Violent games may cause reduced brain activity

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 08:53am

From USA Today: 'Violent video games appear to have an effect on the brain activity of teens, suggests research presneted bythe North American Radiological society. Reseachers at the Indiana University school of Medicine studied the brain actvity of 38 teens. The teens were given two games: Rally 64 and 007: Goldeneye for Nintendo 64. Magnetic resonance scans were taken seperately when the teens played the 2 games. After viewing the results, it appeared that when the teens played Goldeneye, brain activity decreased.'
What do you think?
No wonder some criminals are so dumb........

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2002-12-03 08:57am

It's not just violent games, it's ALL video Games. they reduce frontal lobe capacity (where creativity resides)...which might explain copycat criminals...but nothing else.

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 09:03am

Majin Gojira wrote:It's not just violent games, it's ALL video Games. they reduce frontal lobe capacity (where creativity resides)...which might explain copycat criminals...but nothing else.

The article goes on in detail about why violnet games affect brain acitivty more than normal video games. And, gojira, that was a quote from the newspaper, not my opinion.
My opinion is this: Houw could they have full proof?
Thye tested 38 gamers on 2 games only, one violent, one not.
How can they say that all violent games cause decreased brain activity. Thye have no solid proof except for MRIs, which can be debated heavily. To prove that violent games cause decreased brain activity, they need to do a longer, more in-depth study, rather just come blurting out.
And since it ain't a federal project, no wasted tax dollars.

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2002-12-03 09:05am

I need a laugh, which issue is that in...is it in todays?

Let's me see how else they scew the results

(and also notice how they only tested catridge games for only ONE SYSTEM)

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 09:11am

Majin Gojira wrote:I need a laugh, which issue is that in...is it in todays?

Let's me see how else they scew the results

(and also notice how they only tested catridge games for only ONE SYSTEM)

Yes it is.

Maybe the electronic interfernce from the 64 is causing those MRIs to go wacko.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-12-03 09:44am

IMO, strategy games should increase brain activity (how will I flank and destroy the fucker, etc.)

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 09:46am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:IMO, strategy games should increase brain activity (how will I flank and destroy the fucker, etc.)

Thats why I play Galactic Battlegrounds, Starcraft, Warcraft 3, Age of Empires, and Command&Conquer. RTS rules.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-12-03 10:04am

I personally prefer FPS. My coordination and reflexes improve somewhat after a good session of UT 2003 on Experienced difficulty.

But I liked Red Alert 2 and Total Annihilation as well.

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 10:12am

Evil Sadistic Bastard wrote:I personally prefer FPS. My coordination and reflexes improve somewhat after a good session of UT 2003 on Experienced difficulty.

But I liked Red Alert 2 and Total Annihilation as well.

Well, I also play FPS, but RTS and RPG are my favs. Jedi Outcast kicks ass, and so does Medal of Honor, not to mention Goldeneye.
Even thought it's on the 64, I still play it alot.

Damaramu · Post by **Damaramu** » 2002-12-03 12:59pm

If I was stuck playing Nintendo 64, I'd probably lose some brain activity too.

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2002-12-03 01:01pm

How do they know its not because GoldenEye sucked. They should have tried an interactive FPS like Quake or UT.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2002-12-03 01:38pm

Last year I wrote my Intro to Socialogical Principles term paper on the relation between violent video games and violent behavior.

One of the research studies I used as part of my source material concluded that the playing of violent video games has no influence on violent behavior in adolescents. Basically, the preference to games with violent content for both normal kids and kids with behavioral problems were pretty much equal. In their conclusion they also hypothisised that the reason violent video games don't induce violent behavior in the same way that films/TV and literature can is that the interactive aspect of the gameplay might disconnect the "switch" in the brain that relates to violent behavior.

At least I think. It was nearly eight months ago, and was a very hard paper to write.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2002-12-03 06:08pm

I've been playing computer games nearly all my life.

I think it's actually helped me in the frontal lobe department

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2002-12-03 06:43pm

I've been playing FPS games since Wolfenstein 3-D first came out and I have *yet* to go psycho and kill someone... hell I was playing the dreaded NES before that and the C64. Computer games are a strawman for parents who don't want to admit that their parenting skills suck.

Raptor 597 · Post by **Raptor 597** » 2002-12-03 07:29pm

Hmm, it maybe crap. I mean I haven't gone stupider in my gaming yeas. though that may be due too an westimated 140-150 IQ. My creavity has increased in destructive thought or just being evil.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2002-12-03 09:18pm

In my own personal experience, this is very true; my grades are inversely proportional to hours spent playing Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City.

Brother-Captain Gaius · Post by **Brother-Captain Gaius** » 2002-12-03 09:22pm

Holy crap, I freakin' live on my computer, most of that time is spent playing "violent video games", and I'm more creative and a faster learner than almost everyone I know.

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-03 09:46pm

JediNeophyte wrote:Holy crap, I freakin' live on my computer, most of that time is spent playing "violent video games", and I'm more creative and a faster learner than almost everyone I know.

Ya, when i was 13, i played computer games alot and I had college level math skills. Seriously.
Go figure.

victorhadin · Post by **victorhadin** » 2002-12-04 09:23am

Well maybe games like Civilisation 3 actually increase brain activity in certain regions, but sadly this effect would be more than cancelled out by the sheer waste of time, work and sleep caused by Civ addiction.

Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader · Post by **Lord Sauron-Tyranus-Vader** » 2002-12-04 09:24am

victorhadin wrote:Well maybe games like Civilisation 3 actually increase brain activity in certain regions, but sadly this effect would be more than cancelled out by the sheer waste of time, work and sleep caused by Civ addiction.

One needs only to play for a short tme to feel one's brain

cells multiplying.