"A son sees the light on video violence" - newspaper commentary
01-11-03, 09:41 PM
#1
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"A son sees the light on video violence" - newspaper commentary
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/3553763.html
I've been quietly loathing this article for a while. First off there's the fact that I (and probably everyone reading this right now) totally disagree with the content of the article. What magnifies how horrible this article is, is the format of it. I mean it's 13 paragraphs long, and the first 7 don't even relate to the topic! It's considered poor journalism to bury the lead within the first paragraph, but losing it to the 8th paragraph makes NO sense. I might be able to give him some credit if he were able to cite some evidence that supports his claim, and he does... his son... who's done NO research on the subject.
This is a somewhat older article (I read it in December, didn't feel like posting it here then) The reason I've decided to post it now is that the author of the article is coming to my school to give a small speech (to less than 100 people, of which I am included) I'm planning on talking to him about this article (as well as give him a copy of a pamphlet about video game violence I recently made, and MAYBE show him the report I did about video game violence). I was wondering if anyone else had something to add about the horrendousness of this article.
Also, this article wasn't chopped up in the editing room, because if it were they probably wouldn't have included a picture from Hitman 2 that takes up as much space as the article. It actually seems like the Hitman 2 picture is the space-filler for having a short article.
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
I've been quietly loathing this article for a while. First off there's the fact that I (and probably everyone reading this right now) totally disagree with the content of the article. What magnifies how horrible this article is, is the format of it. I mean it's 13 paragraphs long, and the first 7 don't even relate to the topic! It's considered poor journalism to bury the lead within the first paragraph, but losing it to the 8th paragraph makes NO sense. I might be able to give him some credit if he were able to cite some evidence that supports his claim, and he does... his son... who's done NO research on the subject.
This is a somewhat older article (I read it in December, didn't feel like posting it here then) The reason I've decided to post it now is that the author of the article is coming to my school to give a small speech (to less than 100 people, of which I am included) I'm planning on talking to him about this article (as well as give him a copy of a pamphlet about video game violence I recently made, and MAYBE show him the report I did about video game violence). I was wondering if anyone else had something to add about the horrendousness of this article.
Also, this article wasn't chopped up in the editing room, because if it were they probably wouldn't have included a picture from Hitman 2 that takes up as much space as the article. It actually seems like the Hitman 2 picture is the space-filler for having a short article.
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
. Then I wiped it off with the head of my decapitated friend and kept on playing Mortal Kombat
01-11-03, 09:55 PM
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Re: "A son sees the light on video violence" - newspaper commentary
Originally posted by Wazootyman
[url]
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
[url]
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
I pretty much loathe the whole "video game violence will make you kill other people" ignorance. If a person is going to kill someone because of games, movies, music and whatnot, they obviously have had problems in the past (and still do) before owning the "entertainment." And it's just that...entertainment...
Last edited by ProjectMayhem; 01-11-03 at 09:58 PM.
01-11-03, 10:06 PM
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Please, lets not forget that prior to the invention of games, movies, and music there was no war or violence in this world. Everyone was singing and dancing around rainbows on fields of flowers.
01-11-03, 10:08 PM
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This guy sounds like Senator Joe Lieberman's wet dream.
Where do I start....
The article from the outset makes absolutley no sense. There's nothing he mentions that is remotely to the point.
I am so sick of the these people who are shocked when they see GTA3 or Vice City. These are people who really need to have their cranial rectal inversion removed.
Excuse me now I have to buy another safehouse.
Where do I start....
The article from the outset makes absolutley no sense. There's nothing he mentions that is remotely to the point.
I am so sick of the these people who are shocked when they see GTA3 or Vice City. These are people who really need to have their cranial rectal inversion removed.
Excuse me now I have to buy another safehouse.
01-11-03, 10:28 PM
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...we didn't give him a toy plutonium reactor...
But I NEVER got a toy plutonium reactor, now THAT would have been VERY COOL. I am going to have to talk to my parents about this, their obvious, irresponsible neglect for my upbringing.
