Green Day Mention Violent Video Games

[walking_c0ntradicti0n]

(Idk if this deserves its own thread or what but)

So a page I follow had posted this, the original article is linked in the post. Thoughts?

[Sixtrix]

I think it's meant more like how violent video games are setting an environment for kids these days, alongside with the violence in the real world going on lately, that "desensitizes them" for violence. It becomes a regular thing and they become less shocked by it.

I might be wrong but I feel that the article is slightly pulling what they said out of context.

[Hermione]

I do understand being worried about kids who are too young to be exposed to violent media being exposed to it. But that would hopefully be where adequate labeling/warnings/age restrictions and parents come in (as opposed to banning something that's supposed to be for adults just because children who shouldn't have access to it might get to it). However it doesn't exactly sound like he's condemning it and saying it should be banned, or that no one should look at it, more just expressing a natural concern about if/when his children are exposed to it through it being more and more accessible. Being blown up as more than it is in the article.

[Joe K]

4 minutes ago, Sixtrix said:

I think it's meant more like how violent video games are setting an environment for kids these days, alongside with the violence in the real world going on lately, that "desensitizes them" for violence. It becomes a regular thing and they become less shocked by it.

I might be wrong but I feel that the article is slightly pulling what they said out of context.

Excactly my thoughts. I hate when magazines do this to gain more popularity.

[21guns&novacaine]

Well, I personally disagree with that, to an extent. I've been playing video games forever, and always had to, and still do, ask my mom if I can get a mature game, and even then, she has to scope it out first. What's really the difference of them playing a game with graphic violence, drug use and suggestive themes when you see the same shit on TV, including all the secret adult jokes hidden in kids shows because no matter what, the creators of those things are sneaky assholes and have to put that crap in there.  

[Christian's Inferno!]

I don't think they're saying that anyone who plays violent video games will be scarred and become a psycho. But I mean some people become mass shooters and part of the reason could be because of video games.

[BilIie Joe Armstrong]

Ol' guys at their best

[Alan86]

I only play violent video games they are great. They are just a bit of fun. I don't see the connection between video games and violence in real life. I'll happily be as violent as I can playing GTA or Call of Duty and I'll enjoy it but the reality is I've never even been in a fight and I never want to be. 

[HAPPY ZOMBIE UNICORN]

Well, this is a very controversial issue. I always played violent videogames, but I'm also a convinced nonviolent person. As far as I know no one ever proved a direct relation between videogames and real violence. I understand their point, we're moving through a society less sensibile in regards of violence, I agree with this, but I don't believe videogames are a cause of this process, videogames are just another form of entertainment and sometimes art. Yet, I agree that in certain environment they can increase or sustain forms of desease, there are problems related to terrorist groups using videogames' platforms to communicate, but this are at the best symptoms, not causes. I also think very young people, at least those under 14 years old, should stay away from some very particular games, not for a risk of perpetuation of violence but to guarantee their growth. But maybe just the parents should choose what is right for their children. And the same reasonment should be done about TV and cinema.

Then there is the Virtual Reality issue, but this is something too recent to be evaluated, it's too soon to understand if there could be different or more negative consequences from these new tools. 

I also think the journalists have partially misinterpreted and strumentalized their sentence, they didn't explicitly say that videogames are a cause of violence, they're just shocked by the absence of sensibility, and see in this a symptom. 

[Chanderson]

51 minutes ago, MysticManiac said:

I don't think they're saying that anyone who plays violent video games will be scarred and become a psycho. But I mean some people become mass shooters and part of the reason could be because of video games.

It's not because of video games. It's not because of guns. It's not because of movies, music, whatever the hell you want to blame. It's because of the person.

[Christian's Inferno!]

1 minute ago, Chanderson said:

It's not because of video games. It's not because of guns. It's not because of movies, music, whatever the hell you want to blame. It's because of the person.

I know it's the person. I'm not excusing the horrible things people do. All I'm saying is that there are a number of things that have to happen for somebody to become that psychopath, one of which could be video games. I'm not even saying that's what I think, I'm just saying maybe that's what Green Day meant with what they said

[Steven Seagull]

Playing sport games does not make me an athlete, playing GTA does not make me violent.

Delusional much

[Maid Meringue]

If anything, simulating violence in games would be a healthy alternative to taking it out on actual people.

But i think he's just saying that it desensitizes kids to violence/gore overall. NOT incentivizing it.

Then again, I see more graphic and violent images from news sources than any place else.

 

[Chin for a Day]

This is a very interesting topic.  I am a big proponent of it being a parents job to teach a child the difference between right and wrong.  Part of that is introducing them to the bad, the violence, etc.  How are they going to know what is right and what is wrong if they are not shown the wrong?  I don't believe sheltering someone helps.  However, a child has to be old enough to really understand the difference.

So, I never really had too much of an issue with video games.  My kids saw them, but really didn't take in interest.  

However, I do think that they can desensitize people to violence.  As someone else has already said, I think that is what they were getting at.

