Penn & Teller call 'BS!' on video game violence
by Xav de Matos 
{ Feb 12th 2009 at 1:30AM }
Earlier in the week, Penn Jillette revealed the video game themed episode had begun filming, via Twitter. Guests interviewed for the episode will include Grand Theft Childhood co-author, Dr. Cheryl Olson, along with her husband and writing partner, Dr. Lawrence Kutner. Disbarred Miami attorney, Jack Thompson, will also be featured in the episode.
A Penn & Teller producer told GamePolitics the episode would likely air during the summer, but did not reveal a specific date. We can only hope that Penn gives Thompson a suitable tongue lashing or that the magical duo makes him disappear. Either way, we're good.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Deck @ Feb 12th 2009 1:37AM
Never heard of the show, then saw that it was on Showtime. That would be why.
Seems interesting though. Hopefully a tongue lashing for the crazy people saying "video games kill people" will be in order.
Professor Lario @ Feb 12th 2009 9:46AM
Give it a shot - watch the one about dolphins... it's a classic.
Kevin @ Feb 12th 2009 11:05AM
There are a variety of episodes on youtube (usually). It's the only place I've ever seen the show.
Lieutenant @ Feb 12th 2009 11:49AM
It's a amazing show. It used to be all over YouTube and Google Video.
Shagittarius @ Feb 12th 2009 12:13PM
You can watch all these on Netflix streaming. If you have Netflix that is.
PhydeWice @ Feb 12th 2009 1:43AM
I can picture it now. Every episode has a guest where Penn, in voiceover, exclaims "And then there's this asshole!" I think we know the obvious candidate for the forthcoming episode.
shane86 @ Feb 12th 2009 1:44AM
Jack Thompson is a media whore, there's no excuse for them to take him seriously now that he's disbarred
HaVoC @ Feb 12th 2009 5:48AM
Trust me, if he is on the guest list he won't be taken seriously. Instead they will probably talk about how much time and money he has wasted.
AkaMagi @ Feb 12th 2009 9:09AM
Shane
You must not have ever seen Penn and Teller before. They are famous for exposing fraud in every form, including showing how their own magic tricks are done.
I can assure you the only reason Jack Thompson is there is so they can expose him for the fraud he is.
Cena @ Feb 12th 2009 1:49AM
My girlfriend will freak when she hears this. Can someone put it on Youtube when it comes out?
aristokrat @ Feb 12th 2009 2:07PM
No problem. I'll mark my calendar and do that for you.
Dr Scientist @ Feb 12th 2009 1:51AM
Excellent show! Can't wait for this episode.
Kevin @ Feb 12th 2009 11:06AM
Oh shit! Radiation!
Courtney @ Feb 12th 2009 1:51AM
Maybe they'll lock Jack in a box and make him play Desert Bus until he wins.
bto @ Feb 12th 2009 1:56AM
I love this show... can't wait for this episode to air.
Thomas Alan @ Feb 12th 2009 2:03AM
The extremists of both sides heap massive amounts of bullshit. The effects of violent media on aggressiveness are scientificaly well-documented though.
If they just focus on Jack Thompson, Penn and Teller will just be producing hackery as usual.
Danny @ Feb 12th 2009 2:17AM
What hackery? Except for the college episode and maybe the smoking one, I don't see where they've ever done anything to warrant the title of hacks. They've never said they are experts and constantly remind the viewer that they are no one special either, but instead ask for proof from the other side that would make a claim true.
Haggard @ Feb 12th 2009 2:53AM
I think you should reconsider that viewpoint. Scientifically well-documented?
What, two or three out of the hundreds of studies have suggested there might be a link in a small number of cases?
BananaBoat @ Feb 12th 2009 4:44AM
Studies that are done by people with an agenda no less...
I cringe every time someone brings up violence in video games. It always carries the negative connotation that video games are only for children. In the same way that you shouldn't let a child see Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers, you shouldn't let a child play Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty. If there is a problem (and I know that we could debate that all day) it COMPLETELY lies with the parents that keep buying their children these games. Parents got the hint about not taking their kids to R rated movies, and about not buying them CD's with that huge parental advisory on it, so why is it so damn difficult for them to wrap their heads around the idea that M means "NOT FOR KIDS!"? Do we need to literally change every package so that the prominent words "NOT FOR KIDS IDIOT!" are written in bold letters right across the middle where these people can't possibly miss them?