Every child should have his/her own plutonium reactor for a rainy day!
On a positive note, my parents let me shoot my first gun when I was six.
His description of GTA just made me want to go out and buy a PS2 even more!
01-11-03, 10:31 PM
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Originally posted by jasonr114
Dammit, dammit, dammit. I thought I had a great childhood until I read this article. I had the toy guns and toy knifes.
But I NEVER got a toy plutonium reactor, now THAT would have been VERY COOL. I am going to have to talk to my parents about this, their obvious, irresponsible neglect for my upbringing.
Every child should have his/her own plutonium reactor for a rainy day!
On a positive note, my parents let me shoot my first gun when I was six.
His description of GTA just made me want to go out and buy a PS2 even more!
Dammit, dammit, dammit. I thought I had a great childhood until I read this article. I had the toy guns and toy knifes.
But I NEVER got a toy plutonium reactor, now THAT would have been VERY COOL. I am going to have to talk to my parents about this, their obvious, irresponsible neglect for my upbringing.
Every child should have his/her own plutonium reactor for a rainy day!
On a positive note, my parents let me shoot my first gun when I was six.
His description of GTA just made me want to go out and buy a PS2 even more!
01-11-03, 11:43 PM
#11
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Naturally, when he could barely hold a baseball bat in his hands, I lined my son up against the garage and threw tennis balls at his head
This is a joke right?
01-12-03, 12:09 AM
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I just saw Gangs of New York today and was shocked to find out that people were killing each other way back then! That was like 150 years before video games! How did they know what to do?
I was under the empresion that there was no violence before video games because every time something happens one of the talking heads does the same report they have been giving forthe last ten years. Video games make you kill! Rock music is bad! Sit in your room and feel ashamed of your self!
The media is so screwed up right now.
Ok rant over.
I was under the empresion that there was no violence before video games because every time something happens one of the talking heads does the same report they have been giving forthe last ten years. Video games make you kill! Rock music is bad! Sit in your room and feel ashamed of your self!
The media is so screwed up right now.
Ok rant over.
01-12-03, 02:10 AM
#13
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Originally posted by RVP
Syl Jones, of Minnetonka, is a playwright, journalist and corporate consultant.
Syl Jones, of Minnetonka, is a playwright, journalist and corporate consultant.
I'm guessing that only one of those occupations is his full time job. And pretty hope it's the one that requires the least amount of writing.
Last edited by funkyryno; 01-12-03 at 02:12 AM.
01-12-03, 02:59 AM
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His newfound wisdom may be derived from the fact that he is recently married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes. That act of commitment has forced him to squarely face new questions about what kind of man he wants to be in the world.
Last edited by focker; 01-12-03 at 12:42 PM.
01-12-03, 04:14 AM
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Originally posted by menaz
Please, lets not forget that prior to the invention of games, movies, and music there was no war or violence in this world. Everyone was singing and dancing around rainbows on fields of flowers.
Please, lets not forget that prior to the invention of games, movies, and music there was no war or violence in this world. Everyone was singing and dancing around rainbows on fields of flowers.
In all seriousness, obviously, fictional violence doesn't cause real violence. In fact, I'd say it reduces it. Art entertains; makes us happy. And most people don't commit violent acts when they're happy.
Furthermore, in my opinion, playing a video game can be cathartic as well as entertaining. I mean, after having a tough day at work/school whatever, some innocuous, fictional violence never hurt anybody.
Just my take.
01-12-03, 04:37 AM
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Well this guy writes like a idiot, but all do honesty, do we need violence in games anyway? What point do they accomplish? I founs Mario Sunshine, Mario Party 4, Animal crossing fun and stimulating, and you didnt need to kill people to be fun in those games. I think thats why I like the GC and GBA. Most games on those systems are non violent, fun and exciting without the needless blood and gore. I didnt care for GTA 3 when I tried the demo, and I am glad it isn't out on GBA or GC. Call me a wimp, but I think there is too much needless violence in video games.
