TV report: video games 'normalize' killing

by Ross Miller { Feb 8th 2008 at 4:10PM }

Time for another, perhaps sensationalized violent video game report from a local TV station. Omaha's KETV ran a story (which currently appears on the front page of CNN.com) on how video games "normalize" killing, according to doctors.

We had trouble finding studies from all the universities they cited and certainly none of them are recent publications (the above Indiana University brains scans come from a 2006 report), so why report on this now? Enter Dr. Greg Snyder, a psychologist at Omaha's Children's Hospital.

After citing three university studies that only go so far as to conclude games can desensitize children to violence, the report then inserts the following quote from Snyder: "The more normal it is, the more likely it is they're going to activate or engage in those behaviors when provoked or even unprovoked." Though we're not trying to discredit his opinion, the evidence presented in the report does not lean towards that conclusion (although, given the report's structure, that's what the reader is led to believe).

After contacting a doctor for one side of the argument, does KETV find an equally reputable contrasting viewpoint? No -- or at least, there's no indication that gaming researchers or industry officials such as the ESRB or ESA were reached for contact. Said the report, "the video game industry notes that the research also finds that teenagers have similar responses to violence in movies or TV" (no studies or quotes are cited). Instead, those that provide the counterpoint quotes include two teenagers playing Gears of War and a manager of general operations for Gamers in Omaha -- not two sources likely to be held in the same regard as a psychologist.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Tags: ketv, local-news, study, violence

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Matter @ Feb 8th 2008 4:16PM

Bah, it's reports like this make me want to go kill someone.

Zoot Suit Jedi @ Feb 8th 2008 4:22PM

Fox News makes me want to kill people.

Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Feb 8th 2008 4:57PM

Bill O Reily makes me want to kill people.

UltimateQ @ Feb 9th 2008 2:43AM

Spilling my milk makes me want to kill people,

Abuzar @ Feb 9th 2008 11:51AM

Sex makes me want to kill peop...

Wait no it doesn't. Sorry guys.

EMOruffino @ Feb 9th 2008 5:06PM

+1 (cant they see there errors?!?!? No!?!?!? THEY MUST PAY WITH THEIR BLOOD!!! MWAHAHAHAH!!!!!

jamma @ Feb 9th 2008 5:48PM

NEWSFLASH:

News channels 'normalize' bullshit

Jouten @ Feb 8th 2008 4:19PM

That's what the brain of a fanboy looks like after reading a post on Joystiq about their favorite console being dissed.

AnonyMack @ Feb 8th 2008 5:35PM

i cant wait until video game makers start telling people books, tv, and movies are bad for you. =D

Shimrra @ Feb 8th 2008 4:20PM

What bullshit. Has anyone sat down and seen all the coverage and display of violence CNN covers. They can show a child with a burned face on tv countless times yet playing a game like poker is any different or just as addictive. CNN and alot of media out there have a warped sense of humor and I pretty much just don't care. All media ever does is sensational broadcast with little regard to ethics or morality. Remember the media wants to be the first one to scare you into watching there shows.

Jouten @ Feb 8th 2008 4:23PM

Welcome to the world of Liberal/Socialist TV my friend! Shall I use their favorite quote (liberal/social)? "Let's do it for the children!"

Zertoss @ Feb 8th 2008 4:26PM

The problem isn't that the media is liberal or conservative, it's that it's capitalist. To them, the truth is whatever is worth the most money.

g.Park @ Feb 8th 2008 4:36PM

Jouten & Zertoss, you're both off track here.

TV hates videogames because kids who are playing videogames aren't watching TV. This is the same reason that TV hates the Internet. What's the best way to get kids to stop playing videogames and hanging out online? Tell the kids' parents that videogames & the internet are evil.

This isn't a political or economic agenda, it's just a business defending itself. You hear similar comments from encyclopedia publishers when they talk about wikipedia. Or Roger Ebert's bleating about how videogames are irrelevant.

Zertoss @ Feb 8th 2008 4:59PM

Well, since this story was posted on their website, is it really just defending their business from the evil that is the Internet? Wouldn't that be akin to Britannica making a Wiki entry about how Wikipedia sucks or Roger Ebert making a video game about how irrelevant video games are?

