[Crazieman]

Lets see. I'm a postal employee. I used to take Prozac. I'm Proficient in Counterstrike, Doom, Quake, Battlefield, Unreal Tournament, Mortal Kombat, Planetside....

I haven't even punched someone since middle school.

[knews_hound]

Ping

[AmericanChef]

You can get aggressive playing football, too - MUST BAN ALL SPORTS!! Cripes.

[waiyu]

Video games do not cause violence. Violence causes video games.

[JamesP81]

Crap. Guess I'd better quit playing F.E.A.R. and Halo 2.

Seriously, this is just stupid. I've played games like these and real life violence still disturbs me. I still have trouble when I'm in a hospital or a nursing home. When I was in college, my campus ministry would go to the nursing home in town on tuesday nights. A lot of those old folks in there don't have any family that will visit them, and it does them good to have visitors. Some of the things in that nursing home I found to be quite unpleasant. My response to what I saw was not reduced by some stupid video game.

But the badguys on the screen in Halo or FEAR are nothing more than ones and zeros, and I am mentally and emotionally aware of that fact. To me, defeating a squad of badguys in Halo is no different than defeating an opponent at Monopoly or Chess. It's a game of strategy. If you find the weakness in your opponent, then you can defeat him.

[Sofa King]

Video game ping!

If you want on or off this list, Freepmail me

[Slainte]

I wonder about the conclusion that they're desensitised. After all, if I go to a jazz festival, I don't come out of it desensitised to jazz music. If I spend an afternoon at the zoo, I don't get desensitised to monkeys if I happen to run into one outside of the zoo enironment.

But somehow if I play some Counter Strike, suddenly my ability to recognize real world violence gets skewed and I walk around town just itching for a fight?

[Spruce]

<Shaking head 'no' while slapping forehead>