This? AGAIN?! Videogames and Stereotypes.

About a week (or two?) ago, one of my group mates in my Communications class mentioned something about those videogames and their tendency to desensitize and murderize those who played them. I mentioned that I was an avid gamer, and started talking about how individuals of a certain age can distinguish from fantasy and reality, etc, etc...It became obvious within five minutes or so that he'd rather me carve out another anus in his face than continue the current conversation.
 
(No, he didn't say murderize. That's not the point, people.)
 
The point is that people still believe that videogames have some sort of mind-altering, brain-obliterating effect on the people who play them. Who is perpetuating this belief? Are there roving bands of of stay-at-home mothers who burn and pillage the citizenry if they refuse to say bad things about videogames? I don't get it. Maybe I never will, but...it just strikes me as strange to make such wild claims when MILLIONS of people play videogames, and have yet to turn into ravenous Nazi-zombie-dragon fairy-men who commit assault, rape, and other acts that are generally frowned upon.
 
Anyway, I'm creating this for two reasons.
 
Uno! Have you ever been stereotyped by someone after you have mentioned that you play videogames?
 
Dos! Have you experienced a situation where people have badmouthed gamers/videogames out of ignorance and misunderstanding?
 
Tres (yeah, THREE reasons, bitch)! How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you?

About a week (or two?) ago, one of my group mates in my Communications class mentioned something about those videogames and their tendency to desensitize and murderize those who played them. I mentioned that I was an avid gamer, and started talking about how individuals of a certain age can distinguish from fantasy and reality, etc, etc...It became obvious within five minutes or so that he'd rather me carve out another anus in his face than continue the current conversation.
 
(No, he didn't say murderize. That's not the point, people.)
 
The point is that people still believe that videogames have some sort of mind-altering, brain-obliterating effect on the people who play them. Who is perpetuating this belief? Are there roving bands of of stay-at-home mothers who burn and pillage the citizenry if they refuse to say bad things about videogames? I don't get it. Maybe I never will, but...it just strikes me as strange to make such wild claims when MILLIONS of people play videogames, and have yet to turn into ravenous Nazi-zombie-dragon fairy-men who commit assault, rape, and other acts that are generally frowned upon.
 
Anyway, I'm creating this for two reasons.
 
Uno! Have you ever been stereotyped by someone after you have mentioned that you play videogames?
 
Dos! Have you experienced a situation where people have badmouthed gamers/videogames out of ignorance and misunderstanding?
 
Tres (yeah, THREE reasons, bitch)! How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you?

INB4 Fox news

There's no sure-fire way of changing people's opinions of gamers. I think we should ignore the ignorant bastards anyway.

" There's no sure-fire way of changing people's opinions of gamers. I think we should ignore the ignorant bastards anyway. "

Nobody stereotypes me. If they do, I stab 'em in the face.

Allow me to quote Cheryl Olson from the journal of Applied Developmental Sciences: "  As yet, there are no studies linking violent video games to real-world crime." 
 
Do a little research and you'll find that there has NEVER been a credible study linking violent entertainment (movies, TV, video games, etc...) with real-life violent behavior, especially among young people. Most people continue to believe there is some sort of link because they heard it from a news pundit or someone like Jack Thompson, who heard it from some one else, who heard it from someone else, ad nauseam. 

Yo people are and always will be kind of stupid and gullible? 

Video games will be the devil until something new comes along to fill their place. They filled the spot of Rock and Roll, just as Rock and Roll filled the spot of books.

" @Axxol said:

" There's no sure-fire way of changing people's opinions of gamers. I think we should ignore the ignorant bastards anyway. "

Ignorance is just that: the state of being uniformed, and lacking knowledge. Should we not try to educate people? They may not be stereotyping out of malice. They may simply not know any better. "

people will always be stupid.  the "video gamer" stereotype is stupid like most stereotypes.  i disagree with the "gamer' stereotype because u guys/gals are generally normal and fine (even though ive met none of u in real life...)  stereotypes are ignorant and are for ignorant people that judge a person by their race.  for example, asian people tend to judge me because im Japanese.  i know this one dude that just gets on my nerves (stopped hanging out with him because he's an obnoxious prick.)  whenever i do something douche-y he suggests it has to do with my race.  yeah hes Korean so he may have something against me (i dunno this kind of thought never occurs to me) but i act that way because that's part of my personality, not my race.  talk shit about me all you want but please dont say stuff about my race which includes all my blood related family.  

stereotypes are everywhere, deal with it, and the gamer stereotype isn't even that bad comparatively.

Tres (yeah, THREE reasons, bitch)! How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you? "

As with any medium it takes time before it becomes an acceptable thing. Give it ten or twenty years and all of us playing video games will be old enough to take positions in office, own corporations, etc and it will just be like any other medium.  Acceptance comes with time as more and more people play games and then grow up and join in shaping society. Then the gamers make the decisions and all this is in the past. 