01-12-03, 09:58 AM
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'I put him on the floor and wrestled with him incessantly, tripping the poor kid and advising him to "learn how to fall." In fact, in our family, when one of the children tumbled down the stairs, we greeted the entrance with applause, assigning style points for creative recoveries. "Good fall," we'd say. "Good fall." '
what the hell???
what the hell???
01-12-03, 10:28 AM
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Quote:
"Of course they locked me in an adjacent room after that comment, where I
watched my son come into the world via television. It figured -- his generation
was going to be as addicted to television as mine, so why not watch it on the
tube?"
ummmm . . .what? Is he also anti-tv?
Quote:
"His newfound wisdom may be derived from the fact that he is recently
married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes.
That act of commitment has forced him to squarely face new questions about
what kind of man he wants to be in the world."
I guess no sex will make you do funny things
Quote:
"The
National Institute on Media and the Family recently gave "Grand Theft Auto"
the first F rating in its seven years of grading video games, primarily because
players get points by having sex with prostitutes and then killing them and
taking their money. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
I guess they weren't around in the days of the Atari and Custer's Revenge/Beat em' and Eat em'/Bubble Bath Babes/etc . . (anyone else see EGM's 10 top Naughtiest Games of all time??)
Can anyone confirm that this is a serious article? It seems a bit too stupid to be real - maybe it's like the Mothers Against Violent Videogames article?
"Of course they locked me in an adjacent room after that comment, where I
watched my son come into the world via television. It figured -- his generation
was going to be as addicted to television as mine, so why not watch it on the
tube?"
ummmm . . .what? Is he also anti-tv?
Quote:
"His newfound wisdom may be derived from the fact that he is recently
married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes.
That act of commitment has forced him to squarely face new questions about
what kind of man he wants to be in the world."
I guess no sex will make you do funny things
Quote:
"The
National Institute on Media and the Family recently gave "Grand Theft Auto"
the first F rating in its seven years of grading video games, primarily because
players get points by having sex with prostitutes and then killing them and
taking their money. Sounds fun, doesn't it?"
I guess they weren't around in the days of the Atari and Custer's Revenge/Beat em' and Eat em'/Bubble Bath Babes/etc . . (anyone else see EGM's 10 top Naughtiest Games of all time??)
Can anyone confirm that this is a serious article? It seems a bit too stupid to be real - maybe it's like the Mothers Against Violent Videogames article?
Last edited by Chaos; 01-12-03 at 10:31 AM.
01-12-03, 10:53 AM
#21
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What a joke. The reason he got rid of the games should be obvious in the line "he is recently married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes." In other words, he has a ring in his nose like all too many married men, and since she thinks videogames are stupid, out the door they go. The fact it's videogames is meaningless. It could be baseball cards, model railroad equipment, or anything else that many women can't stand to see men enjoy.
His first post-divorce purchase will be a PS2 and a copy of Vice City.
His first post-divorce purchase will be a PS2 and a copy of Vice City.
01-12-03, 11:08 AM
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Originally posted by Jason
What a joke. The reason he got rid of the games should be obvious in the line "he is recently married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes." In other words, he has a ring in his nose like all too many married men, and since she thinks videogames are stupid, out the door they go. The fact it's videogames is meaningless. It could be baseball cards, model railroad equipment, or anything else that many women can't stand to see men enjoy.
His first post-divorce purchase will be a PS2 and a copy of Vice City.
What a joke. The reason he got rid of the games should be obvious in the line "he is recently married to a beautiful, talented woman whose kindness and love he cherishes." In other words, he has a ring in his nose like all too many married men, and since she thinks videogames are stupid, out the door they go. The fact it's videogames is meaningless. It could be baseball cards, model railroad equipment, or anything else that many women can't stand to see men enjoy.
His first post-divorce purchase will be a PS2 and a copy of Vice City.
01-12-03, 11:13 AM
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maybe it's like the Mothers Against Violent Videogames article?
01-12-03, 11:29 AM
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What I hate is seeing someone harp on the "players get points by having sex with prostitutes and then killing them and taking their money" aspect of Grand Theft Auto.
