interchange
Diamond Member
Part of me doesn't want to interrupt the great sarcastic commenting of this thread, but hell there are actually things worth talking about here. Feel free to respond to me sarcastically if you want to go down that road.
1. The biggest problem with this story is obviously that an unattended 9 y/o had free access to a gun
2. While I know nothing else about the environment this kid has been raised in, I think free access to a gun is a solid indicator that there were likely some other things about his upbringing that are less than ideal
3. There is actually pretty good evidence that, at least for kids with existing behavioral problems, exposure to media violence (and esp. video game violence, and esp. revenge themes) is harmful
4. Certainly, many times over it has been shown that venting anger / punching pillows / etc. doesn't help and can enhance aggression
5. There is some psychoanalytic theory out there that I've seen suggesting that what is important is having a clear boundary between reality and fantasy when exposed to the media. While this is something really hard to actually prove, it makes a lot of sense to me. That may be why a more reality-grounded first-person-shooter (e.g. Counterstrike) could have much more impact than a more detached/passive cartoonish and unrealistic violence. So, Tom & Jerry may have a lot less impact. It still does, at least for toddlers, increase in the short-term aggression.
6. That said, there is good reason why fantasy violence exists and should exist. Because it's fantasy. If you're able to wall off the violence as not being something related to you in real life, then it may be quite important to be able to play out your own violent urges in the movie screen or a video game. But if you start imagining that it's right to take revenge on people who have wronged you, and start imagining that you too could become an expert in using military-style weapons, and start fantasizing that one day you will, and then buy an AR-15 and shoot targets with it -- you are loosening the bounds on that fantasy and bringing it closer to reality
In the end, I really don't think the video game industry and media should change, and I'm going to pay attention to what my kids are exposed to and how it affects them, but trying to suppress their natural aggressive desires is probably also a recipe for disaster. Everything in moderation.
Edit: WRT suicide, I think a big deal here is that someone's identity is being constructed around video games / online presence. That leaves a person vulnerable, and video games / social media are usually a lot more fickle than, say, family relationships. As a parent, I'd probably just make sure there are some limits on how involved my kids get. And I'll try to be more proactive than reactive.
1. The biggest problem with this story is obviously that an unattended 9 y/o had free access to a gun
2. While I know nothing else about the environment this kid has been raised in, I think free access to a gun is a solid indicator that there were likely some other things about his upbringing that are less than ideal
3. There is actually pretty good evidence that, at least for kids with existing behavioral problems, exposure to media violence (and esp. video game violence, and esp. revenge themes) is harmful
4. Certainly, many times over it has been shown that venting anger / punching pillows / etc. doesn't help and can enhance aggression
5. There is some psychoanalytic theory out there that I've seen suggesting that what is important is having a clear boundary between reality and fantasy when exposed to the media. While this is something really hard to actually prove, it makes a lot of sense to me. That may be why a more reality-grounded first-person-shooter (e.g. Counterstrike) could have much more impact than a more detached/passive cartoonish and unrealistic violence. So, Tom & Jerry may have a lot less impact. It still does, at least for toddlers, increase in the short-term aggression.
6. That said, there is good reason why fantasy violence exists and should exist. Because it's fantasy. If you're able to wall off the violence as not being something related to you in real life, then it may be quite important to be able to play out your own violent urges in the movie screen or a video game. But if you start imagining that it's right to take revenge on people who have wronged you, and start imagining that you too could become an expert in using military-style weapons, and start fantasizing that one day you will, and then buy an AR-15 and shoot targets with it -- you are loosening the bounds on that fantasy and bringing it closer to reality
In the end, I really don't think the video game industry and media should change, and I'm going to pay attention to what my kids are exposed to and how it affects them, but trying to suppress their natural aggressive desires is probably also a recipe for disaster. Everything in moderation.
Edit: WRT suicide, I think a big deal here is that someone's identity is being constructed around video games / online presence. That leaves a person vulnerable, and video games / social media are usually a lot more fickle than, say, family relationships. As a parent, I'd probably just make sure there are some limits on how involved my kids get. And I'll try to be more proactive than reactive.