Video game players are getting younger and younger.

"stereotypes are everywhere, deal with it, and the gamer stereotype isn't even that bad comparatively. "

"How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you? "

" @Godak said:

"How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you? "

Maybe wait for there to be less games made that involve violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you?Honestly, it is an ignorant stereotype but it's not all that wrongheaded. There's a huge glut of video games that focus on dismembering your enemies in the most violent way possible. It's far from unfounded. "

who gives a shit, people who identify themselves as "gamers" are tools who any sane person wouldn't anything to do with

I've been told that video games make me violent.  The body in the shower didn't help, for obvious reasons.

College for me which would be high school for americans so 8 years ago? Considering most of my friends are gamers we don't really stereotype at all .

I wouldn't take anyone who stereotypes too seriously.  Especially if they can't get over it.

I'm a murderer and a rapist; how dare you associate me with people that play video games.

It's difficult when a non-gamer sees you playing COD (and the like) to understand "what the point" is other than "just killing everybody". Especially when a lot of the time there really is no other point. And making arguments for tactics, narratives, emotional investment, a community-aspect etc, will never go down well in that 2 minute period where they'll remain interested before they fail to see any evidence for your argument and leave.
 
That's never bothered me though, because I find a lot of the games that people discuss with regard to the desensitized gamer hard to defend. When you play GTA and kill multiple civilians, you do it because it's fun, and that's weird, but who cares, I'm never gonna do it in real life. I find it pretty hard to defend that kinda thing even though I do it most days.
 
Honestly the thing I find more annoying is the whole age thing, the presumption that only 7 year olds play games, especially after the stats people have already mentioned in this thread. I remember once my flatmate came in, after being on the phone to her sister and said, "My sister asked me what you were doing, so I said playing videogames, she said 'How old is he again'?". 22, thanks.

" I didn't mean the majority of gamers are getting younger and younger; I meant that games are ubiquitous enough that they find there way into the hands of younger people. I got my hands on Unreal Tournament (my first real graphic game) when I was 11... Now kids can get kill a Russian airport full of civilians before they're 9."

 "Doesn't it seem a little risky to just "hope they make the right decisions"? Letting a nine year old indulge in what is designed to be very effecting entertainment, and just ruminate on it's meanings? 

 "The simple truth of the matter is that not all people can handle video games, and while its easy to say that 99% of the time they can, people fall through the cracks."

" When kid goes crazy, the parents blame the game developers, which is dumb and wrong. Meanwhile on the other side, the gamers and the game industry blame the parenting. And this is wrong too.
 
The blame lies somewhere in the middle. It is a matter of responsibility of the parent to instill good ethics. And I think, myself, that people in the game industry should take a personal responsibility for where, exactly, their games will end up. It's too easy for a developer to make something brutal and mature, and just ship it out the door and not give a rat's ass about who plays it."

I think I heard that there's research linking video games to increased IRL aggression.

They say I got to learn but nobody's here to teach me.
If they can understand, then, how can they reach me?
I guess they can't. I guess they won't.
 
If we don't educate the uneducated, then how will they learn? And if we don't educate them, then how are we allowed to be angry or annoyed by them when we, ourselves in all of our glory, can reach out and touch someone and make them understand?
 
Ask yourself these questions, my friends, my brothers, my sisters. Ask yourself and let the truth sink in, not just to your mind, but to your soul.

"Uno! Have you ever been stereotyped by someone after you have mentioned that you play videogames?     

 Dos! Have you experienced a situation where people have badmouthed gamers/videogames out of ignorance and misunderstanding?  

 
Tres (yeah, THREE reasons, bitch)! How do we, the gamers, go about showing people that gaming is more than violently beheading assholes who shoot/stab/crotch thrust at you? "

If they want their murderous mind-warped gamer rapist elites so badly, let's give it to 'em! *readies triple barrelled shotgun*

If you've never tried it and only been exposed to second hand explanations and ideas you will be able to blame anything for anything. Another example are the people who are convinced Marijuana destroys lives regardless of what is proven to them.

" If you've never tried it and only been exposed to second hand explanations and ideas you will be able to blame anything for anything. Another example are the people who are convinced Marijuana destroys lives regardless of what is proven to them. "

I've never been stereotyped because I only talk about games when someone else brings it up. And when I do, I start easy, metion Peggle or Tetris, gauge the reaction and then if it's good, I can keep talking about how excited I am for Skyrim.  
 
I had a fun conversation at work when I found out a co-worker was a huge Twin Peaks fan, and plays games too, I'm like... yo giantbomb.com DP ER, do it now. We'll see what happens. 

