Woo! Finally something to shut up the media complaining about games.

[Bermuda Cake]

what?
as in, modern warfare 2.

 

[grazr]

Man, I love this study... I was playing Call of Duty 6's singleplayer, and I played the ending. My Mum complained that the bit where you throw the knife at General Shepard was horrific, and I quoted this study. Her response was that it was just one study and it doesn't prove anything

:facepalm:

One more study than they have...
We've still got a lot of work to do before all these out of touch, aging news reporters stop blindly just getting angry and creating scandals cos it's good viewing...
but we're getting there.

EDIT:
I mean, just look at some of the communities that have emerged from videogames as well! For example, TF2maps.net, a bunch of very creative, very talented people who took their love of videogames to the next level (heh) and started producing custom content. And Child's Play! rawr.

The study i performed for my dissertation sampled only 230 individuals, which is why i wouldn't really call it evidence to bet your life on (230 people is a tiny sample of society), but still, for the sake of arguement: Trends showed that video game "users" are significantly less likely to commit a violent crime and 100% of the video game "users" in the study, both with and without mental health issues did not have a criminal record, nor found actual violence amusing (violence =/= death or accidental injury).

Video game "users" displayed full awareness to reason, logic and morals. Understanding the difference between simulated scenario's and actual scenario's. Which was actually the focus of my study.

By video game "users" i determined this statement to represent someone who plays more than 5+ hours of video games a week and has owned at least 1 console with 4 games. Which was decided by feedback from survey participants.

edit: Gaming is an incredibly efficient method of teaching. Which was kind of the inspiration for me to persue this subject. Focusing on how teaching has its pros and cons, because you can teach bad things as well as good. Meaning there are responsibilities inhenerant in the process that can be exploited negatively. But this is true of any media, so you can't blame video games. But ultimately gaming has become a media for narrative and story telling which usually results in a morally acceptable plot that teaches the same principles that have been taught for thousands of years.

 

[lana]

I mean, just look at some of the communities that have emerged from videogames as well! For example, TF2maps.net, a bunch of very creative, very talented people who took their love of videogames to the next level (heh) and started producing custom content.

Yes... we're quite the mature group of individuals...

 

[Tapp]

Some games have no intentions other than violence and hate, however. GTA approaches an adult game in the same way as a five-year old who just watched pulp fiction. COD5 has an infamous mission in which you have to use a flamethrower, and the game punishes you for not doing so. No real reason for gameplay, they just like to force the player to burn people alive, and reward them for doing so. Games like garrys mod, portal and psychonauts are determined to make a good game, rather than pulling people in with violence and controversy. Even left 4 dead 2 went a bit far, and it's a worrying trend.

 

[absurdistof]

Some games have no intentions other than violence and hate, however. GTA approaches an adult game in the same way as a five-year old who just watched pulp fiction. COD5 has an infamous mission in which you have to use a flamethrower, and the game punishes you for not doing so. No real reason for gameplay, they just like to force the player to burn people alive, and reward them for doing so. Games like garrys mod, portal and psychonauts are determined to make a good game, rather than pulling people in with violence and controversy. Even left 4 dead 2 went a bit far, and it's a worrying trend.

I question the games you cite, and the reasons you cite them with. First off, I don't think applying the word 'intention' to a game is a sound application. Does a game have an intention? What is that intention? I would say it's entertainment, but that's such shaky ground that it's far away from stable, usable, evidence.

Secondly, I'm not so sure what COD mission punishes you for not using a flamer (directly punishing), and I'm a bit confused as to why you didn't replace that with the far more infamous airport scene in MW2. Regardless, I think you're taking it out of context, where it seems much more vicious then it is. I believe you're referring to the mission in which you storm the beaches of Pelileu Island (however you spell it), in which you are advised, not forced nor punished for doing otherwise, to burn the Japanese out of cover. I've sniped people out of those trees, it's equally easy.

Thirdly, I see very little logical footing amidst a lava flow of opinion in this one. Simply put: Intentions can't be tacked on by a game, and if they were to be, it certainly wouldn't be by a single player. Side note: I'm sure that you're aware that Garrys mod can have far more cynical uses then many care to think of.

Finally, I hope I'm not the only one who believes this, but I think the L4D series does a nice job of carrying a running joke of the zombie apocalypse. I don't see it in any way as serious, rather I see it as making a joke of what would happen in a satirical zombie apocalypse, which itself is a form of satire.

Apologies to come off harsh on this one, but I think this is exactly what the study was meant to diffuse.


Side note, 900th post :O

 

[gamemaster1996]

I beleive it's the return of the long posts.

I think many games are educational. This may be slightkly biased as i am a child.
However People who play games do seem to have a greater knowledge of stuff.
E.G I have a friend who did greater in a history test by learning events that happened in history. He learnt this through Playing Call Of Duty games.
I learnt about various medeival weapons by playing runescape and physichs by playing portal and half life games.

On the note that we're all very mature here guess how i learnt about human anatomy