quote:

Originally posted by bigdeal:
Personally, I believe it's a perfect storm. Think about it. Today's youth for the most part are not well educated, many have absentee parents who teach them nothing, many have severe emotional issues, most don't play sports, and most live in a virtual world most of the time (text, Facebook, Instagram, gaming, etc) totally devoid of guidelines and restrictions.

Is it just video games doing it to kids? No. But add in all the other pieces 'and' their immersion into video gaming (i.e. make believe) is to say the least, unhealthy.

Yep. Much like a person's eating habits. If not taught and/or raised on proper nutrition and physical health care, the majority will be unhealthy and suffer myriad health issues.

And you correctly address the problem with mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

Those who look to myopic things like video games are doing the damnedest gymnastics, in their big floppy clown shoes, to get past the big elephant that they are often leading around with a rope.

What about all these adolescents who are diagnosed with ADD, etc and prescribed Ritalin, etc from an early age? Their brains are not fully formed yet. Can't be a good thing.

It is not video games.

It is social media and smartphones that are tearing at the social fabric.

If video games were the problem, you'd know. Everyone and their mom plays video games these days. Sorry kiddies, there's not gonna be a silver bullet for society's problems, we been shitheads to each other since the beginning.

quote:

Originally posted by airsoft guy:
If video games were the problem, you'd know. Everyone and their mom plays video games these days. Sorry kiddies, there's not gonna be a silver bullet for society's problems, we been shitheads to each other since the beginning.

Although I don't necessarily disagree with your assessment, "Everyone and their mom" does NOT play video games. I can count on my fingers the number of times I have done so, and none of them in the last several decades.

I don't put the onus on video games for the actions of the nutcases doing mass shootings, but I do think that the first-person shooter games might be giving them better ability to kill when they do go off the rails.

flashguy

I personally think it is more than just video games. TV and movies play a part as well. Look at the realism in TV up to the mid 90's, and what we see today.

It used to be the bad guy got shot or stabbed and they would fold over and fall, maybe a close up would show some blood or the knife. Now you see body parts blowing off, heads exploding, huge blood eruptions with each shot that hits. Is this necessary? What does this contribute? It's not even close to real, so what is the point?


I think this has all desensitized people. The media coverage of these incidents has immortalized the shooters. Few remember the victims but everyone remembers the shooters. Psych bait for anyone with fantasies of going out in a blaze of glory

Add to that the current inability of young people to deal with stress and being constantly inundated with hate rhetoric from the left and you have a dangerous social cocktail.

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
It is not video games.

It is social media and smartphones that are tearing at the social fabric.

I came in to post this exact thought. They contribute to the inability to form meaningful social relationship. Meaningful being the key word.

Pretend relationships really. Like us Sig Forum guys

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
It is not video games.

It is social media and smartphones that are tearing at the social fabric.

IMO, this is a much larger issue. I totally agree.

there is no science to this, but my oldest becomes a lot less likable the more he plays. It does not matter the genre of video game though. Basketball is equal to fortnite or whatever else he plays.

I don't understand how the boys get so worked up about a game. It really hits their emotion to the point the 2 boys are yelling while playing.

Maybe there is a link, and the whack jobs that commit murder are further along the spectrum than my 2 boys.

I’m sure it effects some people. Probably the same number that get violent over voices in their head or god telling them to kill.