Violence and Sensationalism Drives the Media, So Get Use to It

[ApochWeiss]

I just read Webb's editorial "Guns don't kill people, video games do." and felt I had to make this post. I appreciate the effort to highlight the incompetence that many people toward video games, as well as point out the faults of the recent broadcast mentioned in the article, but, really, are these reports absolutely necessary?

Back in 2003 I started college for a Broadcast/Communications degree, which I never got to finish due to my health. Day one I wanted to go in there, learn the ways of the world and the trade, and maybe bring my own focus to the mix in order to bring some sort of fresh breath the the media marketing world. But, the very first class I took that wasn't the mandatory Math, Science, English or Geography class, simply started with this:

"The media is fueled by violence and sensationalism. There, I said it, prepare to get your hands dirty."

Unfortunately, my professor was right. He supplied us with enough polls, demographic information, and ratings from the three years past from that date. Even after pointing it out, when watching the news, it became obvious that this is what is going on. While most media outlets claim to be against violence, it's quite the opposite.

Enter video games.

Nowadays, video games are getting more and more violent. Why? As stated many times over, the demographic of gamers are starting to reach higher age levels. What started out as a child's way to kill boredom back in the days of arcades and Atari's, has now become a hobby for all, and an obsession for most. From collecting achievement points to fending off the Flood on-line with your friends, video games have become a staple part of today's society, and just ripe for the pickings to make loads of money for people who don't give a damn who they hurt in the process.

This isn't to say that there aren't people out there against video games for genuine reasons. Let's say that Betty Soandso is a very Christian woman and finds shooting hookers and stealing their earnings for the day while in a vehicle you got from running down members of another gang in a tractor trailer while shooting them with a rocket launcher to be absolutely wrong for her 6 year old son Timothy Soandso. Brought up right, the child was an A student...until he started hanging out wit Bobby Schmuck. Bobby Schmuck's parents didn't give a damn about the ratings, and an impressionable child started spending more time there because he found out about violent video games. Such an abrupt revealing of such heinous acts would be enough to warp someone.

Of course, this could go one or two ways. Betty could be a parent and check up on how they handle having her son over to make sure nothing happens, or, if Timothy does something wrong, later blame everyone but herself for her child's wrong doings because she was too busy to see if anything was troubling her child.

This, of course, is the problem. Most parents today look at video games and television as a baby sitter. Here in the States, we're facing one severe depression, and it's causing many parents to have to pull over time, or pick up a second job to make ends meet. These people may not be able to take the proper time to check up on their kids and make sure everything is ok. So, who do we blame?

Video games.

Of course! Why not? They're supposed to be teaching our children love and respect and NOT how to fire a gun to fend off the on coming Nazi's. Right? Did everyone forget about 'Nam? It appears everyone but the vets who fought over there, as well as our soldiers in Iraq today, as well as the media, have all forgot about those days where our children were drafted and sent over there against their will to fight and have a chance of dying. Today, the draft is gone, but now we are up in arms. We had no problem shipping our children off to die years ago, but it's apparently a whole other can of worms that we put a rating system on video games that are less violent and realistic and sell them to adults.

At least, that is what the media would want you to believe. Among those who are genuinely, whole heartedly, 100% scared to hell about the future of society with geenuine, substantial concerns that they can back up through logic, scientific results, and other forms of approved testing, you have the scaremongers who want you to give them money to subconsciously scare you. And it's disgusting.

But, at the same time, it's how the world works, right? Money. It's the center of the universe now. Can't get ahead with the green backs or whatever form of monetary dispersment you happen to use. It makes the world go round and they know it.