Can you do it? Yes. But, it's a very small, small portion of a very big game. You don't have to do it, it's not intregal to the progression of the game. If no one told you about it, you might never even discover it. I can't tell you how many times I've seen threads here saying "how do you get the prostitutes in GTA3 to do the nasty?" You don't even get points for doing it, the prostitutes take the money you have, and if you kill them, you get it back.
I've played probably over 200 hours of GTA3 and Vice City, and I've done the prostitute trick maybe three times. I know I only did it once in Vice City, just to see if they took it out. In GTA3, I showed a few people, and did it once just to see it -- but it's really a dumb trick, and there are better, quicker, and easier ways to get health.
Can you do it? Yes. But, it's a very small, small portion of a very big game. You don't have to do it, it's not intregal to the progression of the game. If no one told you about it, you might never even discover it. I can't tell you how many times I've seen threads here saying "how do you get the prostitutes in GTA3 to do the nasty?" You don't even get points for doing it, the prostitutes take the money you have, and if you kill them, you get it back.
I've played probably over 200 hours of GTA3 and Vice City, and I've done the prostitute trick maybe three times. I know I only did it once in Vice City, just to see if they took it out. In GTA3, I showed a few people, and did it once just to see it -- but it's really a dumb trick, and there are better, quicker, and easier ways to get health.
01-12-03, 11:45 AM
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Re: "A son sees the light on video violence" - newspaper commentary
Originally posted by Wazootyman
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/3553763.html
I've been quietly loathing this article for a while. First off there's the fact that I (and probably everyone reading this right now) totally disagree with the content of the article. What magnifies how horrible this article is, is the format of it. I mean it's 13 paragraphs long, and the first 7 don't even relate to the topic! It's considered poor journalism to bury the lead within the first paragraph, but losing it to the 8th paragraph makes NO sense. I might be able to give him some credit if he were able to cite some evidence that supports his claim, and he does... his son... who's done NO research on the subject.
This is a somewhat older article (I read it in December, didn't feel like posting it here then) The reason I've decided to post it now is that the author of the article is coming to my school to give a small speech (to less than 100 people, of which I am included) I'm planning on talking to him about this article (as well as give him a copy of a pamphlet about video game violence I recently made, and MAYBE show him the report I did about video game violence). I was wondering if anyone else had something to add about the horrendousness of this article.
Also, this article wasn't chopped up in the editing room, because if it were they probably wouldn't have included a picture from Hitman 2 that takes up as much space as the article. It actually seems like the Hitman 2 picture is the space-filler for having a short article.
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
http://www.startribune.com/stories/562/3553763.html
I've been quietly loathing this article for a while. First off there's the fact that I (and probably everyone reading this right now) totally disagree with the content of the article. What magnifies how horrible this article is, is the format of it. I mean it's 13 paragraphs long, and the first 7 don't even relate to the topic! It's considered poor journalism to bury the lead within the first paragraph, but losing it to the 8th paragraph makes NO sense. I might be able to give him some credit if he were able to cite some evidence that supports his claim, and he does... his son... who's done NO research on the subject.
This is a somewhat older article (I read it in December, didn't feel like posting it here then) The reason I've decided to post it now is that the author of the article is coming to my school to give a small speech (to less than 100 people, of which I am included) I'm planning on talking to him about this article (as well as give him a copy of a pamphlet about video game violence I recently made, and MAYBE show him the report I did about video game violence). I was wondering if anyone else had something to add about the horrendousness of this article.
Also, this article wasn't chopped up in the editing room, because if it were they probably wouldn't have included a picture from Hitman 2 that takes up as much space as the article. It actually seems like the Hitman 2 picture is the space-filler for having a short article.
A fun thing to do is print up the article, minus the headline. Put a line under the 7th paragraph, and have people read up to that line. When they get past that line, have them guess what it's about. Nobody I've asked has been able to guess it.
You should read the St Paul Pioneer Press instead.
