Did you know, Video Games Are Made to "Train us to Kill"?

[DirtyDMan]

Shocked by the title, yes, you should be, as that's what Alan Watt, author, researcher and conspiracy theorist wants us to believe. He's claiming that video games are "taking away our freedom" and are essentially training us to kill. Absurd words, but if you're still interested, this is what he had to say.

"They are putting money into videogames to get the children hooked on a fantasy, to train them to just kill the enemy target when they go abroad. No doubt in this game they’ll be using the clothing of the target that they will eventually be set against. That’s the kind of world we live in now. And you think you’re all free. You think that your children are free and here you are being indoctrinated and allowing your children, not just to be indoctrinated, but to be basically brought up with a military mentality and a killer mentality and you think that’s ok"

As if his original words haven't already spurred on many angry games, he then went on to say this:

"In this society, as I say, they've already been weaponized, the children, with video games that were meant to desensitize them into killing. And they're doing an awful lot of killing abroad. Incredible killing. And enjoying it in fact, really enjoying it, as we've seen from the exposés from Wikileaks and others. They really enjoy it. If you look into the military websites, you'll get shocked at all the photographs they put up there to send home. Putting their fingers in the hole of their first kill and so on, it doesn't matter who it is or what it is. And you're supposed to be proud of these characters."

Baxy-Z.com - Video Game News, Reviews, Previews Did you know, Video Games Are Made to "Train us to Kill"? (http://www.baxy-z.com/site_content.php?title=did-you-know-video-games-are-made-to-train-us-to-kill)

Some buddy has been getting into grandpa's cough medicine..

I dont really know who this Alan Watt guy is and maybe I should of look him up before posting this. From what I read up top tho.. I think this guy a little coo coo for cocoa puffs if you know what I mean.. "I could go for some cocoa puffs right now"

To say that video games are training use to kill and to have a killer mentality is really pushing it a little to far.

Ive been playing violent games all my life and I have never killed anyone. I cant even bring myself to kill a spider when I see one in my room and I'm very afraid of spiders..

Killing someone in a video game cant ever be compared with killing someone in real life.. To me thats two extremely different things....

To say that young man/women decide to go into the military because they played violent games is also insane. People join the military for a number of different reason and I bet if you ask everyone in the military if they join b/c of gaming no one would say they did..

I can go on but I just want to know what you guys think.... or am I the crazy one here?

[Jokersvirus]

conspiracy theorist

that is the single point of the issue right there. They believe the world is out to get them so to an extend it can be considered paranoia because of this.

Ive been playing video games since the NES came out, I have training on firearms but I got it from law enforcement officers, not video games.

The issue with video games is that they are simple scapegoats, anytime something goes wrong in the world they blame video games because they have no logical reason as to why someone did it.

The Military, law enforcement etc etc use video games to help train soldiers and officers. When someone sits here and says they are training me to kill is a complete lie.

If video games desensitize why do people still feel sorrow when others are killed, cause if were being trained to kill we wouldnt care about others.

that is just me

[DirtyDMan]

Very good point Joker... Scapegoats yes indeed....

[Jokersvirus]

I will state that not everyone is connected to reality and knows the difference between reality and VR

I read a story about a kid who plays WoW and he dueled a friend at school and lost, next day he took a can of gas poured it over the friend and set him on fire, the child recieved burns on about 80% of his body. When asked why he stated something along the lines of "When i did it i wasnt me, I was a fire mage."

this is one true example of video games at there possible worse, but these stories are few and very far between.

I guess the next thing they will try and take away from us gamers, is Humans vs zombies, if you dont know what that is google it, very fun.

[Lunos219]

My take on the topic:

There are extremists for even the most trivial of issues. You really didn't expect anyone at all to attack video games at some point?

[EpsilonX]

In case people don't know, i'll spell it out for them

SHOOTING GAMES ARENT THE ONLY VIDEO GAMES


there are MANY other types of games, shooting games just get the most publicity? Why? Because western audiences are all for style over substance. Dumb movies with cheap laughs and flashy special effects make money. Manufactured pop songs (rap these days has turned into pop, dont deny it) is simply made with whatever lyrics in the verse, it doesn't really matter, and a catchy chorus. There is nothing more really to a lot of songs put out these days. Video games are the same way. Shooters are popular because you pop the disc in, run around and kill some things. Instant gratification. Nobody wants to play a deep game anymore, or listen to music that takes listens upon listens to uncover all of the things you miss first time around.

whoever wrote this article is a dumb****


My take on the topic:

There are extremists for even the most trivial of issues. You really didn't expect anyone at all to attack video games at some point?

what about that idiot that would always complain about games being too violent. jack thompson was it?

[Jokersvirus]

People are just idiots when it comes to video games, those who say they are bad, are either trying to be perfect parents and are failing or they are extremely old school where they didnt grow up with what we have today and dont see its place in society.

