China: Video games cause teen pregnancy, murder

by Alexander Sliwinski on Dec 28th 2009 11:15PM

China Central Television (CCTV) is apparently on a tear, correlating youth violence and youthful indiscretions with online game use. Yahoo News reports the latest program from the state news channel, titled Confession of a Murderer -- Focus on Pornography and Violence in Online Game (Part Two), features a boy in a Beijing juvenile prison serving life after killing five people over virtual goods. The piece also allegedly states that up to 80 percent of violent inmates in the prison became criminals because of online games.

The previous installment covered a 14-year-old who apparently had two abortions after being led down the sex-crazed path paved by playing a dance game called Audition. Now, if it'd been called Hollywood Audition Process, that would have made perfect sense. There was also another report on kids doing speed during all-night gaming marathons. The government reports that of China's 338 million online users, 210 million play games.

An analyst projection of China's online game revenues estimates the country will produce $11 billion by 2012. Not that money has anything to do with the government trying push out foreigners and control the market -- it's all about the people's safety.

[Via GamePolitics]

Source

Tags: business, china, mmo, mmorpg, murder-death-kill

Reader Comments (97)

actually, the ban is over. another company is handling it. it's a hell of a lot more censored now.

OH MAN

The comments MAKE this article.

In Communist China Video games play you...and get you pregnant.

Catholic missonaries online I think

Oh yeah...video games kill people in China...it has nothing to do with communism or the lack of human rights available for the citizens of China. I'm sure it also has nothing to do with poverty that is occurring there as well.

I find it hard to believe that the report made a 1:1 link from "video games = 80% of violent juvenile criminals in this prison." I can easily see the report saying that it played a significant factor in those kids becoming criminals, but to say that it was ONLY video games that did it... no way. One thing about Marxists is that they usually blame a lot of social ills on the social environment of a person. Indeed, conservatives often criticize liberals and Marxists as blaming TOO MUCH on social environment and not enough on individual choice.

Hard to verify this story one way or the other though. Think I'll go play some League of Legends.

In prison:

"This here 19 year old drug addict-murderer killed 3 people. And he said he had played Pacman when he was 8. -- WAIT! THAT's IT! IT's BECAUSE OF TEH VIDEOGAMZ!!"

Interactive Entertainment continues to be a scapegoat for the violence in the world. Cute.

STFU, China

80 percent of inmates? That seems a little hard to believe.

That's BS figure. More likely the precentage of convicts who have played online games. Correlation isn't causality, but every "established" media/govt intentionally ignore this fallacy.

Chinese government's true intention most likely is to further deface Internet to older generation, so they can gather uneducated support for imposing even stricter "regulation" on 'net(and to make more profit room for state-owned sites)

not when you use their logic.... since 80% of the inmates probably did play video games

But this falls under the, nine out of ten surveys say you can make a survey say whatever you want it to, syndrome. You could just as likely say 95% of the people in prison have seen movies in their lifetime and that is what made them hardened psychopaths.

Its all about finding the proper scapegoat for the hour and pushing all the blame onto it so they don't have to accept any of that blame due them.

More Red China propaganda with absolute no basis in fact.

Well, that shouldn't matter to China, seeing as they endorse genocide of female infants...

little extreme there DJ?

Are you ever not a prick?

The guy runs a blog called buttfuck gemini or something to that effect ... low brow is expected from him.

Was that even necessary, DJ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It4Dovy1hNM

The Chinese officials don't endorse killing female babies, we f**king need them, there's a serious female shortage here.

Birth control + illegal fetus gender dectection + traditional preference + soaring cost for raising a child did this. And for the benefit of the rest of world we hope this stop, or China may eventually need to import female , or go to war, neither is nice.

After reading this my initial reaction was to laugh my ass off, but after thinking about it I've come to the conclusion that it's actually quite disturbing. When thinking about the oppression realistically, China, what they've accomplished and what the government is capable of, is actually a little frightening.

Just the sheer delusion of this statement is worrisome.

And yet your own government are doing absolutely nothing substantial in response to this monstrosity. Seventy years ago similiar situation didn't end well.

Damned if we do, damned if we don't I guess.

Wait, do you have any hidden oil reserves in China...........

My own government has to eventually realize that they're not the world's police. That's going to be my only statement on the subject. I am not getting into a political debate.

Well, as it was a dancing game this just confirms to me what ive known year decades. The old people in Footloose were totally right!

They're right! I was just playing a Hello Kitty game and was overcome with the desire to impregnate someone and then kill them.

Apparently. D=

I don't like that a future world leading nation has such a fucked up government.

Yeah, for all America's faults, we aren't completely bat shit insane.

Well, you are not doing much to stop them either...

U.S. had a chance to prevent communism taking over China in late 1940's, they chickened out(when it's the sole nuclear power).

everyone can help do their part, by trying to buy products not made in china (tho that's surprisingly difficult) Hell after that whole MMO snafu of yester year I have bumped china up with EA games on my list of "companies" to avoid doing business with whenever possible..... tho admittedly EA is a lot easier to avoid.

ybfelix, communism doesn't necessarily also necessitate strict moral control of the population, but that's what China's doing and it's what I greatly dislike about that government.

And I thought our politicians had a slight streak of stupidity.

Really? Up to 80% of violent inmates became criminals because of games?
Thats the most ridiculous "fact" that I have ever seen

In Communist China "fact" means - completely moronic piece of information which is never dug into to find evident proof of what said "fact" states.

What's annoying is that a lot of foreigners just assume that we Chinese citizens all believe in these government craps.

If I were living in a country like China I too would be doing speed while playing video games...Actually no I'd get the hell outta that place.

You most likely don't, because countries you would like to go, say, U.S, has entry condition for us that set so high that ordinary Chinese people simple can't go to live there. So much for the help from "free world".

China's actually a lot more interesting and fun to be in than America. Forget the hype and the lying government bullshit. Get with the times, EVERY government lies. At least China has great food and sites to enjoy.

Video games don't cause murder... communism does.

This is all because playing video games is time they could be spending working in dangerous mines.

That's right China!

Because you never had the problems of teenage pregnancies and murder
BEFORE videogames.

*rolls eyes*

This is scary. China scares me. I cant believe the people here who think the Chinese authorities really believe this. "Oh china video games aren't bad, you so stupid, lol"...

So does capitalism. And Google News.

Damn games will destroy this world, its as if parents should have to raise their children.

One time after a long session of Trash Panic I impregnated a teen and then murdered some people, but I don't know for sure that they're related.

lol, do you guys believe CCTV?

they are lackeys of the government.

i'm from the country and what the channel play is pure entertainment for me now. say, you can consider them honest if they talk 10% of the truth.

and xblingdaddy2005x, go fuck the government, not the whole country. people there didn't fuck your mother

Well I've heard that nerdy video game players are pretty dang sexy. The other day I played halo and now since I played that game it seems like I have the sudden urge to kill people dressed up like the master chief. / sarcasm

80 percent of violent crimes are generated by the online games? Why, it makes sense! China is so awesome to live in, safe and fair, with just the right amount of population. It must be the games.

Seriously, did Wertham reincarnate in China?

As someone who used to teach English in China, I would like to inform you all that they are taught - in sex ed class - that AIDS is not just spread via anal sex, but is also caused by anal sex.

That's right. According to China, if you've ever accidentally bumped a butt while you're doing your thing, you have caused AIDS. Just saying, their credibility is not exactly awesome.

Previous 50 Comments

China: Video games cause teen pregnancy, murder

Reader Comments (97)

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