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Does violence in movies and video games contribute to violence in society?

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Most definitely. Unbelievable the kinds of movies they are marketing towards kids these days. A PG13 today would have been an easy R decades ago. I've seen "parents" bring their kids that could barely see over the movie seats into R rated movies filled with gore and violence.

http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/Film/film_violence.html

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Most definitely not! nuf said.

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If movie violence doesn't contribute to violence, or at least make many jaded to violence in the real world, then why is so much money spent in the advertisin' media to change people's behaviors which actually does?

"Rappers" excused themselves by sayin' they were only mimickin' their real world. Not hardly. They've contributed to a culture of real violence and aggressive behavior that still hasn't been reckoned with. The real world began mimickin' the BS the rappers were puttin' out a loooong time ago.

Life can mimic faux "art" and not the other way around.

USAR

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absolutely not!!! perhaps only a very very minute percentage of unstable people who would be influenced by ANYTHING AT ALL. a well known study of serial rapists uncovered that a high number of them referred to the same Coppertone sun lotion commercial of a puppy nipping at a girls bikini. ban dogs from TV? someone kills their uncle ban Hamlet? Charge Lionel Richie for inciting people to dangerously dance upon the ceiling? James Ferman the UK film censor should be one of the most dangerous men alive following the kind of shady logic the moral majority spout. yes, a ratings system is necessary. yes parents should be responsible for what they allow children to see. but adults being driven to violence by movies...rubbish, absolute scaremongering scapegoat rubbish. 150 years ago Novels were perceived as dangerous to moral fibre, 100 years ago people blamed bicycles, 50 years ago it was Elvis and his 'jungle rhythms' the only consistent throughout is that people like to find something to blame other than bad parenting or that some people just have a natural propensity for violence

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I do not see violence movies,as contributing anything positive, to good values in society.

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I don't think they have much influence, not more than books, etc.

Yes, a certain percentage of the population can be influenced by them but so could they be other means and media.

When I was young we played "Cowboys and Indians", shot each other with slingshots, spud-guns and clay from blowpipes.

Than along came D&D/RPG's and was said to be satanic, than video games, etc. Never mind how comics were looked own as a bad influence and being too violent.

Things like WOW are just the digital equivalent of those adventure books( you know read a section make a choice than jump to the next section) we used to read or the RPG's we used to play.

Lots of the children books we now read to our children were banned and actually anti-establishment when they were published.

Remember going to see "Watership Down"(NOT a childrens story) paretns took their tods to see it. The little ones screamed their heads off becuase they were so scared but the parents enjoyed it so didn't leave the theater.

You know it was "cute" rabbits & animated so it MUST be for the kiddies.

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well if certain people have a violent tendency then movies and video games, music, almost anything they'll have access to will peak up their imagination, given the right/wrong moment. See the news!

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Parents are the only people to blame. Ratings are put on games for a good reason and that's to inform buyers of the content of that game. If parents buy violent games for their children that aren't mentally mature enough to understand the difference between fantasy and reality then how can you blame the game?

If someone does have violent tendencies, mental instability, or a clinical condition then a violent game is just one of an innumerable set of causes that could push this person over the edge. These people need our help in their rehabilitation and don't need us wasting time concentrating on game developers.

The only people that bash violent video games are those that don't play them. Everyone that has played Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, or Mortal Combat etc. knows that these games only serve as a safe outlet for tension, and not a catalyst for creating future violence.

If creating a violent video games is a crime then it is assuredly a victimless crime. If you still believe that victimless crimes should be punished then why don't you get off your infantile moral high-chair and get down on the floor and play some games with the rest of us. Trust me, its fun!

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play some games with the rest of us

No thanks, I'm not into video games. I used to punch crocodiles for fun in Shibuya though

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rajakumar at 03:07 PM JST - 20th July I do not see violence movies,as contributing anything positive, to good values in society

couldn't have said it better

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While I agree that violence in the movies and video games do not appear to anything POSITIVE (unless it's carthartic to people who would literally seek the violence out otherwise), I think you'll find it's mostly middle-aged and older people who complain about all the violence. They grew up amidst and after violent wars, which existed alongside violent movies (no video games, maybe). Before violent movies there was still violence on the stage, and in the printed word. Hell, even the uber-prudish Victorian era, which tried to eliminate sex from the public eye, still had violence.

