Desensitized eye for the gamer guy

[AniAko]

Good old 1up has a story on violent games desensitizing those who play them. The study was performed on 39 undergraduate males. They mention that the study is not conclusive and that other types of media remain potential candidates for the most detremental.

It would be fallacious to single out videogames as necessarily more harmful than other types of media. Similar studies conducted over the past two decades around pornography has found the same positive links between consuming violent pornography and reduced sensitivity to the use of force in sex, as well as reduced sensitivity to other kinds of violent images.
Um, yeah 39 college students? What a diverse study. Other media types? I think the internet is the most detrimental.

[president_fred]

Wow it's amazing what you can do these days with science. How did these guys get funding?

[Wonka]

You know everyone wants to complain about the researchers who sometimes claim that videogames might be linked to some sort of desensitization.

But put yourselves into their shoes for a second. If they didn't argue that media were actively desensitizing people, then they would have to argue that violent people liked to look at violent stuff. Consider that one of these two explanations sounds like they found something interesting and the other does not. If *you* wanted more grant money, which idea would you argue?

[IndependentGMR]

Wow it's amazing what you can do these days with science. How did these guys get funding?

The study was conducted at my school, the University of Michigan.

http://www.umich.edu/news/?Releases/2005/Dec05/r120505

[AniAko]

I have no doubt video games desensitize people, just as other exposure would desensitize you. (Internet, music movies) The problem is, our society is too prissy to understand the grit of the REAL world. Long ago I doubt sheriffs out west were squemish around dead bodies, guns, blood, etc. I doubt doctors get ill when they get a patient in the ER missing 30% of their skull, having severed limbs, wearing their internal organs on thier clothes, or when a new medical challenge has been offered; such as a person will a cell phone wedged up their nose, dislodging their eye out of it's sockets dangling from the patients skull. Even more soldiers are actually desensitized on purpose to avoid a person from freezing in shock at the reality of war. Being desensitized makes you stronger in many ways.

THIS however is typically mis-translated into provoking violent behavior. People fail to realize how desensitized this world is becoming, which is GOOD. It's the way things used to be. I don't know when the gov't stepped in and pulled this wool over America's eyes, but it's about damn time it comes off. Remember being accustomed to violence does not provoke violent behavior. I certainly don't act like an asshole, although I seem to be surrounded by them all the time.

[Xaerin]

IW, you make some good sense there. I would agree with most of it except the sentiment behind the last part.
Assholes are like the insane in that, 50% of their problem is, they are incapable of seeing it in themselves.

[ezra]

Being in any sort of violent situation, be it a movie, a videogame, or a war, desensitizes a person. I dont know why anyone is surprised by this. Videogames and movies do this to a much lesser extent than being in a war would of course, but the effect is the same. Its just getting 'accustomed' to something, in the same way people become 'desensitized' to foul language, or to anything else.

[AniAko]

IW, you make some good sense there. I would agree with most of it except the sentiment behind the last part.
Assholes are like the insane in that, 50% of their problem is, they are incapable of seeing it in themselves.

Very true, I could be one for all I know, although I'd like to think that I'm not.

However I haven't become one because I was exposed to other assholes. Being violent, happy, sad, angry, being a dick, bitch, and asshole are all traits of human nature. They exist in everyone, it's up to the individual to decide whether or not to use them.

[Worldcrafter]

Interesting study, and the results may be valid, but I would just like to take a moment to use my undergrad psychology degree to point out that the sample size is far too small, and specific to produce any meaningful results. It should also be noted that correlation does not prove causation, so while one could argue that this study shows gamers are desensitized to violence because they play games, you could also say those who are less sensitive to violence, play games. IndependentGMR, you might want to head down there and sort those fellas out.

[captainspankypants]

I have to agree with Inevitable Winter 100%. Has anyone ever proved that densitization leads to violent acts? Obviously people who commit violent acts are not as sensitive to them, but does it work the other way? To my logical mind, it would seem that it's a defense mechanism, not the cause of violence.

[president_fred]

Interesting study, and the results may be valid, but I would just like to take a moment to use my undergrad psychology degree to point out that the sample size is far too small, and specific to produce any meaningful results. It should also be noted that correlation does not prove causation, so while one could argue that this study shows gamers are desensitized to violence because they play games, you could also say those who are less sensitive to violence, play games.
What I meant but with a good deal more sense and explanation, thank you.

[Zurik]

Why desensitize people? Don't we want everyone hyper-sensitive? This article makes me so angry that I punched a dog in the nuts!

[AversionFX]

The article lost me at:

"It's already well known that playing violent video games increases aggressive behavior and decreases helping behavior," said University of Michigan researcher Brad Bushman.

What a bunch of pretentious assholes.

[PixelSamurai]

As others have already said, 39 male college students is an extremely small sample size that won't tell us jack shit about the population at large. They are either trying to get misleading results, don't know any better, or something my years in stats classes hasn't taught me is going on.

[Worldcrafter]

The article lost me at:

A quote from the article that I don't feel like fetching at the moment

What a bunch of pretentious assholes.

Yeah, when they started out stating theories as proofs, they lost credibility. You never prove anything with psychology, only build stronger theories. It's sort of like philosophy in that respect, except you get to run crazy experiments on people and animals.

[IndependentGMR]

IndependentGMR, you might want to head down there and sort those fellas out.

I don't know what the deal is. U of M is world renowned for their research projects. They were even referenced in an episode of Lost. Not that that is a big deal, just a neat little fact. Apperently, they don't consider video games an important enough topic to perform a large-scale study.

[Felonous]

http://www.wired.com/news/games/0,2101,69851,00.html?tw=rss.TOP

[B_Money]

Why desensitize people? Don't we want everyone hyper-sensitive? This article makes me so angry that I punched a dog in the nuts!

Always spay or neuter your pets.