There are 2 things on their minds: ratings and hits. And they know that by jabbing the hornet's nest that is the gaming community with a stick, they're going to get their ratings and hits, which translates to $$$ in their pockets.

Joshua @ Feb 8th 2008 8:56PM

g.Park and Zetross, you're both basically saying the same thing.

They're just out for money -- a business defending itself.

Jouten @ Feb 9th 2008 2:11AM

Good point g.Park and Zertoss. Once you both put it in that perspective, it does make more sense. Good feedback, thanks :)

quickshade @ Feb 8th 2008 4:23PM

So I'm more likely to think it's ok to kill someone if I play video games.....sounds like BS to me.

think harder or fail responsibly @ Feb 9th 2008 8:35AM

No those are easy thoughts.

Of course exposure to violence increases the tolerance of violence. It is a basic idea. Just like if someone were to practice math they would become better at math: an exposure to violence makes it easier to view, and act out, violence. Look at some the responses in this thread for proof. It's embarressing to be a gamer sometimes.

vidGuy @ Feb 8th 2008 4:23PM

This just in: Victorian leaders remind us that sports, entertainment, and sex are immoral and evil things that will send us to hell. Save your soul; stop reading that book, watching that movie, listening to that music, or whatever else they are saying is bad for you these days.

pbisdaman @ Feb 8th 2008 4:39PM

lmao fox news ftl... that is the dumbest thing i have heard all day

Zertoss @ Feb 8th 2008 4:24PM

In related news, a recent study has confirmed that news outlets spin the reports and quotes to support the story they WANT to report in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

John McPoop @ Feb 9th 2008 12:03AM

the fifth season of the wire (HBO) actually portrays this exact problem. the media will misrepresent, make up quotes and not correctly check their facts. the agenda is pretty simple. IF IT BLEEDS IT LEADS. Rather than just tell report the actual news and let the audience decide for themselves if the information is pertinent or not they use the Dickensian effect and compartmentalize the news. Rather than diving into the issue at hand they give you a one sided narrow view.

j.hewlit @ Feb 9th 2008 12:38AM

uhm, the dickensian aspect that is refereed to in the wire is about the poor. as in Charles Dickens and the things he wrote about

DMeisterJ @ Feb 8th 2008 4:25PM

I think I'm going to go and kill someone, since that's all we do anyway.

g.Park @ Feb 8th 2008 4:27PM

Emotional Arousal is Thoughtcrime.

Neon Jebus @ Feb 8th 2008 4:27PM

Well I guess the same could be said about soldiers. But seeing how much PTSD is an issue in the armed forces I don't think killing / violence ever really becomes...normal.

Sure from time to time...but those people probably don't play games...they would rather torture animals and the like.

Organic_Shadow @ Feb 8th 2008 4:27PM

Perhaps it shows that we ARE emotionally affected by killing in a good way, as in, "man this is something i would never really do because it's awful".

They should do these scans during:
-dramatic parts of FFVII
-playing barbie games
-playing god of war and finding out that you killed *************
-THE READING OF THESE RIDICULOUS REPORTS

I bet reading these reports induces more violent urges than games.

Shagittarius @ Feb 8th 2008 4:30PM

When are people going to learn that a portrayal of violence is not the same thing as actual violence?

Mr Khan @ Feb 8th 2008 4:33PM

I've been desensitized to slicing people in half with my beam katana

Geist @ Feb 8th 2008 10:46PM

I'm been desensitized to 'charging' my 'beam katana', if you get my drift.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 8th 2008 4:34PM

Really... one thing is the discussions that we all of us have here in Joystiq, but in general, gamers are one of the less violent people out there.

I'm not a violent person, I don't curse, I don't like to fight and I don't yell to people.

Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Feb 8th 2008 4:41PM

Agreed. And this could be because people with actual violent tendencies don't find the virtual violence of video games stimulating enough for them.

VIDEOGAMES IS NOT A GATEWAY DRUG TO A VIOLENT LIFESTYLE.

Questworld @ Feb 8th 2008 11:08PM

Oh you can't simplify it as that. We "gamers" tend to mock polls for the same reason but you'll account for your levelheadedness as proof that violence in the media (which includes videogames) couldn't possibly affect a person? I'm not saying they are 100% right but I'm not going to wave such notions as 100% nonsense. I mean who knows. Besides, just because one hasn't killed someone doesn't mean one will never ever kill someone in the future (which even then isn't necessarily related to videogames or violence in the media but that's besides the point).