The fact of the matter is, violence has always existed, and while I wish it could be eliminated I doubt that'll happen any time soon. It can't be blamed on movies and/or video games; the 'real life' news on TV which shows violence and raises fear (in some countries more than others) SURELY takes more blame. Technology in general, which has allowed for far less interaction between people, sure... that takes some blame, too. But what are you going to blame the violence of the past 2000 years before TV and video games came out?

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rajakumar at 03:07 PM JST - 20th July I do not see violence movies,as contributing anything positive, to good values in society

couldn't have said it better

well, you could have used the adjective form 'violent' movies and dropped the commas

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lips: not speaking for raja, but I wasn't concentrating on his grammar but rather his message

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it was a cheap shot but gave me a chuckle

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Yup, it sure does - it (possibly) brings the real violence down: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080514213432.htm

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Of course it does! There was no violence in the world until tv and video games were invented. Before that the world was violence free.

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Jack the ripper didn't have Grand Theft Auto and Hollywood action films to watch, when he went out and killed people.

On the flip side, I play grand theft auto, and so do millions of other people, yet I and millions of other people aren't out there car jacking.

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There are detailed in-depth studies on this done by organizations without political agendas that show that in reality the more violent the game is, the more stress is relieved in the people who play it, and the less likely they are to resort to any sort of violent tendencies while in public - and in most cases would even go out of their way to avoid violence at all costs. These people end up being healthier physically and psychologically than anyone else, as well as being socially fit too, as they have other people they can talk to / relate to both in the game (if it is connected by the net) and outside the game.

And they definitely found that people who were denied and restricted access to video games were less focused and much more violent than any other people out there, to the point where several of their test subjects committed robberies and murders while being part of their control groups.

There was zero violence reported from the control group that played the games all the time.

Score 1 for all heavy game players.

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People do mimic what they see and hear.....violence in movies or video games have nothing to do with what goes on in our lives or the real world. If you are crazy, you probably were born that way or just lost yourself in something that you resorted to violence. I watch violent/nonviolent films, play those types of games, but in reality...I would never even consider doing the things portrayed on the screen. 47% of the people voted that it does, but really give me some true to life facts, actual events and maybe i can believe it, but I won't. 911 attacks, what that in any movie you saw? The akiabara (how ever its spelled)stabbing, was that in a any game or video you have seen? Don't think so, people act on emotions in different ways, those who choose the violent path have built up feelings from past or present incidents....all the kids that are killing and robbing or whatever else they are doing; doesn't come from media, comes from the home. parenting has the largest contributing influence on a mind, from early childhood even into the adult years of one's life. Hey, here is a thought if kids are too violent, don't buy your kids those games or take them to the movies. That solves youth issues. Adults, hey can't tell you what people think now a days, but it certainly isn't the video game or movie provoking them.

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Go GEARS OF WAR!!!

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Played a lot of Tenchu Stealth Assasins back in the day, and I`ve yet to creep up behind someone and slash their throat....

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How can 75 ppl vote "not sure"? Why vote if you have no opinion?

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"Played a lot of Tenchu Stealth Assasins back in the day, and I`ve yet to creep up behind someone and slash their throat..."

Well, it had a different effect on me, and I'm sure you'll understand if I don't want to get into details.

USAR

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Does comedy in movies and video games contribute to comedy in society?

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It has do with maturity, responsibility and moral code:

How good are you at discerning between 'facts' and 'fiction' and what is acceptable in the society as a whole and what is not?

A continuous feed (or exposure) to violence 'dulls' the senses to violent behavior ... and makes in the mind of the viewer have a greater degree of 'acceptable,' (which may or may not be acceptable in the real society, or society as a whole). Unless there is a respected and emulated elder guiding the viewer, or a higher moral code to which the viewer subscribes, it becomes gradually 'acceptable' in one's mind.

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The majority of people do not emulate what they see in video games. However, the wrong person could just get new ideas.

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I'm not sure on this one. If I saw too much gore i'd really be happy that the real world was more stable than a video game. And if I saw too much Hello Kitty I think I'd be out for blood if I had to see it, breathe it and tolerate it everyday. Look at the Bic Camera music for an example. Not really out for blood but makes my blood boil.

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Everyone knows that it's difficult to answer this question. Also, I believe everyone doesn't want to see too many unnecessary violent scenes in a movie or TV program, because such things are just nasty. So, if today's movie producers cannot restrict themselves from shooting too many violent scenes, the government will have to restrict it. But, first, they themselves should make a better set of guidelines about violent scenes in film and video works.

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