If only adult content in games could live without the sales generated by children. Like it or not, children (of which I'm sure some people here still qualify as, no offense intended) subsidize the development of M rated games for the rest of us. I await the day that M rated, AAA games are viable with only the revenue from those of us old enough to buy them ourselves. At that point, you could ban the sale of games to minors all day long (without a parent) and it wouldn't have any bearing on my enjoyment at all. For now though, I refuse to let my adult oriented games die because parents are morons.
aggrazel @ Feb 12th 2009 10:22AM
What was wrong with the college one?
And they've admitted they were wrong on the smoking one, at least about the evidence that second hand smoke does cause issues, however their original argument that the government should keep their fat noses out of it they stand by.
eNrique @ Feb 12th 2009 12:54PM
BULLSHIT!
John @ Feb 12th 2009 2:28PM
I think it's hilarious, all the people who refuse to believe the second hand smoke thing.
The same government that denies the burn pits in Balad are harmful, have you all afraid someone who smoked might walk by you.
Kamizar @ Feb 12th 2009 2:02AM
I love this show even more now...
RyFar206 @ Feb 12th 2009 2:06AM
If you haven't seen this show, watch it now. There are a few free episodes online. I recommend their episode on PETA. Such a great show.
HyperNexus @ Feb 12th 2009 2:15AM
I've never heard of this show before, but its suddenly awesome.
Ayman @ Feb 12th 2009 2:16AM
BS - Bachelor of Science
hence you need a Fr&k^n degree to play these
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Feb 12th 2009 2:26AM
I thought that said "Cheryl Wilson" for a moment there.
I reached for my copy of XTORT just before realizing that I failed to notice "Olson"...
Josh @ Feb 12th 2009 2:30AM
Haha, funny that they agreed to do this.
lasersanchez @ Feb 12th 2009 3:18AM
Not a huge P&T fan, but occasionally they don't have their heads up their asses.
chispito @ Feb 12th 2009 3:41AM
What a great idea for a show!
five years ago.
aleafinthewind @ Feb 12th 2009 5:35AM
Dr. Lawrence Kutner is a character on the TV series House M.D. and is portrayed by Kal Penn.... Just saying... sounds a little fishy to me.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Kutner
TiLoBrown @ Feb 12th 2009 2:51PM
I hope you were joking about only being a TV character. But in case you weren't heres a link to the book: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lawrence-Kutner/39174137/books
Phish @ Feb 12th 2009 6:13AM
YES!! i have been waiting for this! I cant wait to see ol' Jacko get his audio turned down and have Penn talk about how big an asshole he is
realgmer @ Feb 12th 2009 6:11AM
"What, two or three out of the hundreds of studies have suggested there might be a link in a small number of cases?"
No offense, but you may want to reconsider your viewpoint. All medical studies on video game violence show an increase in aggression when playing violent video games. Blood preasure and heart rate increases and the brain acts as though the body is in real danger and releases hormones. Whether you like it or not, violent video games do cause a physical reaction.
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/video-game-violence1.htm
Phish @ Feb 12th 2009 6:16AM
Science 101 : correlation doesn't imply causation
Markusdragon @ Feb 12th 2009 7:28AM
This is otherwise known as an adrenaline rush.
Edge @ Feb 12th 2009 8:53AM
That's not the angle BS will take. BS' pattern is to encourage people to be responsible for their own minds, bodies, and spirits. The root of a lot of their material is slamming people throwing their hands up and saying the forces around them are irresistible. They want people to take responsibility for their own actions instead of shoveling responsibility on someone else.
realgmer @ Feb 12th 2009 6:13AM
That was a reply to Haggard
The Howler @ Feb 12th 2009 9:27AM
While violent MEDIA* may cause people to show signs of aggression, aggressive behavior does not necessarily have to be violent, or negative at all. I can aggressively try to get a new job, but that does not mean I will do it violently, illegally or even immorally. For every case you bring up of "violence caused by video games" I can show you 10 cases of responsible people who play violent video games and do not act violently. Please stop spreading your opinion as scientific fact and stop perpetrating the false idea that media is responsible for an individual's actions.
As BananaBoat said:
"In the same way that you shouldn't let a child see Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers, you shouldn't let a child play Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty."
People are responsible for themselves. When it comes to children who are "not old enough to make responsible decisions for themselves" it is the parents who are responsible, or at least SHOULD BE. Stop blaming the media, educate yourself on the tools available (ratings systems, package warning labels, etc.) and make sure your children (or yourself, whatever) experience media that is appropriate for your/your children's level of education and understanding of virtual reality.
* Part of the problem is the fact that people are focusing all their attention on video games, and not all other forms of violent media out there. Singling out one media type with a bill or law is unconstitutional regardless of the science (or lack thereof).
