Here come the copycats, wannabes, pranksters and the unwitting victims of mass paranoia...

[Heracles 417]

If I had joked like those fifth graders my teacher would have sent me to the principal's office for a nice talk and I would, at the very least, have been made to write "I will not say stupid things in class" about a thousand times. Then once my parents heard about this, especially after such a tragedy, I would have been shouted at, smacked and grounded for a month..

The audacity of some parents nowadays with comments like, "are you sure that is what my son/daughter said". No the teacher made it up fool..

[Mags 112]

Video games, hmm....I played them since I was a child. And, my parents were strict as hell on me. Whipping bicycle chains on me when I miss a school day.

That's child abuse, not just "strict as hell".

No. It's not child abuse. In your perspective it may seem cruel. But, it made me into a strong will person. An individual that look at life differently than peer pressure, coolness, partying. I don't take friends for granted, or anything. That type of discipline made me think clearer about life. That you must perservere the pain, and think of your own future to survive in this world. You must be able to withstand all hardship to stand up, and keep your head up. This type of discipline didn't turn me into a sociopath.

And, it forces me to do my best all the time. But, I'm not going to hit my kids. I'll just give them very strict rules that they must follow. Kinda improvising what my parents have taught.

I'm sorry, but hitting your child with bicycle chains IS constituted as child abuse, regardless of whether or not it made you a stronger person.

[Sinergy 3]

Video games, hmm....I played them since I was a child. And, my parents were strict as hell on me. Whipping bicycle chains on me when I miss a school day.

That's child abuse, not just "strict as hell".

No. It's not child abuse. In your perspective it may seem cruel. But, it made me into a strong will person. An individual that look at life differently than peer pressure, coolness, partying. I don't take friends for granted, or anything. That type of discipline made me think clearer about life. That you must perservere the pain, and think of your own future to survive in this world. You must be able to withstand all hardship to stand up, and keep your head up. This type of discipline didn't turn me into a sociopath.

And, it forces me to do my best all the time. But, I'm not going to hit my kids. I'll just give them very strict rules that they must follow. Kinda improvising what my parents have taught.

I hope you dont think its ok to whip your kids with bike chains, atleast i hope i never hear about it.

yes it is child abuse.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I really don't see how video games could be blamed for how 5th graders are reacting to this story. I think it's just general ignorance and immaturity. I remember being in high school and overhearing some other students talking about "how cool" it was that someone from their school got into a motor vehicle accident and died. Truly a sick comment, but the point is that children rarely stop to think about what they are saying. They tend to lack the ability to sympathize and empathize.

One thing that always annoyed me was the kneejerk reaction to blame video games whenever there is a violent action taken by a member of society. If one were to listen to the anti-gaming pundits (such as Lt. Colonel David Grossman), they would say that video games are "murder simulators that train children to become killers." I find this idea ridiculous.

First of all, the average gamer is not a child -- it is a 30 year-old male. Second, games don't train you for anything, except perhaps better eye-to-hand coordination. They certainly don't train you how to use a firearm, or do anything else in real life. If such were the case, I could play baseball or football professionally. Third, there are ratings on video games which serve as warnings to parents. If a game is named "Grand Theft Auto" and is labeled "M" or "AO" then that should be a fairly good indication that it's not for your eight year-old child. If the parents do buy this sort of game for their kid, then the developer and publisher cannot be held accountable; there was a warning in the form of a rating and title. Fourth, of the children who do play video games, only a small minority go crazy and strike out. There are literally thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, playing video games in the United States today and only a small handful actually attempt to kill anyone. These people have psychological problems and that is the root cause, not video games.

So really, video games are just a convienent scapegoat right now. Before video games, there was movies, television, comic books, etc. In the future, I'm sure there will be something else as well. Unfortunately, society has this knack for ignoring the obvious (there might be something the matter with your child!) and instead, shifts the blame to something else entirely.

[Sinergy 3]

I really don't see how video games could be blamed for how 5th graders are reacting to this story. I think it's just general ignorance and immaturity. I remember being in high school and overhearing some other students talking about "how cool" it was that someone from their school got into a motor vehicle accident and died. Truly a sick comment, but the point is that children rarely stop to think about what they are saying. They tend to lack the ability to sympathize and empathize.

One thing that always annoyed me was the kneejerk reaction to blame video games whenever there is a violent action taken by a member of society. If one were to listen to the anti-gaming pundits (such as Lt. Colonel David Grossman), they would say that video games are "murder simulators that train children to become killers." I find this idea ridiculous.

