Monday, December 8, 2008
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I think what i've found is that the arguments defending games are always the most rational and simple. They simply cite data and people without trying to drag research in. Today i found an article that actually said something similar to what i put in my paper, about how Anderson tends to be the only name associated with some research claiming links between aggression and violence. The article i found tonight claims that the links simply don't clearly exist. They even admitted that there could just as easily be the same amount of research discrediting that of others as they have to deal with. The key points i noticed them hitting on were that although games are taking heat from Clinton, Lieberman, and researchers, the average age of a gamer right now is 30 years old. While it is true that mature 17+ games find the way into the hands of kids, the fact of the matter is the gaming audience is becoming older. They also hit on the fact that violence is a staple in the lives of many americans now. You can't blame games, and go home to find that 90% of tv content and hit shows are sexual or feature a murder as the main plot. Violent crime rates are on the decrease and surprisingly so are sex rates in teens. The article claims that this research seems to simply be crying wolf. They equated it to banning alcohol, simply because drunk drivers kill people. or. Banning guns because there are those who use them for crimes. It is a punishment of everyone just because someone misuses a right.
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4 comments:
I'm glad that I read this because I had no idea that the average gamer is 30 years old. I always assumed that most gamers were children and teenagers. I guess that makes me what you gamers call a "n00b." That aspect changes the argument though. If people against video games are saying that they instill violence with children, then the "statistics" go down, since most gamers are actually adults. That doesn't make much sense, but this is just more of a revelation for myself.
That is a pretty cool statistic about the average video game player being 30! I had no idea that was the cause. I always knew everyone I played against sounded like they were old but i didn't realize that the average "gamer" is 30. I think that is hilarious. Although this is proof against the stance you take on video game violence, I am an unfortunately one the many children under 17 that have mature games so I have a hard time believing any one that says people under 16 have a hard time getting rated M(mature) games. Regardless video games don't cause violence so it doesn't matter.
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