You can't change the way most stupid people think. Before videogames it was rap, before rap it was heavy metal, before heavy metal it was TV, etc etc. If you think you change people's opinions with facts, try talking to the people that think Harry Potter is teaching our children to be devil worshippers. Books have been around for millenia as an entertainment medium and there are tons of them that STILL can't catch a break. You can point to all the studies you want, but the sad truth is that anyone who's willing to stand up and start lecturing isn't going to have their mind changed with facts. It's good to contradict them in a public forum, though, since people who are on the fence can be swayed, but trying to change THAT person just ain't happenin'.

Say that shit to me I'll do you in like Niko Belic did Playboy!

 @Lifestrike said:

Doesn't it seem a little risky to just "hope they make the right decisions"? 

 

@StrawHatLaw13

" I wouldn't take anyone who stereotypes too seriously.  Especially if they can't get over it. "

"But are those looks just because they think I'm weird because I'm an adult who still plays video games, or are they automatically putting me in some stereotype?"

"When I learn how to read minds, I'll let you know."

People fear what they don't understand

People are just afraid of that what is new and different.
 
People are stubborn. If years ago they claimed that video games are just another popular thing that would die out soon, they don't want to admit their mistakes now.

this person probably gets his news from some general interest website which then might be one of those who like to post articles about those studies that "shows video games have desensitizing effects" while they ignore the studies that prove otherwise and just run with the most sensationalistic stuff

There was a thread here last week or so of somebody critizing that troubled teenagers in some kind of facility were allowed to play violent video games and there was quite some agreement here that this is wrong.
Games do have influence on people, everything we do does. It's just the question of how much which is not easily answered.

" Videogames do change how we perceive certain events, anyone who denies that is just lying to themselves. Does it influence (sometimes directly triggering) some people to go on rampages? Yes, it does.  Not most of us, but some people.
 
The simple truth is a lot of people who should not be playing video games are, and most people in the VG industry are too busy defending their games to concede that point.  I love lots of violent video games, but it's getting insane. Video game players are getting younger and younger, and games are getting more and more graphic. It's stupid for us to ignore and endlessly deny how dangerous that is.
 
And no, you can't just use the fucking "Oh its the parent's responsibility" argument. That doesn't fucking work, because nothing short of social isolation will stop your child from playing video games. And thank god, because video games are awesome.
 
It's a really difficult situation, because many of these graphic videogames are really great, and tons of people bust their ass to bring them to us. But everything influences a child. Playing with a god damned beach ball influences a child. So it's balls out retardation to assert that killing scores of soldiers won't. "

"Games do have influence on people, everything we do does. It's just the question of how much which is not easily answered. "

Almost everybody who is 30 or younger in Sweden plays games occasionally. It's very mainstream here. Nobody cares if someone likes to play games.

Having recently read Grand Theft Childhood I'd probably recommend most ignorant folks who blabber about violence in videogames and the effects they have on us go read that before spewing nonsense. It's a very insightful book and may make them rethink what they're saying. Seems to be the most level headed research on violence in games there has been so far. Also shows a lot of history on how this isn't new citing the same outrage towards film, comic books, etc.

The thing I hate about this argument is that people will say "some" people are affected. Funny enough but "some" makes it sound like a sizable percentage of people are sociopaths. The number is way lower. 
 
As for kids getting their hands on violent M-Rated video games, I've worked at a couple of retailers, the Point of Sales systems forces you to scan IDs. It's like buying cigarettes or alcohol. Having said that, you can buy an R rated movie without an ID. Seeing one in a theater is the only time that gets enforced.  So it is parent's responsibility and fault that kids get that stuff. I haven't worked at every retailer so I don't know if the employees can skip the age gate or not. And of course online they can fake it if they have access to a credit or debit card. 
 
I don't think games or any media desensitize people to violence. Committing violence of any kind desensitizes people. Maybe when media actually hits the "virtual reality" of sight, smell, sounds, or feel then I would believe these arguments hold weight.

"rather me carve out another anus in his face than continue the current conversation. "

" @Godak said:

"rather me carve out another anus in his face than continue the current conversation. "

woah, this guy already had an anus on his face? give the poor guy a break, i'm sure he gets a lot of flak for his freakish features. 

 3. we stop aggressively boasting the amount of reasons we're making an internet thread on a subject that has been beaten to death already?  

 As for kids getting their hands on violent M-Rated video games, I've worked at a couple of retailers, the Point of Sales systems forces you to scan IDs. It's like buying cigarettes or alcohol. Having said that, you can buy an R rated movie without an ID. Seeing one in a theater is the only time that gets enforced.  So it is parent's responsibility and fault that kids get that stuff. I haven't worked at every retailer so I don't know if the employees can skip the age gate or not. And of course online they can fake it if they have access to a credit or debit card.    

 
Exactly. Shouldn't parents take some amount of responsibility for where their child's money gets spent? I'm all for allowances, and teaching the value of currency, but parents should take an active interest in what their children buy. Kids don't really have any sort of economic freedom until their 15, or so (that's when you can get a part time job, I believe). For most M-Rated games, that's old enough to comprehend many of the themes that are being presented.