I will often listen to Howard Stern.  He has a guy that goes out and does fake poll questions, called Wolfie.  He sent Wolfie to a location where people were sleeping on the sidewalk, overnight, for the release of a new violent video game.  Wolfie asked everyone if they would be willing to play a video game where they are Nazi's, killing jews.  The results were much different than they expected.  Not one person said they thought it was inappropriate.  Some people even justified it as teaching them history.  

So, while I don't think video games can turn someone who isn't violent, violent.  It may push someone with that predisposition.  I think that may be the kind of thing they were getting at.  

[inthehallwaynow]

He isn't saying that videos games CAUSE IT he is saying videos games ADD TO us being more ok with seeing horrible things. thats all people stop getting the message misconstrued. 

[Jean]

I remember being 10 years old and playing Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Return to Castle Wolfenstein (killing nazis), and GTA while listening to Britney Spears' Oops I Did It Again at the same time  (before discovering Green Day) and I am probably the most nonviolent person I know.

I don't think kids under 10 should be playing those games but after that, as long as the parents are aware and monitor the situation, it's fine. Obviously if a kid is seriously disturbed and acting violent in real life (towards other kids, animals or even adults) they are most likely mentally ill and should not be playing these games or participating in anything that encourages their behavior.  They should be seeing a psychiatrist.

But I get what they're saying. Video games from the 80s/90s were nowhere near as realistic as they are now. It all comes down to common sense. Knowing that just because you can shoot and kill people in a video game, whether you're playing the good guy or the bad guy, does not mean you can do that in real life.

[Libertine Angel]

Regardless of anything else, did this even happen? NME cites Kerrang, but it definitely wasn't said in the comeback interview.

[Billie Hoe]

Yo I don't think they meant that video games create mass shooters, just that them becoming more and more realistic is causing a problem for already deranged people who are more willing to take the gun in real life and kill off some civilians "like the soldiers on the screen", you know. That people with mass shooter potential are being inspired by ego shooter games or something. I agree that violent video games like aren't the real problem here and I get tired of media trying to blame everything on video games, but the boys have a point.

Now my personal opinion is that games that glorify gun violence (like, not the game where people occasionally shoot people without a mission or anything like Tomb Raider or something) aren't enough frowned upon in society. I don't understand for the life of me why the world needs ego shooter games so bad, why people find it so appealing to kill people even when they're animated or not even real. I wonder what is the point of that, how can that be considered fun? To work of stress? Hell, that is fucking scary to me and I would stay as far away from a person like that as I possibly could.

I'm so fucking tired of the media picking random sentences, taking them out of context and blowing them huge enough to create a shitstorm for Green Day. Just fuck off already you attention whores.

[lizziebix]

Pretty sure when I tell hubby to go play his computer game and go kill things to help him relax, he isn't thinking to go do this in real life.

I think the truth is that most of these violent games weren't readily available when GD was growing up and now they need to address the idea of the violence to their kids.   Not a bad nor a good thing - just a discussion that needs to be had between parents and kids.

[armatage]

Oh how I hoped anything from the second part of their interview with kerrang wouldn't get blown out of proportion, and boy, was I wrong. Mike basically just said that violent video games make people and especially kids who grow up with them more desensitized to the violence in the real world, and nowadays we just tend to shrug it off. I see where he's coming from. He didn't mention people becoming more violent by playing such games. I myself believe that they might help to unwind after a stressful day, and GTA was THE SHIT when I was growing up. (and still is.)

[Hermione]

Yeah he didn't say that video games make people violent at all. Only expressed concern about when his young kids will be exposed to violent media in the future and about how it can contribute to being desensitized to seeing violence, he didn't link that to people becoming violent themselves.

[petros]

I remember when I read the interview I thought "oh billie is one of those kind of grown ups". The guy was doing weed since he was 15 or something and thinks playing violent games is not right? Come on. The whole "violent video games" argument is stupid anyway raise your kids right and games won't do anything to it.

[iltrenta]

Alright kids, let's read the incriminated bit together:

They aren't saying that videogames make people violent, come on.

[_•Whatsername•_]

I don't like violent video games but I don't mind people playing them and I believe they think so too. They're just saying they might get people used to violence. And small kids should stay away from them....

15 hours ago, inthehallwaynow said:

He isn't saying that videos games CAUSE IT he is saying videos games ADD TO us being more ok with seeing horrible things. thats all people stop getting the message misconstrued. 

Agree.

[Siddharth_471]

22 hours ago, Sixtrix said:

I think it's meant more like how violent video games are setting an environment for kids these days, alongside with the violence in the real world going on lately, that "desensitizes them" for violence. It becomes a regular thing and they become less shocked by it.

Got it very correct! They don't mean to say it's the video games that's creating the violent mentality but when children play those games it gets very normal for them and they are not much shocked when they see media coverage about such activities. Along with their current article they also stated during AI around the US-Iraq conflict that they don't want kids to see the clips of wars through news channel, it exposes them with at a very immature stage. So I'd say GD made a good point.