Shoutbox

the excuse ive been looking for to play more games

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Originally posted by http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3553352.stm

Video games 'good for children'

Computer games can promote problem-solving and team-building in children, according to games industry experts.

The message forms part of the Edinburgh International Games Festival, which is holding events for schoolchildren to create their own games.

Children at the Royal Museum are designing characters, as well as writing dialogue and storylines.

The games industry has denied claims that it is responsible for creating couch potatoes and promoting violence.

Last month, the Dixons group decided not to sell a controversial Edinburgh-developed video game, Manhunt, because the family of a murdered boy linked it to his death.

   
Children say that playing violent games is a way for them to get rid of their frustrations

Judy Robertson
Edinburgh University
"The manufacturers have denied there is any connection between on-screen violence and real life. "

Other events at the festival include game screenings, game-play sessions and a two-day conference.

Games creators and publishers from the UK, Japan and Canada are expected to attend.

Festival director Lisa Fox said: "What we've tried to do is appeal to everyone. So we have a trade conference and two consumer events, which give the public the chance both to get hands-on with the games and to meet the people who make them.

"It's a place to explore the art and the business of interactive entertainment."

'World-leading talent'

Dr Judy Robertson, of Edinburgh University, said some children had told her during computer games workshops that playing violent games did not result in violence in real life.

She said: "Children say that playing violent games is a way for them to get rid of their frustrations, they get rid of their anger and take things out on the characters in the computer games rather than people in the playground."

Chris Van Der Kuyl, of VIS Entertainment, said it wanted to make games which were fun and entertaining.

He said video gaming is "the biggest entertainment industry in the 21st century".

"People have to realise it is the future and we have world-leading talent here in Scotland."

Heres a reason for my parents to let me play PC games all day long

Im gonna got "let out some anger" now

Yes but isn't it true that violent games also cause children to kill each other, and cause violence within the streets, not all games are good for you, logic games that stimulate the mind are good for all sorts of reasons.

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Originally posted by bbc news

Manhunt game withdrawn by stores
Stefan Pakeerah
Stefan was repeatedly battered and stabbed by his older friend
A number of high street retailers have taken the violent computer game Manhunt off their shelves.

The move comes after the parents of a schoolboy murdered by a friend blamed the game for their son's death.

Warren Leblanc, 17, of Braunstone Frith, Leicester, on Wednesday pleaded guilty to the murder of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah in February 2004.

Stefan's parent's claimed Leblanc had been obsessed by the game but standards bodies have rejected the link.

   
We are taking it off the shelves with immediate effect
Dixons spokesperson

Caution call on Manhunt backlash
Patrick Pakeerah, Stefan's father, welcomed the decision to withdraw the game from sale.

He said: "It's a video instruction on how to murder somebody, it just shows how you kill people and what weapons you use.

"If we can stop another family having to go through what we're going through now, by taking this games and games of this nature off the shelves, then we would have achieved something and Stefan wouldn't have died in vain."

Leblanc had savagely beaten his victim with a claw hammer and stabbed him repeatedly after luring him to a local park.

Leicester Crown Court heard the defendant had planned to rob Stefan.

However, Stefan's mother, Giselle, claimed Leblanc had been obsessed by the game, which awards points for savage killings.

Still from Manhunt
Manhunt should only be sold to people aged 18 and over
"When one looks at what Warren did to Stephan and looks at the brutality and viciousness of the game one can see links," she said

She said teenagers, who lack the psychological maturity of adults, play the games, even though they are aimed at over-18s.

And she said she was "ecstatic" about Dixon's decision to stop selling the game.

A spokeswoman for Dixons said on Thursday: "We are taking it off the shelves with immediate effect."

In addition to the Dixons Group Plc, which includes PC World and Currys, video game specialist Game announced that it had taken Manhunt off its shelves as a mark of respect.

Other stores including WH Smith are debating whether to stop selling the game.

A statement from the game's publishers Rockstar North said: "We extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by these tragic events.

"Rockstar Games is a leading publisher of interactive entertainment geared towards mature audiences and markets its games responsibly, targeting advertising and marketing only to adult consumers ages 18 and older.

   
Those aged eight years or below do in the short-term re-enact or copy what they see on the screen
Professor Mark Griffiths, Nottingham Trent University

"Rockstar Games submits every game for certification to the BBFC - British Board of Film Certification and clearly marks the game with the BBFC-approved rating."

A spokesperson for the British Board of Film Classification said the game had been given an 18 certificate.

It was also the board's opinion that there were no issues of harm attached to the game and there was no evidence directly linking the playing of games with violent behaviour.

The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers' Association, the voluntary standards body for the video game industry, said: "We sympathise enormously with the family and parents of Stefan Pakeerah.

"However, we reject any suggestion or association between the tragic events and the sale of the video game Manhunt."

Professor Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, a psychology expert, said more research was needed into how violent video games can influence the behaviour of adolescents.

He said: "Research has shown those aged eight years or below do in the short-term re-enact or copy what they see on the screen.

"But there's been no longitudinal research following adolescents over a longer period, looking at how gaming violence might affect their behaviour."

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as you can see, violent games are already causing repocussions.

number of ppl that bought games like manhunt or gta: millions
number of crazy ppl who decided to kill somebody after playing them: a few

EDIT: also if u play games like super mario sunshine do u go out and spray water over ppl
no
if u play spyro do u set fire to ppl
no
if u play c&c do u go and take over an army and tell them what to do
nope
if u play final fantasy do you challenge gr8 big monsters 2 fights
no again
i think ive proved my point

So this doesn't matter, these 'few' could still kill people with familys, loved ones, people with small children that will grow up without a father or a mother, just becuase there are a 'few' doesn't make it ok, there are many other cases in games when people have killed people, and with the punisher coming out, i think that there will be more.

Germany have already started to sort themselves out, they have banned a lot of violence in their games already, for example, in Ninja Gaiden, you cannot chop humans heads off and there is no human blood throughout the game.

and no. your point is not proven, you have just not explained anything at all, because people do spray people, they may not spray fire, how many people do you know with a flamethrower? How many people with armys (sadam etc.) but thats not relevant, and how many giant monsters do you see walking the streets?

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there are many other cases in games when people have killed people

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The same can be said for violent movies and books, etc.
If the parents gave a sh*t about their kids and what they did some of these violent acts might have been prevented. And there is no telling that if he hadn't been playing the game that he would have killed that kid  or another person when he was older.

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Originally posted by Black_Forky
The same can be said for violent movies and books, etc.
If the parents gave a sh*t about their kids and what they did some of these violent acts might have been prevented. And there is no telling that if he hadn't been playing the game that he would have killed that kid  or another person when he was older.

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The fact that he used the methods of the games and had a room full of violent games didn't matter. You're saying that this child was just crazy, and would've killed him if manhunt hadn't came out?

Just because manhunt *might* have set him off doesn't mean that a movie or  a disagreement with somebody could have also set him off

Hey look if someone is stupid enough to be influenced by a video game then they shouldn't be allowed to watch TV after the water-shed etc. Also games have ratings like 15, 18 etc. How do young children get these games? Which then asks the question who is really to blame?

in this case the dumbass kid, the parents and rockstar