"I want you all to go home tonight and watch the news. Any news broadcast. I guarantee I can tell you when you're going to see. You'll see nothing but violence and blame. You'll hear stories of murder, of tragedy striking, of someone passing the back, all throughout the broadcast. It's like a soap opera almost, it's so bad but you can't look away. You stay and watch hoping SOMETHING positive will come on and then, at the end of the broadcast, little Martha May will tell you about Girl Scout Troop 157 selling Girl Scout Cookies to raise awareness to aid all efforts during Breast Cancer Awareness month, or little Timmy had fallen down the well and the owners of the dog who rescued him will be on praising their dog and clips of the child and Rover playing together will air throughout it. This is the humanity section, and it's only there to accomodate those who want something positive in their life."

Again, my instructor was right. Sure enough, all violence with a humanitarian piece on a new art show in the area being put on through donations from the local residents. It actually was quite disheartening to sit back and acknowledge that all this plight is being marketed and we didn't even know it. Well, some of us probably did, but it never dawned on me that it was all so formulaic. It was enough to make me not want to continue through, but luckily what I was specializing wasn't the news, but something music related, a whole other battle entirely.

Either way, no matter how many pro-game articles, interviews, marches, or whatever for of protest or demonstration happen, there's always going to be the Fearmongers who pray on the weak and feeble, who don't know what is going on or are quick to blame everyone but the real culprits for the short comings of themselves or their loved ones. I mean, why not? We all pay into these people in the media to tell us these things. We, as a society, have become a group of people who thrive on tragedy and despair without even knowing it, making many of our efforts to say something positive or do something right pretty much worthless. The media will say what they want because we know we'll buy into it and believe most of it because the media told us so.

"Everybody needs a good scare. That's why the daily news will not go away."

So, no matter how much we hate it when people run their mouths on television, there sadly is nothing we can do to stop with our voice. The only way we can sway anything in our favor now is through action. Stop feeding these people who feed off your fear. Turn off the news if something they say offends you, and call to let them know. Boycott that channel, paper or magazine. Cancel subscriptions. Do whatever it does to hurt them financially. Then they will get the hint to drop it. But until they can stop making money off the latest craze or scare, the fear and sensationalism of today's media simply will not go away.

[JoshYo 16]

Although I completely agree with you, it's not as easy as "Boycott the news." What if little Timothy was your child, and he was walking to school. Would you not want to know that there is a rapist that has been praying on children in your area? You'd want to drive little Timothy instead right? Can't do that without knowing though.

So unfortunately, even though you are right, it will never end. The news plays an important role.

[Nozza x360a]

I'm split betwen both you and Webb. I totally agree with both arguments.

Talking about the news and how its manufactured is right. I've always noticed this.

Take the recession for an example;

In the US you'll get - "Dont worry we'll get through this"
In the UK you'll get - "We're doomed, everyone's going to die"

Totally different. As you mentioned;

"Everybody needs a good scare.

Its so true. Its to keep us in our place and there's nothing we can do about it.

So on the topic of Video Games. When some kids goes on a rampage at a school, video games are in the top choices to blame? Why? Because he's at school, so he must be around that age of playing "violent" games? You searched his house and he had GTA IV on his shelf - That must be it, problem solved, lets all go for a coffee, well done!

Its always hard to decide and to figure out whos wrong and whos right but both are valid/true arguments.

[Flyhishootstr8]

I do agree with the representation of media in regards to violence however I think that if you blame a game for your troubles you have more troubles than that game.
Games are not the reason our society is falling apart. They are not to blame for shootings at school. They are scape goats because our society cannot deal with itself. We simply do not care anymore. The world is depressed. We are over worked alone and depressed and now we are violent. Some people bury their head other people kill people and some spread it around. Unfortunately We as people do not care anymore. When was the last time you helped a stranger or yelled at someone for doing something wrong in your community when it wasn't a holiday?
The world is selfish so of course we blame video games. We are spoilt little kids looking for someone to blame rather than shoulder the responsibility.

[Blue Radium]

Originally Posted by JoshYo 16

Although I completely agree with you, it's not as easy as "Boycott the news." What if little Timothy was your child, and he was walking to school. Would you not want to know that there is a rapist that has been praying on children in your area? You'd want to drive little Timothy instead right? Can't do that without knowing though.

