Here it is, folks. Episode 25, in which I finally get around to The Big One: Video game violence. I could think of no place more appropriate to do this than in my Finals entry in the ScrewAttack contest…
If you enjoy it, why not go HERE and vote for me in the contest itself?
http://screwattack.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=48749
However it goes down, I appreciate every vote I’ve gotten and will get. None of this is possible without the fans, and I don’t plan on forgetting that.
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
Good luck, Bob! This is definitely one of your better ones, and live action Bob…we only see that on special occasions, like the Overthinker Forever opening or your Oscar special. Again, good luck.
-Sara
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I agree with Sara, this was definitely one of the best Overthinker's in some time (backhanded compliment, yay!). But seriously, this one rocked, and actually made me think differently for a change. I would say I'm a bit more optimistic about the gaming industry.
If I may suggest a topic, I think you should deal at least a little in the economics of the gaming industry, since it seems a subject you haven't talked about. I say this mainly because GameStop is starting to piss me off, but it's still important, I think.
-J
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Thanks Bob for making good videos! Hope you win. But you will continue making videos either way?
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One of your greatest by far. Though I haven't seen the competition's video, I can still say you have a pretty good chance of winning with that piece of work.
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There's a small problem with that comment on casual gamers and fighting amongst eachother. I love playing games on the Wii, but the image the Wii has actually further promotes anti violence acts. Every violent game on the wii has gotten some outburst somewhere. Manhunt 2, the most famous example, got censored, only because it was on the Wii. The PS2 version remains mostly untouched to this day. Yes, this industry could use growth, but the Wii has just painted the industry as a place where GTA shouldn't exist and so yes, the infighting there does need to exist.
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Hey, moviebob. I just found your site via “the escapist”, and other than your Transformer 2 review (with which I agree 100%), this was your first video I ever watched.
And what can I say: Excellent video! You present some very precise, well thought-out reasoning and – especially – show an ammount of self-critique and critical thinking that is, sadly, sorely lacking from most gamers.
However, I've got some small problem with your point that arguing against the claim “media consumption causes violence” is superfluos.
You see… I'm german. You will probably have heared about censorship – especially concerning video games – in my country. In Germany, the claim “playing violent video games will make you violent” has essentially become a sort of societal dogma, a quasi-religious doctrine the powers that be and a great part of the populace believe in.
(Allthough there are arguably other societal and cultural… quirks in Germay that contribute to the censorship issue. Let's just say that Pvt. Webster's exclamation “You servile fucks!” in “Band of Brothers” wasn't an entirely imprecise characterisation of german society. But I digress.)
As you rightly pointed out, this is nothing but an unsubstantiated believe, one that is demonstratably false.
But if such a religious dogma *does* become so wildly accepted that it also becomes a societal and judical dogma, I think the only option left is to hammer the point home, so to speak of, again and again. A lie can only be overcome by spreading the truth.
Damn, that was pretty long. But as a german gamer, this is simply a topic that gets me.
Still, excellent video! The name “Video Game Overthinker” is truly deserved.
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Hey, Moviebob. I'm a long-time watcher of your stuff, and I don't think I've ever dissagreed with anything you've said, and this video keeps that tradition alive.
But I'd like to also turn your attention (if you're not already aware of it) to independent video games- games made without big publishers and usually released for free. Over there is where you'll probably find a lot more ammunition for the whole argument. When you take away the desire to make a lot of cash money, video games aren't just something fun to do- in many cases, they're regarded as art itself.
Take anybody who truly, honestly believes that video games are evil and make them play Jason Rohrer's Passage- to name just one example- and you'll definitely make them change their views.
It's an interesting movement, and it's one you should check out. Some really great games have been made out of it.
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Hey Bob,
I'm a fan of your vids on the Escapist, BUT here's the glaring problem with the whole premise of your argument: There ARE scientific studies that link violent video games to violent actions:
-Craig A. Anderson & Brad J. Bushman (2001) say it increases aggressive personality.
-Sheese & Graziano (2005) say it decreases prosocial behavior.
-Bartholow & others (2006) found it to desensitize subjects to violence.
You can find all of these studies on Google Scholar, but the source I got them from was my Social Psychology textbook (David Myers, 9th edition, 2008).
The conclusions from these scientific, peer-reviewed studies support the conclusion that repeatedly playing violent video games may increase aggressive thinking, feelings, behavior even more than television or movies do, as the experience involves much more active participation than those other media.
As a Psychology major, I'm tired of people on both sides of this debate arguing with either bogus facts or just anecdotal stories. There IS a link that we need to discuss clearly, honestly and politely. Idiots like Jack Thompson and Bill-O make a mockery of these studies by either turning them into hysteria or making up their own studies. All the same though, you are also guilty (but much less so) by confidently saying that there is no documented link. So please, acknowledge the existence of the scientific studies (no, not the Jack Thompson “scientific” studies) and argue from there, but don't ignore them; to do so is a disservice to the who discussion.
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True Mr. Anonymous. This is sadly true. As misread as those studies probably are, they exist. Just as science can “prove” that a black man's mind is smaller than a white man's mind back in the days of racism, science is not on our side. Hysteria always wins that battle with the public. I support the overall message, be smart instead of acting retarded, but we hardly have the scientific team or knowledge to fight that battle.
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It is also important to note that all psychological studies can only state the correlation between a number of variables. Many people, from the writers of Cosmo to people in Newsweek have a habit of implying that “strong correlation = universal truth” Any and all studies that are mentioned concerning media and violence simply show the potential strength of a relationship between the variables examined. No evidence for any statistic is truly 100% conclusive, but simply that the relationship is acceptably strong enough to comment on (with medical statistics just having a much higher acceptability threshold)Personally, I say let me see the study myself before I'll believe any statistic paraded in front of me. Science isn't wrong, it's just that some of the wrong people get a hold of it.
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Sorry, got caught up on my soapbox for too long. All I know is there is an obvious line between simulated violence and actual violence. Thank you for your insightful look into this topic!
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