I'm not taking sides here, it's just that I typically see a pattern that when someone says "videogame violences is bad," most gamers just do a knee jerk reaction like it was some big insult. They'll blame the parents, they'll blame society, they'll blame television, anything that'll pass the buck (not unfairly mind you) but then denounce the parent who doesn't want violent videogames in their house for their kids like it was an abuse to the child's right or something (but then Angelina Jolie gets props because she gives her child such toys and throwing knives). Even an article of saying videogames are good for you, and most gamers won't even question it. They sum it up all together as one sweeping statement even if, say, the article was more about games like Brain Training as oppose to the next FPS game. And that's just it, not all games are necessarily bad but not all games are necessarily good either. I personally believe things affect different people in different ways, so I'm not inclined to believe such studies are poppycock.

Ocho @ Feb 8th 2008 4:38PM

I have become so desensitized to violence that it bores me. That may make me insensitive, but it certainly doesn't make me violent.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 8th 2008 4:43PM

Oh, and by the way... I live in the border, I have double citizenship and I have a house in Mexico and one in US.

Now... you think that videogames are violent or ... you should see all the kind of violence here in the border... fucking drug cartels are sick, sick, sickos. They usually don't kill innocent people, but still, the way the kill other criminals is very sick.

JakubK666 @ Feb 8th 2008 5:08PM

We know Fernando, we know.

BTW you should try hanging out in London after 10pm.If you're in some bad area, you're certain to get beaten up by a bunch of 15 year olds. Hell; I live around Hounslow which is a generally decent area, but no fucking way I would go to Airpark at night. It's not as bad as in Fernando's case but ffs they're fifteen-year old chavs.

In fact I'd love to have all these chavs playing video games instead of hanging out on the streets,terrorizing people and doing drugs.

More jerks on Halo,less violence on streets.

Sidepocket @ Feb 8th 2008 6:41PM

@ JakubK666

This is why I find it highly ironic (do not worry the US does this too) that the UK Government is like "Violence is wrong, get rid of it. Its not like we have had violence in the UK!"

Its like....HELLO! Do you walk your own fucking streets or payed attention to European History class? VIOLENCE IS IN YOUR BLOOD! No amount of E rated games is going to change that!

The stuff that goes on in Manhunt 2 is like Candyland compared to some of the horror stories I have read!

stayclassy @ Feb 8th 2008 4:44PM

wait. there's something not normal about killing?

Korova @ Feb 8th 2008 5:02PM

No, no, its normal, settle down.

Vidikron (FU) @ Feb 8th 2008 4:52PM

I'm not sure how many virtual people I've kill in my gaming career, but it has to be at least 5 figures. But I have yet to kill even a single real person. So at what should I expect this normalization to occur? Will it be like a switch is turned on and I'll suddenly go crazy and kill someone? I'd like to know so I can gauge how much quality gaming time I have left outside of prison.

Ender @ Feb 8th 2008 4:55PM

They should do a study on the effects of kids watching the news...They would probably get some of the same results...

Sidepocket @ Feb 8th 2008 6:41PM

Funny you mentioned that, because I remember how the Psychiatric people told the News Agencies of America to stop replaying 9/11 footage because they were severally damaging people's brains.

Somehow that was not a big news story. Hmmm...

Korova @ Feb 8th 2008 4:58PM

I was desensitized to violence and "normalized" killings when I read in history books that Nazis, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, various US presidents, the Crusaiders, Alexander the Great and other ancient leaders etc. ...
turned the machinery of the state and society to the task of systematic killings of vastly larger multitudes than are available in video games and millions of people throughout history joined these projects with gusto and skillful dedications.

From the perspective of historical violence that is justified by the state and ideology, game violence is just that - games.

Korova @ Feb 8th 2008 5:00PM

But that maybe irrelevant in Omaha as the only person who reads any kind of books in Nebraska is Warren Buffett.

skiv1899 @ Feb 9th 2008 2:23AM

hey! Not all people from Omaha are backward! I live there!

Of course I've only lived there for 2 years and grew up on the east coast and now that I think about it I haven't read nearly as many books since I moved there..omg! I'm turning into one of them! You may be right!