So unfortunately, even though you are right, it will never end. The news plays an important role.

Even if little Timothy was brutally raped and murdered around your area, knowing about it isn't going to help anything. All it is going to do is make you paranoid, and keep you from opening up to the world around you. The news is great at that; destroying the old days when people could feel comfortable with their kids running around the streets playing all day without any worries. These days, parents are trained to worry about kids being kidnapped, murdered. And the sad part is that parents gladly accept the training, and embrace the leash of fear that they have been put on.

[Brutalsleeper]

Originally Posted by Nozza x360a

Talking about the news and how its manufactured is right. I've always noticed this.

Take the recession for an example;

In the US you'll get - "Dont worry we'll get through this"
In the UK you'll get - "We're doomed, everyone's going to die"

I believe you are right in the example given,but I have also found once news get violent or serious attack on a nations soil the opinions switch.
It seems odd that a nations persona can shift so easily.

[Mahtan Tinuviél]

Getting on the argument of Games only, the problem I see is not "Games are causing our childs to kill, loose morals, etc etc etc...

The problem, as was stated, is accountability.

If you find a way to quickly solve something by putting the blame on someone or something that media has said to be the cause, it will happen in 99,99% of the cases.
And that will be the end of it. Case solved. Next case please. Efficiency!!!

Looking for "Real" reasons is time consuming. And time consuming do not agree with our current way of life. Must be done quick!!!!

Another point is admiting faults,not just to yourself but to everyone around you.
Telling everybody your kid got GTA IV, CoD, GoW, Battlefield and all others and you knew he was playing will make you a "bad parent", and nobody likes that label.

If you can blame games, why the hell not?????? Afterall you did not know, your are the true victim. Poor you, who got your son into the world so he could be distroied by the game industry while your were working...

Quick Mental Note: If you don´t think you can manage having a kid (which is a VERY hard job) or the time to educate them, use BIRTH CONTROLS!!! They do exist and they work.

COME ON. If people step up to what they own, morals would be better served, and our society would ultimatly be a better place.

[Dragon83uk]

Sadly Apoch I think you very much hit the nail on the head. Violence and sensationalism won't be going anywhere any time soon. The reason. It's not media. It's not mass marketing. It's not some mythical corporate agenda. It's people. Simple supply and demand. There's a demand therefore someone will provide a supply. It's essentially democracy in action. There's enough people not boycotting, still watching and generally buying into all these things that the voices of those few who are, are drowned out. As bad as all this sounds almost everyone on this forum (including myself) are guilty of causing exactly this effect. Almost every person on this forum has provided money (or indeed time) to the very same corporate masses so that they can engage in a simulated form of violence (however apparently justified) or sensational stimuli. This in turn tells those same giants that this is what we want. So they provide more of it.
Personally I think that the method being used by the human race to offset their own angers through these mediums is actually a good thing. The fact is that humans are incredibly violent creatures. History has repeatedly proved this. Is it not better that we now kill pixels instead of people (for the most part)?

As for the ratings thing, again your bang on. The information is provided for a reason, if parents can't take control of what media their children are exposed to they have no-one to blame but themselves for any possible repercussions. Unfortunately the chances that a child won't seek out these things is pretty slim. They're still only human after all.

[CSARdiver]

There are many root causes for the issues you bring up, but the two I focus on are apathy and accountability. Apathy is driven because the average citizen feels that even if they do attempt to make a change their efforts will go to waste. Accountability, or lack thereof, is largely driven by a culture of selfishness.

Both have very simple solutions and that is to focus on the small matters which each person can influence. Beginning with the individual - moving onto the family, the neighbors, the community, etc.