HaVoC @ Feb 12th 2009 6:58PM
I think some of this may be getting turned around some. Just because the word “aggression” is being thrown around with it’s different meanings (“aggressive behavior” and “”aggressively searching for a job”) does not validate anything. And, I don’t believe that Realgmr is implying that video games cause violence, but that there are connections between the two. Like Markusdragon says, it is basically an “adrenaline rush”. However, the type of adrenaline rushes associated with violent video games are those which activate the brain’s fight-or-flight mechanism. This is a self-preservation feature of the mind in which can either give a person more stamina to run from a dangerous situation or to fight for safety. The problem with these kinds of adrenaline rushes are that they leave the person with an increase of physicality and occasionally rendering the individual temporarily unable to distinguish real dangers from those that are not, similar in a few ways to an anxiety attack.
As Phish points out, correlation is not causation, but the point of these studies are to determine correlation and not causation, and I believe that is the point of Realgmr’s post. Humans have violent tendencies. These studies were done to see if those tendencies are encouraged when subjected to specific media. To say that these studies are worthless in an effort to protect our favorite past time is irresponsible, and the equivalent of ignoring other studies like the “dangers of smoking”. Even though smoking is not a direct causation to lung cancer (not all smokers develop lung cancer and there are lung cancer patients who have never been around tobacco carcinogens), there is a correlation between the two and that should be enough to warrant caution.
The studies were also never done to destroy the gaming community. Their point was to study their effects, and the possible dangers they could have on younger, developing minds and emotions. The purpose was more for parents with the attitude of “it is just a game, let Junior play it” to see that there are effects from this particular media. It was never meant to tell adults that they shouldn’t play Halo because they will become violent.
Lee @ Feb 12th 2009 6:17AM
"debunks misconceptions and popular fads."
So... Mythbusters?
Sparkstalker @ Feb 12th 2009 8:47AM
Not quite...Mythbusters does urban legend type stuff. P&T take on more controversial, social subject matters...here's the episode guide:
http://www.tv.com/penn-and-teller-bullsh!/show/17579/episode_guide.html
Edge @ Feb 12th 2009 8:49AM
Not really. It's more of a logical skeptics' Mythbusters. They have admitted in the past "We're biased as all f*ck. But, we try to be honest." In the end, it's still a matter of opinion, but they try to level rational thought at irrational humanity.
Rest assured, the religious right and alarmist soccer moms get skewered like fondue. It will be an interesting show.
Squeek @ Feb 12th 2009 6:53AM
Penn dropped this tidbit on his YouTube page several weeks ago, but it's nice to know a little bit more about it.
Been a huge fan of the show since I found some episodes (namely PETA) on YouTube. Even if you disagree with them, they make good points and they're always hilarious.
AwesomeTown @ Feb 12th 2009 7:31AM
It's a pretty good show, though I've only seen it a couple of times as I don't have Showtime. But I did enjoy the episode on bottled vs tap water.
Edge @ Feb 12th 2009 8:44AM
I love this show. Jackie boy is in for the most accurate introduction he has ever received:
"And then there's THIS asshole."
AkaMagi @ Feb 12th 2009 9:16AM
Thomas
Your scientific links are horribly misinterpreted.
Not one study has ever been done that documented a the personality of a person before they had ever played a single video game, and then contrasted that with the same person after playing a video game over a long period of time.
Either you get "studies" where they neglect to tell you how prone to violence a person is without having played any violent video games, or you get "studies" that only measure very short term effects, such as 2 minutes after playing a highly competative shooter, are you more likely to yell. Obviously a person will be more prone to violence after doing ANY activity that increases their adrenaline levels.
But here is the question no study ever addresses.
Do violent video games cause violence in people, or are people who have violent personalities simply attracted to violent games?
You've got to remove the latter group before ANY study can be considered valid.
AkaMagi @ Feb 12th 2009 9:22AM
realgmer
Farting causes a real physical reaction in your body. So does sneezing, or taking a piss. Doesn't mean those actions are bad.
Playing games increases adrenaline levels. That causes all kinds of physical effects. But so does any other competative activity, such as playing baseball, or riding a bicycle, or trying to outwit your best friend in a game of checkers.
And if you think that's bad, you should take a look at the internal chemical reaction you have to sex. Talk about a major release of adrenaline and hormones!!!
That doesn't make it bad, it just means that you are stimulating your mind and body.
justin b. @ Feb 12th 2009 11:21AM
I've been waiting to hear more about this! They actually came to Emerson College and filmed some of us in the game development club here for this show! I don't know if we'll be in the episode longer than a few seconds, maybe in the background, but still.
Monkeydog @ Feb 12th 2009 2:51PM
Finally.
I've been watching this show forever and have been wondering when they'd do Video Game Violence.