This is the case for manhunt by rockstar games, should children be allowed to play such graphic games, and do you think it has any effect on there behaviour at all? Espeically if they are seeing these images all the time.

Copy Cat Violence

Below is an extract from wikipedia

Copy Cat Violence
The most influential studies on the debate around media studies have usually been headline-grabbing 'proofs' of Effects theory. Subsequent attempts to replicate, modify, refine or reject these headline studies have proven of less interest to the Mass Media
Bobo Doll
This classic study, in 1961, exposed two groups of nursery children to a new play area, containing a selection of toys with which they were unfamiliar. One of the toys was a threefoot inflatable Bobo Clown with a weighted base, designed as a self-righting 'punchbag' toy. As they played, the non-aggression (control) set observed an adult playing quietly with certain toys and ignoring Bobo. In the aggression set, the adult 'model' performed a distinctive set of violent moves on Bobo, such as sitting on its head and punching its nose, striking it with a toy mallet, and kicking it into the air, while uttering aggressive phrases such as Punch him in the nose!. Independent observers later scored children's behaviour for aggression when left alone to play with these toys. Those exposed to the 'aggressive' adult demonstrably imitated many of the adult's moves. (See Bandura et al).

It continues to say

The Jamie Bulger Case
There has been a long running argument as to whether or not films have influenced people to head out and commit acts of violence and murder. One of the major front runners in this issue is the Jamie Bulger story. On February 12, 1993 Mersyside Robert Thompson and Jon Vernables (both aged 10) kidnapped, abused and murdered the young toddler Jamie Bulger. The two boys were arrested and instantly the story gained mass media coverage, soon after, it was alleged that the two boys had recently seen the filmChild Play 3, the media instantly took hold of this and the film was seen as the cause of the murder of Jamie Bulger. During the trial, the judge suggested that the film was to blame for the two boys' actions. The media scare at this time was used by the Prime Minister John Major as propaganda to try to steer children away from glue sniffing and mischief.
The BBC called it a "landmark case" as it was a moral panic about children the threat of other's, and the defenselessness of our own. After the image of a small figure being taken away by two slightly larger figures was all over the tabloids,sales of toddler reins shot up, and in a survey of parents by the children's organization, Kidscape, 97% of respondents put abduction as their biggest worry, ahead of traffic accidents, glue-sniffing and AIDS.

The Columbine Killings
In 1999 two boys shot several students to death in Columbine in Colorado. Afterwards they committed suicide. Accusations were made that they were influenced by violent videogames and/or films or gothmusic.
In Micheal Moore's documentary about these killings, Bowling for Columbine he examines the possible inspirations for these horrible deeds. He interviews two persons who are frequently criticized for their supposed negative influence on society: rock musician Marilyn Manson and Matt Stone of South Park. Moore comes to the conclusion that these and other media influences do not necessarily lead to copycat cases. He states that the two murderers committed the massacre while the Kosover War was occurring and that they went bowling before the massacre. The war in Kosovo was a real deed of violence, but virtually no one accused Bill Clinton or the Us Millitary of inspiring the murders. If television programs, computer games and rock music are considered possible inspirations why couldn't bowling be the cause? This ridiculous claim shows Moore's point. If you can connect the massacre to rock being listened to days ago, why can't you connect bowling played directly beforehand? This is a classic case of Correlation vs causiation
It is shown that guns are relatively easy to buy in stores and American news broadcasts tend to be so sensational and often scaring in their delivery of events that mass hysteria erupts. People get so frightened and/or disturbed that they overreact to certain things and feel so unsafe they want to buy weapons for protection.

Comment Guys!

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Focus Group

Whilst conducting a focus group i asked several questions, the key questions were:

1. To what extent do you think violnt video games effect childrens behaviour?
2. Do you think that the media make violent video games seem worst than they are?
3. Do you think that there is a bigger problem in America on this subject, or is it just because of what we see in the media?
4. Do you think its easier to buy high age rating games than alchol? Why?
5. Do you think parents should have more control over what there children play?
6. Do you think that the games where the sole aspect is to kill people should be rated higher than those where people get shot along the way?
7. Finally, do you think that there is a direct link between violent video games and childrens violent behaviour?

These questions provoked many discussions and below i have listed my findings:

1. Depends how subsetical/passive child is
   Some children imate games anf films but only in play - Not real violence, no intent to hurt anyone
   Some children want to be game characters however they know the difference between real and pretned violence
   Children can be violent towards toys - they know its not going to hurt them - children not as passive as media makes out - they know when to draw the line
   Other aspecs could be to blame - idols carring guns ect
2. Media blow everything out of proportion to make better news - scape goat need something to blame - video games easy way out
   Games are not usually to blame other aspects - music culture
3. American children have more accsses to guns so can copy violence/ gun shoots easier
   Not as easy acsess in england.
   Media pick up on panic in America and portray it in our media
4. Can order games online, dont have to go to a sop and proove there age like alchol
   Huge difference in alcohol and games- drink doesnt damage health
   Hard to enforce age laws in smaller shops - they dont have regular inspections - no pressure to enforce age ratings as much as bigger shops
5. Depends on game
   Parent plays the games so children do - children as young as 8 playing GTA
6. No diffrence - Still killing people
7. No direct link - if mature enough to play the game - mature enough to realise that it's not real
   Maybe plays a tine part - but not as large as made out
   Children can play higher age rating if mature enough/age rating isnt that much more than atchul age
   

Do you agree/ disagree? Anything you want to add?

Primary Research

I will be using many methods of primary research. For a start i have conducted a questionnaire which included these questions:
1. Are you:


Male Female


2. How old are you?

………………………………………..


3. What are your hobbies?

…………………………………………

4. What is your favourite video game?

…………………………………………

5. What age rating is it?

…………………………………………

6. Would you consider this game violent?

………………………………………….

7. How many other video games to do you play that you consider violent?

………………………………………….


8. How often do you play video games?


Every day Two – Three times a week

Once a week Once a fortnight


Once a month Not on a regular basis


9. Do you have any games that are of higher age rating than your actual age?


Yes No


10. If yes, how did you get them?

…………………………………………….


This particular questionnaire is for children (8-16) to fill out. I have also included another questionaire for the parents of the children which asks about their childrens behavoiur and if they think that violent video games affects the behaviour.

To what extent does video game violence effect childrens behaviour?

This blog is for me to display all my critical reserch and in turn use it as a from of primary research. The question, whcich is stated above, is the question i hope to study throughout this project.