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"Linky"The gaming-violence connection: why society finds it comforting

Ars has extensively covered the attempts to legislate restrictions on violent video games and the ambiguous science that supports those efforts. An aspect of this that frequently escapes analysis is why these legislative efforts gain so much traction despite their lack of a solid scientific foundation. Writing in the journal Contexts, USC sociology lecturer Karen Sternheimer analyzes these efforts in terms of ongoing societal fears regarding the influence of media on children.

Sternheimer notes an obvious but underemphasized figure: despite the proliferation of violent, first-person shooters in the wake of Doom, juvenile homicide rates have fallen in the decade since its release. Random school shootings remain incredibly rare; for all forms of homicide, students face a seven in 10 million chance of being a victim.

Random school shootings remain so rare, in fact, that Sternheimer reports that the FBI found it impossible to generate a profile of a "typical" shooter. This leads to a number of difficulties. Linking violence to the perpetrators' background might wind up revealing aspects of the shooter's predominantly white, middle-class origin that helped foster their violence. Nobody seems interested in doing this sort of analysis, perhaps in part because much of the media belongs to that same group.

This leaves people searching for specific influences, much as they tend to do in the far more common case of workplace shootings. Here, the author suggests we run into the biggest problem: society doesn't really understand its youth. As a result, adults fear their loss of control over the factors that influence childhood development in an increasingly connected world.

Far from being a new danger, the Sternheimer suggests that gaming is simply the latest in a long series of media influences to take the blame. "Over the past century, politicians have complained that cars, radio, movies, rock music, and even comic books caused youth immorality and crime, calling for control and sometimes censorship." She terms the targets of such efforts "folk devils," items branded dangerous and immoral that serve to focus blame and fear.

These folk devils can be used for political advancement or financial gain via lawsuits such as those that have targeted game makers. But, based on Sternheimer's description, their primary function appears to be to distract people from identifying the real causes underlying our discomfort with youth culture. It also may distract people from getting to know their kids.

Darth Wong wrote:Pop culture has one major flaw: it is not enjoyed by the ancient geezers who comprise Bill O'Reilly's viewing audience. Since they don't enjoy it, then it is fair game for blaming. That's why you can't blame TV any more: old people watch it now.

Admiral Valdemar wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:Pop culture has one major flaw: it is not enjoyed by the ancient geezers who comprise Bill O'Reilly's viewing audience. Since they don't enjoy it, then it is fair game for blaming. That's why you can't blame TV any more: old people watch it now.

You play games and you're old.

ZING!

On a serious note, I can't imagine how hilarious it will be when we're OAPs and going on about the youth of the day and how they can't learn to appreciate the simple pleasures of a good LAN game of Command & Conquer or a classic genre defining title like Resident Evil. It makes me feel sad that the gaming history museum in London had so many primary school kids going on about how simple and lame looking Sonic and Mario games were. Shit, it's not like Sonic and Mario are obscure today even, and the DS games we have are no better than SNES games in many ways. Too bad raw polygon count doesn't a good game make.

Uh, I feel I'm getting a grey hair now...

Tolya wrote:Which brings up an interesting point: how will our generation (I mean people born from 1970's up), at home with modern technologies and entertainment, behave when it's our turn to be "old geezers".

Darth Wong wrote:Pop culture has one major flaw: it is not enjoyed by the ancient geezers who comprise Bill O'Reilly's viewing audience. Since they don't enjoy it, then it is fair game for blaming. That's why you can't blame TV any more: old people watch it now.

Shroom Man 777 wrote:Well, maybe when we're old, our complaints will be more legitimate since the future kids will be able to go on virtual reality and literally slit the throats out of their friends online.

You will say that music, TV, and videogames aren't like they were when you were young. You will say that they were violent, but they did not promote the lousy values as aggressively as the stuff that the young people are using. You will have a very selective memory, much like the modern geezers who claim that the 1950s (backseat rumbles, 90% top income tax rate, beating the shit out of blacks and jews) was some sort of "golden age" of American conservative values.

Tolya wrote:By the way, what are backseat rumbles?