Havent read the article yet
But my two cents worth on this discussion is this:
If anything, Violent video games, violent movies and the constant barrage of violent news media only serves to de-sensitize our children to violence. How many times have you driven past a car wreck and seen scores of people bumper necking to get a good look at whatever blood they can? Or seeing two drunks fight and beat each other to death? or the scores of violent situations broadcast on youtube? UFC? Pride? The Beheading of americans captured by Radical Islamists and broadcast on algezzera and then re broadcast by US on Ogrish and consumptionjunction?
We have a high rate of violence in this country and could we state that it is due to what we see on the television everynight or the video games that these geeky guys create for us?
you know it used to be said that violent music such as death metal and heavy metal in general facilitated extremely violent behavior in our youth(being an old member of the mosh pit i can safely say that those opinions on music were just plain wrong). Accountability lies within the individual and i think it is a cop out and a poor attempt to escape accountability when someone allows their emotions to get the better of them and they go out and seriously hurt someone or even kill them,and then they say " well i was out of my mind or i was posessed by the devil or Grand theft Auto influenced me to do this, or i just got so enraged and out of control when i listened to Pantera or Lamb of God(great band BTW)".
So i dont really believe that these sorry excuses for video games like GTA and violent movies or TV shows spawns the violent behavior and is a root cause of why we have violence in our society. We are violent by nature. if any thing i feel that what has the MOST influence in our violent history is RELIGION. I mean look at the Radical Islamist factions. They are motivated more so by their rhetoric(just like early christians were in the time of the crusades) to go out and blow themselves up or to go kill the infidels yada yada yada.
Would it be a safe statement to make if i said that "violent video games and movies and music etc were a SAFE outlet to channel that rage and aggression?" play GTA and be able to do all the things that you really couldnt get away with in society lest ye be caught and thrown in prison,or the mosh pit where you can bash around with other repressed men and come out with only bruises and a bloody nose here and there. Or watching a violent movie and allowing your mind to be desensitized and complacent in the face of that violence?
Okay i will go read the article now:D Peace,TWS