POLL: Are video games mirroring us, or creating us?

This post has to do with the article found here http://www.twitchguru.com/2007/03/ [...] e_exposed/
The article, written by Charles M. Kozierok talks about what I believe is really commonplace issues with ALL video games. Do video games have an influence on how we percieve life?


(slightly disorganized but I type and interject as things come to me, so bear with me) Here is my lil rant:

I for one, find Kozierok's points very valid. Dehumanization is something that army's all over the world use to "brainwash" children and soldiers to become militants. Video games incorporate very much the same kind of influences by making it not only ok to kill, but rewarding. We all want to live in a better world, so why don't we? We are all constantly either ignorant, or unmotivated when it comes to change. If we really do want a better world, we need to start thinking in a passionate about life way and not in such an animalistic way. Animals seek to survive, to conquer terrority, and to ensure tomorrow. If we could work together and think more objectively about how we raise our children to think, we could indeed change the world.

I believe video games simply mimic the real world, and in turn influence it by teaching our children what it really is, sucking them into the loop at an early age, and reducing them to be what we are. Despite any scientific research, humans are still the same fallible, weak-minded, emotional creatures that they a million years ago. The way that government operates, the way that people war over land, the way we are seduced by sex...none of it has changed. Today's "modern" governments are just as tainted as those of the ancients. Superstitious religions still abound and unrest continues.

"If You're Too Stupid To Realize It's A Scam, You Deserve To Get Scammed." A quote from a heading in the article.
I think it's hilarious (and sad) how we reward academic achievement with praise and scholarships, and then insult for ignorance. Just because a person doesn't know something does not mean they are stupid. A very bright child may fall in love and get hurt, that doesn't mean they are stupid, it means they lack experience. Being a "newbie" to any game does not make you less of a person, yet anyone here who plays games has probably called someone a newbie in a derogatory fashion at some point or another. I grew up in the 80's and early 90's, and it's obvious to me that there was more respect between people even then, than there is now. What's happened to us? Will we ever start treating each other with respect again or do we have so much disdain for one another now that the good days of actually knowing who your neighbor is and hanging out are gone?

The article mentions trash talking, and taking the game too seriously, just as sports often are. My girlfriend's father is a sports fanatic who doesn't just not value video gaming, he despises it. The difference though is that while I can shut off a video game in the middle of it and not care, he can't stand to miss Sunday's game. While I'm not a communist (what difference is there really between it and democracy anyway though), I honestly believe that China's new law of 3 hours of video gaming a day could have profound effects on the country's economy and learning. Note that the Chinese government is not out to keep everyone from having fun, as they do allow time for it, but they feel that collectively they have decided what is best for people. Do people honestly know what's best for themselves anyway? How many people think analytically about everything? It's great to see Charles Kozierok thinking deeply about the mental health of his children, and not just putting food on the table as many parents do. This article inspires us to think more rationally about the effects of everyday things we've come to take for granted, and we could all use a little more of that. My hat goes off to one of the best articles I've read in awhile, one which I was largely in agreeance with before ever reading it. Thanks Charles.

To EVERYONE: Leave your own thoughts/responses! PLEASE try to stay on topic, and PLEASE leave good, clear, concise thoughts!

Not reading the article, I'd like to ask about this option:

Why is it unfortunate? Games are art, interactive and adaptive, but still art. Art imitates and influences life, but that's the whole point. I have no problems with that and don't find it slightly unfortunate.

What I find unfortunate are parents who don't understand parenting, the general practice of apathy over sympathy, and lack of understanding regarding agency and accountability. If those issues were solved, we wouldn't be talking about video games.

You're right about EVERYTHING affecting our thoughts and ANY media can influence you as well. I've seen my stepsons father let him watch a PG rated movie after which he had nightmares for two weeks. I've also seen little kids (5ish) in a horribly graphic R rated movie stare wild eyed and then cover their eyes and cry while their parents ate popcorn.

To say that we are unaffected by our environment and things that our senses input to our brain is just ignorance. A little girl gets raped and is over-protective of her grandaughter almost a century later. We are all products of our environments, and because of that we as parents need to do an ASTOUNDING job at TEACHING our children. How often have we let it up to our babysitters, another parent, or the legal system? Then we have the tenacity to go around pointing fingers at society and others. When will we realize that it ALL starts with parenting? If we want a better society, we have to start with ourselves and not blame others. You guys are right, video games are an art form and as such there needs to be freedom to create. The problem lies with parents who fail to keep crap out of their kids minds. The only way to correct it is to open the eyes of kids who had "unrealized" parents that will soon be parents themselves. Everyone's goal in life should be to be a better parent and teacher than their parents were. If we could promote that simple idea throughout our society, many many problems down the line would be solved.

Not a fan of that sentiment. Makes it seem as though we're all victims. We are products of what we do as soon as we know how to act for ourselves. Don't mistake that for taking the responsibility off of parents. Parents should educate themselves and their children, constantly. Knowledge is power, the power to act without FUD.

Don't mind me, just picking the sentences I liked.

As long as you realize that you don't have to have children to practice better parenting and teaching then I'm fine with that. I'd like to see more people learn that lesson before they have kids. To use a cliché, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It takes a community to raise a child. Every person is an influence. We are products of our environments. I told myself for a few years that I would refuse to be. But then I realized that by refusing to be, I was still a product of my environment. My environment had made me not want to be...get it?