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[s_l_m]

The thing that really interests me is why these school shootings always happen in smaller towns that don't have high crime rates. If it were to be outer influences like games and media that cause these things to happen then it could happen anywhere. As I see it more than often it doesn't when it comes to school shootings. The setting is always so expected.

Disclaimer: this is based on absolutely nothing, and is just my guess.

In large towns, if you are an outsider it is easier to find other people who are like you, and thus find some sort of escape. In small towns, there less chance of this, creating a pressure cooker that is eventually going to blow.

also:
"You think I got three guns in my house because the media's outside?" - Chris Rock

[mono]

The thing that really interests me is why these school shootings always happen in smaller towns that don't have high crime rates. If it were to be outer influences like games and media that cause these things to happen then it could happen anywhere. As I see it more than often it doesn't when it comes to school shootings. The setting is always so expected.

Disclaimer: this is based on absolutely nothing, and is just my guess.

In large towns, if you are an outsider it is easier to find other people who are like you, and thus find some sort of escape. In small towns, there less chance of this, creating a pressure cooker that is eventually going to blow.

also:
"You think I got three guns in my house because the media's outside?" - Chris Rock

I totally agree with that, but what is more interesting is that if games and other media were to be the cause then things would not look like they do.

[s_l_m]

That's true, because a lot of the COD players where I am from are "popular kids" where as everybody who has played (random example) Flower is more a traditional gamer type.
I know those examples are weighted as all hell, but that doesn't mean that they are not true

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

I've never seen convincing evidence that media makes much difference to the behavior of disturbed people.

you have to be joking -- what about copycat crimes? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copycat_crime

specific cases:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alleged_Natural_Born_Killers_copycat_crimes
http://people.howstuffworks.com/5-copycat-killers.htm
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/stories/10717/copycat-crimes-prevalent-in-media-heavy-culture
http://www.livescience.com/6396-china-child-attacks-copycat-crimes.html
http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/death-note/articles/39035/title/copycat-crimes-imitations

[andy wolff]

-snip-

Yes, I agree with what you're saying. What I meant was that when someone has their mind set on violence already, they don't need it to be romanticized for them to act violently, and no media article condemning violence will dissuade them. I do think it's almost always wrong for a person to say that a certain tragedy wouldn't have happened if the killer hadn't been exposed to some instance of media. We would probably be better off with the policy other folks have mentioned here where the killer remains permanently anonymous. It would also befit us to spin these sorts of tragedies into opportunities to improve our mental health care facilities.

-copycat crimes-

Paul, I would say that many of these people would have found some equally awful form of violence. From the very page you linked to:

It has been shown that most of the persons who mimic crimes seen in the media (especially news and violent movies) have in most cases prior criminal records, prior severe mental health problems or histories of violence suggesting that the effect of the media is indirect (more affecting criminal behaviour) rather than direct (directly affecting the number of criminals).

[s_l_m]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alleged_Natural_Born_Killers_copycat_crimes

One of those cases happened not far from where I live (I was in the town were it happened yesterday). I remember it was all over the news. There was some SERIOUS psychological and family problems at play, I hadn't even heard that they watched NBK until just now

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

-copycat crimes-

Paul, I would say that many of these people would have found some equally awful form of violence. From the very page you linked to:

It has been shown that most of the persons who mimic crimes seen in the media (especially news and violent movies) have in most cases prior criminal records, prior severe mental health problems or histories of violence suggesting that the effect of the media is indirect (more affecting criminal behaviour) rather than direct (directly affecting the number of criminals).

sure they would have. but that's not what you said. you said media has no influence over the mentally disturbed, when it obviously does. your claim wasn't that media doesn't make people disturbed, your claim was that media has no influence on people who are already disturbed:

I've never seen convincing evidence that media makes much difference to the behavior of disturbed people.

[andy wolff]

You are right, I misspoke. Though, it could be said that copying someone else's crime instead of coming up with your own doesn't constitute as "much difference" in the end.

[s0]

I know you're not saying that media makes no difference to people's behavior in general, but I think that depending on what we decide the difference is between a "disturbed" person and a "normal" person, it may in fact be quite accurate to claim that media at least exacerbates problems of violence and such. I agree that it isn't their primary source - people treating other people horribly is my best guess as to its primary source - but I believe that there's plenty of evidence to suggest that media can significantly affect people's opinions and perceptions of reality. I've seen it in studies and I see it in people I've known.

the studies i think you're talking about are about short-term effects, not long-term ones.

actually in academia there's an almost universal consensus that there ARE media effects but their nature and severity is still highly controversial. some theories have been more or less discredited though (the simple stimulus & response model, catharsis theory).

what you're arguing sounds a bit like george gerbner's cultivation theory. gerbner thought that media (specifically tv) consumption could "cultivate" certain attitudes & opinions in the audience. interestingly, he argued that media violence (which was the sole focus of his studies btw) made people more introverted, more fearful, more likely mistrust others etc.

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

yeah i definitely don't think violent stuff should be banned or that it'll have a major effect on most people. freedom of speech is more important than maintaining perfect security (which is impossible anyway). but i also think that those of us who create games have a voluntary responsibility not to portray things that can be easily copied by crazy people

i think at the very least there's a desensitization effect. if you watch a lot of violent gore in movies and games etc. you probably aren't as bothered by it in real life. one of my livejournal friends, who is a doctor, said that all his years spent playing violent videogames sort of numbed him to blood and guts, so that when everyone else in his med school class felt nauseous when they saw cadavers cut open and the like, he was fine

[s0]

i think at the very least there's a desensitization effect. if you watch a lot of violent gore in movies and games etc. you probably aren't as bothered by it in real life.

not true for me. im p squeamish when it comes to real life violence.

[deathtotheweird]

i think at the very least there's a desensitization effect. if you watch a lot of violent gore in movies and games etc. you probably aren't as bothered by it in real life. one of my livejournal friends, who is a doctor, said that all his years spent playing violent videogames sort of numbed him to blood and guts, so that when everyone else in his med school class felt nauseous when they saw cadavers cut open and the like, he was fine

some people are actually quite tolerant of that stuff even before video games, how would he know it was due to video games that he was able to withstand such things? did he ever see blood and guts before playing video games? did he feel sick then?

I think most people who don't have any sort of mental illness understand that video games are just video games. and some people are just generally tolerant to 'gross' stuff.

and also, seeing blood and guts on a slab in a hospital is a lot different than seeing someone's brains and skull fragments strewn out all over the ground after being shot in the head.

[cubertron]

what do you people do when you are totally down and don't feel like doing anything. Going through this but I WANT TO MAKE GAMES!!

[Ant]

^when I'm bored and lazy I quite like watching youtube game walkthroughs. Either to get the jist of new releases, look at games that are similar to the one I'm working on for extra ideas or watch a full playthrough of something I want but can't have.

[nikki]

me too I love let's plays of various simulation/roguelike/tactical game. preferably by crazy obsessive people..

[zalzane]

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9416

comments section is pretty funny

[s0]

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9416

comments section is pretty funny

is that some kind of fetish or sth 

[Tumetsu]

It's the future

I'll wait until I either absolutely have to take implant or when they actually augment my body.

[Dr. Cooldude]

“Please don’t implant this thing into yourselves."
So…. who can I implant one into? : )

So…. who can I implant one into? : )

: )

: )

: )

So…. who can I implant one into?

This is legitimately creepy.

[Bandages]

I have a friend who gives me very strong handshake. I want to implant this under the skin between thumb and poiny finger. Is it possible that hard handshake or some physical exersice can break glass ?