Either way video games arent going anywhere, if im not mistaken Supreme court said video games cant be banned because that would be a violation of freedom of speech.

[whitekran]

Hitman?? played it before??

[Diligence109]

it's fair to say that video games could at least contribute to desensitizing us to violence, gore, and killing... but I don't believe that the psychological effect is such that they outright drive us to behave in those ways. It takes some other spark to drive someone to be a killer... the people less averse to killing are, however, more apt to take on the practice and video games may prepare them for that.

That's about as far as I can go in defense of the position, beyond that I feel like our buddy Alan here is drawing conclusions too far from his premises.



tl;dr - games may desensitize us a little to violence, but they don't make us violent; the author is dumb.

[Jokersvirus]

it's fair to say that video games could at least contribute to desensitizing us to violence, gore, and killing... but I don't believe that the psychological effect is such that they outright drive us to behave in those ways. It takes some other spark to drive someone to be a killer... the people less averse to killing are, however, more apt to take on the practice and video games may prepare them for that.

That's about as far as I can go in defense of the position, beyond that I feel like our buddy Alan here is drawing conclusions too far from his premises.



tl;dr - games may desensitize us a little to violence, but they don't make us violent; the author is dumb.

Actually that isnt true about it takes a spark to make us a killer look at jjeffery dunham or whatever his name is.

Raped little boys, did "Brain surgery" to try and make zombie slaves ate pieces of his victim because he believed their soul would become one with them.

What started all of this? Nothing grew up in middle/ upper class and he started collecting and killing animals around 7.

So a spark needed is not always needed.

[EpsilonX]

it's fair to say that video games could at least contribute to desensitizing us to violence, gore, and killing... but I don't believe that the psychological effect is such that they outright drive us to behave in those ways. It takes some other spark to drive someone to be a killer... the people less averse to killing are, however, more apt to take on the practice and video games may prepare them for that.

That's about as far as I can go in defense of the position, beyond that I feel like our buddy Alan here is drawing conclusions too far from his premises.



tl;dr - games may desensitize us a little to violence, but they don't make us violent; the author is dumb.

well exposure to anything will desensitize us to it. If somebody's used to classical music and you play them death metal, it'll probably make their head explode. you introduce them little by little to heavier music, they'll eventually get used to it. If somebody is exposed to violence, whether through video games, movies, or even growing up in a dangerous neighborhood, they're going to be less sensitive about it than somebody sheltered their whole life

[Muffincat]

Actually that isnt true about it takes a spark to make us a killer look at jjeffery dunham or whatever his name is.

Raped little boys, did "Brain surgery" to try and make zombie slaves ate pieces of his victim because he believed their soul would become one with them.

What started all of this? Nothing grew up in middle/ upper class and he started collecting and killing animals around 7.

So a spark needed is not always needed.

I think that the "spark" there would be his brain.

I don't think he necessarily meant that a magical thing happens to make people a killer. The point was more that it takes more than playing video games to make someone a killer.

Which your example illustrates very well ;D

Also, it's Dahmer. :)

[Jokersvirus]

I think that the "spark" there would be his brain.

I don't think he necessarily meant that a magical thing happens to make people a killer. The point was more that it takes more than playing video games to make someone a killer.

Which your example illustrates very well ;D

Also, it's Dahmer. :)

thanks for the correction Muffin, you learn so many Arabic names you forget how to spell in english anymore...

Yes it does take more to become a killer but the biggest thing needed is that your a socialopath, dont give a damn about anyone else in the world. Once you have that your pretty much set for life on being a killer or someone really screwed up.


People blame video games because they're stupid and dont understand the generation I grew up in. I am getting old when I Can remember when the NES came out and i got my first one and first Sega Saturn etc etc.

Also another thing that can come into play that could try people over the edge is beliefs. Like... CoD MW2, And this isnt racist this is what I learned in terrorism.

Lets say some extremist Muslim group, Al-Qaeda, Tailban, Uhh LTTE etc etc has members that play this game and see that they are killing their own brothers and sisters, that is enough to drive them nuts and go attack someone right off the back.

Like the creators of south park how in the eyes of the extremist they insulted their prophet and they must pay.

Its stuff like that, Also could look at Fort Hood and see the same situation arise.

[BobTD]

I had an interesting thought, how about we look at history going back over the past few hundred years and figure out why people didnt kill each other before video games. =P

Most people understand that this guy is a crackpot. As if we need "training" to kill one another.

[Project Blaze]

I highly doubt that it's video games that are the catalyst for murderous intentions. It's the environment the individual grows up in and the state of mind that develops because of such an environment. Although some people have genetic traits that help to push them in that direction, it's still their environment while growing up and what you learn or even teach yourself at such ages that determine whether a person is prone to killing or not. Well, that's my stance anyway.