnakhaO-('-'Q) :
Thank you Mod, for the obligatory leftist comment.
Actually, I agree with Mod entirely.
If anything, Pacman influences you to be an obese fat ass.
*made up word.
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Bloodsage painfully thought these words up:
So why are we trying to quantify something that, according to current studies, doesn't really have an impact on anything sociologically?
Yes, that's exactly it. I don't believe in the causal link you speak of either, but the article criticized the study for not going by what most people find objectionable instead of their aggression / time method. For purposes of research into the existence of such a link, a metric like this is more useful than the method suggested by the writer of that article.
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Anakha said this about your mom:
Thank you Mod, for the obligatory leftist comment. I would hardly call Pac-man eating a blue ghost, which immediately comes back to life, violent.
You stopped reading his post at his username, didn't you?
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Quoth Mod:
Yes, that's exactly it. I don't believe in the causal link you speak of either, but the article criticized the study for not going by what most people find objectionable instead of their aggression / time method. For purposes of research into the existence of such a link, a metric like this is more useful than the method suggested by the writer of that article.
Except that there's no need to define the "violence level" of a game until a link between certain video games and anti-social behavior in normal children is found. First one establishes the link, then one discovers the causal factor.
All this does is contribute to the hype and alarmism by presupposing that "violence," however defined, in games is somehow bad.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
I thought Pac-man and Ms. Pac-man were the same damn game except for the sprite used for Pac-man. Willias fucked around with this message on 08-26-2006 at 09:48 AM.
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Willias had this to say about Punky Brewster:
Wait a sec...I thought Pac-man and Ms. Pac-man were the same damn game except for the sprite used for Pac-man.
Ms. Pac-Man has to stop every other level and ask for directions.
It's not something people hear about.
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Sean spewed forth this undeniable truth:
Ms. Pac-Man has to stop every other level and ask for directions.
This is gold right here. 
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Bloodsage had this to say about dark elf butts:
All this does is contribute to the hype and alarmism by presupposing that "violence," however defined, in games is somehow bad.
Soon, smashing blocks will be a hot topic as to a future increase in property destruction/vandalism.