[PointPlaceWI]

Originally Posted by ApochWeiss

Of course, this could go one or two ways. Betty could be a parent and check up on how they handle having her son over to make sure nothing happens, or, if Timothy does something wrong, later blame everyone but herself for her child's wrong doings because she was too busy to see if anything was troubling her child.

This, of course, is the problem. Most parents today look at video games and television as a baby sitter. Here in the States, we're facing one severe depression, and it's causing many parents to have to pull over time, or pick up a second job to make ends meet. These people may not be able to take the proper time to check up on their kids and make sure everything is ok. So, who do we blame?

Video games.

Simply enough society will always have a scapegoat for the problems presented to it. People love to hear that it is not their fault that things go wrong in their lives. Even if video games vanished off the face of the planet along with every other form of media corrupting our poor children's minds someone will find something new to blame the next generation's issues on.

I'll give myself as an example. There were times in high school when I wouldn't touch a video game console or a PC game for months and months (except for the occassional flash game on the internet). I would one day come home with a "C" or some sorts of low grade such as that on a test. My parents would smell tobacco smoke on me, my parents would find me hanging out with people "unworthy" of my attention. You know what the first thing that would come out of their mouths is? It's those damn video games! They've turned our precious, hardworking, good natured son into a God hating, druggy child with no ambition! He's forever been tainted by them! (I've yet to tell my parents that I don't believe in any god much less their Judeo-Christian one for fear they'll come to my apartment and burn my video game console and games down, along with having a priest perform an exorcism on me to rid me of the video game demons)

People who are ignorant toward a certain culture have a tendency to blame it for our problems.

Just look at how once society viewed many of the rock-n-roll groups out there. As long as there are humans, there will always be reasons for problems other than themselves.

[Urameshi]

Some games look like they only sell because of the violence in them. But there's something funny about two of Tecmo's biggest names. Dead or Alive, a fighting game, has no blood, scratches, or anything that makes it looks like people get hurt in there. Only breasts. Ninja Gaiden (remake) on the other hand, is known for its excessive gore. The funny thing? The series are linked, as Ryu Hayabusa is a playable character in both.

[skatemore]

American's are too happy go lucky/care free in their living that they never take a true look at the world around them and instead choose to believe News channels because of their alleged credibilty.


For example, I heard some people actually watch Fox News for reasons other than to laugh at and or cry because of the down right filthy twisting of words, lies, and fabricated stories.

[MrT1213]

People have and always will try to find something/someone to blame for their problems.

[StrikeFear14]

My girlfriend wrote a nice long college essay on this topic. I should ask her for it sometime and post it. Quite informative.

[Tinysmitty]

Welcome to america

[Jericho99]

Video game contreversy is a way for media to make money and courts ot make easy jurisdictions instead of blaming human error.

[mcgive]

Kids nowadays are too ungrateful.

Draft them into the army. Send them running at the Taliban committing these violent acts they've apparently learned from their video games.

The mainstream media over the last ten years is BULLSHIT!
This is why your average child nowadays is less intelligent than their counterparts 20 years ago who learned useful things throughout their childhoods, such as how not to piss themselves, how to eat properly and with manners, how to tie their shoelaces and above all how to stop complaining and start learning!

M R McGivern

[St Jolly777]

So by this logic...the Road Runner and Coyote cartoons I watched should have turned me into a bird hunting, rocket launching, rock dropping, cliff falling zealot as an adult? PLEASE. We HAVE become a nation of wussies. I would submit to you guns don't kill people...Bad parents' kids do!

[Dragon83uk]

Technically it's not as simple as just bad parents. Good parents can still have bad kids, just like bad parents can have good kids. The point is that humans are such complex beings that not all our problems can be boiled down to one simple solution/cause. Saying that just one thing causes any condition or situation involving people is like suggesting that soup is just water.

[St Jolly777]

Agreed that there are always exceptions to the rule...but in general...as a whole...I would stand by my general commentary.

