Poll: Republicans think video games are a "bigger threat to safety" than guns.

[Direckshun]

From a recent PPP poll, a question they asked Republicans:

National Republican Primary Toplines

Q1 What do you think is a bigger safety threat in
America: guns or violent video games?
Guns ............................................................... 14%
Video games................................................... 67%
Not sure .......................................................... 19%

Now wait, gun control advocates oftentimes argue that guns are inherently dangerous. The popular rebuttal from gun rights advocates (who, I'll admit, I'm mashing in with Republicans in this thread) is that guns aren't dangerous, the people who use them are dangerous. Guns don't kill people. People do.

But video games -- hey now, hold the phone. Video games are such a huge threat to safety. Guns aren't -- because you can't blame guns for the demented people that use them. But video games?

Forget the fact that there's absolutely no link between video games and violence. None. And study after study after study shows that when guns are more prevalent/available, the odds of homicide and violence typically shoot up.

This is why folks Jindal are calling the GOP "the stupid party," and begging their supporters to abandon the willful ignorance that a game of Halo is more dangerous than a handgun.

Two questions:

1. Which do you think is the bigger threat to safety: video games or guns.

2. What sense can you make of the particular piece of PPP polling I've quoted above?

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by blaise

Are Republicans on some giant mission to ban video games?

I dunno, but my kid wanted to work in the video game industry until Sandy Hook. She liked the shoot 'em ones too.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I dunno, but my kid wanted to work in the video game industry until Sandy Hook. She liked the shoot 'em ones too.

[Garcia Bronco]

I seriously doubt there is a study or a collection of studies comprehensive enough to determine the long term effects of violent video games on the human being.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Nope. It's 100% true. Go check my archive and you will see why she took the major she choose.

[cosmo20002]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Nope. It's 100% true. Go check my archive and you will see why she took the major she choose.

Yeah, I'm right on that.

[WhiteWhale]

The first amendment is terrifying.

[listopencil]

We obviously need stricter video game legislation.

[listopencil]

We need to crack down on high capacity disc storage devices like the one pictured here:




Why do you need that many game discs readily available?

[listopencil]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

The first amendment is terrifying.

It's an ancient relic, society has changed a lot since it was written. They didn't even have video games or the internet back then.

[KILLER_CLOWN]

Originally Posted by listopencil

We need to crack down on high capacity disc storage devices like the one pictured here:




Why do you need that many game discs readily available?

Yes.. Make Video Games not war.

[jspchief]

The idea that people become desensitized to violence from increased exposure seems plausible. Particularly as the "fake" violence of tv/movies/games becomes more realistic.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by jspchief

The idea that people become desensitized to violence from increased exposure seems plausible. Particularly as the "fake" violence of tv/movies/games becomes more realistic.

Especially when the viewer is one of the players instead of being a spectator.

[Prison Bitch]

Studies also show that seeing violence is cathartic, and a release. Which might prevent someone from partaking in it. (They already got their thrill). Same with porn and rape - since porn has become more available our sexual assualt rates have fallen.


Correlation is not causation but it's not likely all accidental either. Video games don't make you kill, and porn doens't make you rape.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Correlation is not causation but it's not likely all accidental either. Video games don't make you kill, and porn doens't make you rape.

Caveat to the phrase—when other factors could be involved.

Here's one where I think correlation and causation is a factor—for the past twenty years SSRI drugs have been prescribed and more used. The upswing in mass shootings isseems to be related here due the related timing and the side-effects on the label state these involve "psychotic episodes of violence and suicide." Even terrorist training camps have used drugs such as amphetamines to jack the killers up.

[ClevelandBronco]

Some people can use video games, guns, drugs, sex, religion, whatever without those things causing a problem to the user and/or to others. Some people can't handle potentially dangerous things responsibly. Some problems that affect individuals might be so statistically insignificant as to appear to be problems that don't exist at all.