[Neo]

Originally Posted by St Jolly777

So by this logic...the Road Runner and Coyote cartoons I watched should have turned me into a bird hunting, rocket launching, rock dropping, cliff falling zealot as an adult? PLEASE. We HAVE become a nation of wussies. I would submit to you guns don't kill people...Bad parents' kids do!

Exactly right, it isn't the responsibility of Activision or Rockstar to raise and instill values into the younger generation. The buck stops with the parents.

Violence in video games has never influenced me personally, but I'm not an idiot and i dont try and imitate everythig I see. Others might, but either way you cant blame a video game for violence.

[gamerscorhunta]

This is incredible. How much hypocrisy can you put in a single article? This article was quite well-rounded for the first few paragraphs, until I saw your statement on the Vietnamese war. "We had no problem shipping our children off to die years ago..." is something to stare at with my palm upon my forehead. The second Indochina war never involved us sending out our children. We had a draft, never children. Also, throughout the post, you are raising your mind forks and telling us it is our parent's responsibilities as much as ours when we start playing violent video games, then go on to state it's the media's fault for providing this for you? Look at the title, "Violence and Sensationalism Drives the Media, So Get Used to It." Yet, here you are, provoking us to make a stance and poke at the media to stop it? Please, consider adding changes or completely remake your post, it makes no logical impulse on my conscience.

[LavaLampBamboo]

Originally Posted by Brutalsleeper

I believe you are right in the example given,but I have also found once news get violent or serious attack on a nations soil the opinions switch.
It seems odd that a nations persona can shift so easily.

I think the national pride, the patriotism of America is probably higher than Britain. I think when Britain has a terrorist attack or the like we try to move on as fast as possible (not sure if that is a good thing or not)

America tends to use them as a way to make themselves stronger

[St Jolly777]

That's an interesting take...not sure that I agree with it...but as an American it is hard for me to comment on British pride...I would thing they are very similar.

[darkforge]

Originally Posted by Blue Radium

Even if little Timothy was brutally raped and murdered around your area, knowing about it isn't going to help anything. All it is going to do is make you paranoid, and keep you from opening up to the world around you. The news is great at that; destroying the old days when people could feel comfortable with their kids running around the streets playing all day without any worries. These days, parents are trained to worry about kids being kidnapped, murdered. And the sad part is that parents gladly accept the training, and embrace the leash of fear that they have been put on.

To be honest, I can't really blame the news. I used to work in local news as an overnight cameraman and while there are certain stories that the the stations would want (i.e. Home Invasions, Fatal Crashes, etc.) as opposed to "lesser" stories (i.e. Suicides) - it's mainly due to the viewer. People like being in fear because it makes them feel safe. As weird as it sounds, people feel safe when they put up unnecessary guards.

Boycotting the news isn't going to do anything because people are going to find another reason to be paranoid. The news is just facilitating what the people want to see.

[Claudia54]

That would be great. I'll be in touch shortly.



jogos de moto

[ilarburu]

It is dificult to talk about a problem like that.

As said along this thread we people try to see the world in terms of black or white. Something is good or else is bad, But if we talk about something like we are talking we face the middlest gray that we can image.

I think there are some facts that can not be argued

1) The media serves some interests (normally monetary). An as long as we prefer watching "Violence and Sensationalism" they will be the rule. And I think that it can not be argued if we look at the audience of the diferent media programs

2) All that I have said in point 1 is applicable to the video game industry. It can be argued that industry produces video game in order to obtain money. And if a flying simulatior involving shooting missiles to tanks produces more money that another one about spraying corn fields with pesticides...

In my opinion,
We are not going to change the medias because (more or less) we are part of the problem, we consume what they give us. And as long as we continue consuming they are not going to change.

The same could be said about the video games.

One last thing, I have been playing violent games for at least 10-15 years. But I can perfectly separate the "video game reality" from "real reality". And if you are not able the problem is yours, do not implicate the video games.
If the problem is the person them you could perfectly blame monopolly board game instead of the GTA IV.

[sphinx6]

Originally Posted by Flyhishootstr8

I do agree with the representation of media in regards to violence however I think that if you blame a game for your troubles you have more troubles than that game.
Games are not the reason our society is falling apart. They are not to blame for shootings at school. They are scape goats because our society cannot deal with itself. We simply do not care anymore. The world is depressed. We are over worked alone and depressed and now we are violent. Some people bury their head other people kill people and some spread it around. Unfortunately We as people do not care anymore. When was the last time you helped a stranger or yelled at someone for doing something wrong in your community when it wasn't a holiday?
The world is selfish so of course we blame video games. We are spoilt little kids looking for someone to blame rather than shoulder the responsibility.

wow, your post has struck a chord and i re-read more than twice.

like the above poster said, the people are part of the problem and so do you but you also deny that computer games have any responsibility for this social problem, i don't agree. i'll tell you why society is apparently, according to you, "falling apart", its because of, how do i put this... the elite? the elite of the united states of america? the elite that includes government, media, religion and organised crime? that meeting of the elite in the united states that is known as bohemian grove? they're evil.

i think you have some cheek logging on this forum and try and not blame computer games but blame people and while you do so, try and single out people who you actually hate and you believe are responsible in your lala land of a reality when they really aren't. but its what you want to believe because you just hate those people. the media are with you on that one though. you say that computer games are being used as a scapegoat? in your post you clearly use those people you say you hate as the scapegoat.

people don't care anymore? wow. do you know this firsthand? do you know what its like to know that? i think you have no idea and perhaps you should be put in my shoes to find out.

but there has been a victory on this front, keith rupert murdoch took a hit with the news of the world newspaper last month and there were even questions as to whether it would go as far as fox broadcasting in the united states and it could still. so i'll be happy when i see the do-gooder old man and his empire of media that has gone way beyond its purpose fall and take all the representation, fabrication, lies, invasion of privacy away from our internet, television and radio. hes probably just a made man anyway, he shouldn't be there.

[MxPx]

The solution is to boycott that which offends you? I am sorry, but that in my opinion is one of the greatest problems facing America today. Whatever happened to live and let live? There's no freedom any more, everything has to be so ardently politically correct that nobody can actually speak their mind or express themselves as an individual. Creativity has been assassinated...the banality of colorless drone existence is our future.

Not to mention, the idea of boycotting that which offends you is the EXACT same idea put forth by parental monitoring groups who are the instigators in placing blame on video games for the behavior of their neglected children.

[SteamboatWi11y]

I believe that News media has become less about factual information and more about advertising. This has just been reinforced by the tsunami that is reality tv. Whoever thought that they could become famous by being a drunken cheating a-hole that spends most of their time in a club pretending to be better than rest of nation please raise your hand. Once headlines started reading about lindsey lohan, paris hilton, or any person from the jersey shore cast, true news media died. The evening news has larger segements about the "in" crowd of hollywood, or new products to keep you looking younger longer, instead of the debt crisis, the "war" in libya, and things that effect our everyday lives. Why? because we choose to ignore it. I cant remember the last "politically" minded person I met that could name a republican candidate, or could explain why we are in a debt crisis, or beyond that can tell me why our national credit rating being lowered to AA is a bad thing besides the obvious "well we have a lower credit score.
Nationalism in america has been replaced with the all mighty dollar. If it isnt shiny we dont like to look at. This is true for many americans. It boggles my mind that the general public thinks that a federal economic collapse of government in this country wouldnt effect them because, (Im actually quoting someone from my town in Texas, yeah yeah haha texas) "We live in a state and states have their own form of government" which is all well and good but most state funding is backed by some form of federal funds also. And the whole video games are the problem arguement isnt an arguement. Parents take an active role in the development of your child instead of using the tv, ps3, xbox360 and wii as a babysitter. Neglect is Neglect. get over it.