First of all, the average gamer is not a child -- it is a 30 year-old male. Second, games don't train you for anything, except perhaps better eye-to-hand coordination. They certainly don't train you how to use a firearm, or do anything else in real life. If such were the case, I could play baseball or football professionally. Third, there are ratings on video games which serve as warnings to parents. If a game is named "Grand Theft Auto" and is labeled "M" or "AO" then that should be a fairly good indication that it's not for your eight year-old child. If the parents do buy this sort of game for their kid, then the developer and publisher cannot be held accountable; there was a warning in the form of a rating and title. Fourth, of the children who do play video games, only a small minority go crazy and strike out. There are literally thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, playing video games in the United States today and only a small handful actually attempt to kill anyone. These people have psychological problems and that is the root cause, not video games.

So really, video games are just a convienent scapegoat right now. Before video games, there was movies, television, comic books, etc. In the future, I'm sure there will be something else as well. Unfortunately, society has this knack for ignoring the obvious (there might be something the matter with your child!) and instead, shifts the blame to something else entirely.

90% of school aged boys play video games whenever they are not sleeping, eating or in class. So no the average gamer is not a 30 yr old male. a majority of them are at work or raising families.

Yes i do believe games the violent ones, are to blame for alot of school kids thinking violence is cool. they see it on the game, they shoot ppl or things on the game, and when they win, they are cool. so yes IMO it has alot to do with games.

[Niels Bohr 72]

A long time ago, when the US has less rules regarding immigration in the early 1900s, the large amount of sweatshops, and immigrants living in tenement buildings there were less disorderly families. Most immigrant never thought about how hard and unsanitary their lives were because all they thought about was 'I must work hard.' It's the outsiders that consider it to be hard. To these people, they think it's normal. The parents within these small room filled with 10 people disciplined their children very harsh. When they grew up, they turned into teachers and University professors. They were given very high standards. Now, with the lack of disciplinary action except for staying afterschool, or suspension geometry, algebra, is taught at a higher grade level than a lower grade level. For example, algebra used to be taught in the sixth grade, now it's moved to the eight grade.

Standards have been lowered. Without strong discipline, it'll be very hard to have high expectation for children. We worry about our children's childhood experiences, but, give them something to think about. Give them the knowledge, share the experience so that they don't take things for granted. Let them learn how to push themselves. Anyway...I agree with Infidel, parents nowadays have the mentality " my child is innocent attitude. "

[Mags 112]

A long time ago, when the US has less rules regarding immigration in the early 1900s, the large amount of sweatshops, and immigrants living in tenement buildings there were less disorderly families. Most immigrant never thought about how hard and unsanitary their lives were because all they thought about was 'I must work hard.' It's the outsiders that consider it to be hard. To these people, they think it's normal. The parents within these small room filled with 10 people disciplined their children very harsh. When they grew up, they turned into teachers and University professors. They were given very high standards. Now, with the lack of disciplinary action except for staying afterschool, or suspension geometry, algebra, is taught at a higher grade level than a lower grade level. For example, algebra used to be taught in the sixth grade, now it's moved to the eight grade.

Standards have been lowered. Without strong discipline, it'll be very hard to have high expectation for children. We worry about our children's childhood experiences, but, give them something to think about. Give them the knowledge, share the experience so that they don't take things for granted. Let them learn how to push themselves. Anyway...I agree with Infidel, parents nowadays have the mentality " my child is innocent attitude. "

I don't disagree that children these days lack discipline. Hitting one with bicycle chains though is not the right way either.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I really don't see how video games could be blamed for how 5th graders are reacting to this story. I think it's just general ignorance and immaturity. I remember being in high school and overhearing some other students talking about "how cool" it was that someone from their school got into a motor vehicle accident and died. Truly a sick comment, but the point is that children rarely stop to think about what they are saying. They tend to lack the ability to sympathize and empathize.

One thing that always annoyed me was the kneejerk reaction to blame video games whenever there is a violent action taken by a member of society. If one were to listen to the anti-gaming pundits (such as Lt. Colonel David Grossman), they would say that video games are "murder simulators that train children to become killers." I find this idea ridiculous.

First of all, the average gamer is not a child -- it is a 30 year-old male. Second, games don't train you for anything, except perhaps better eye-to-hand coordination. They certainly don't train you how to use a firearm, or do anything else in real life. If such were the case, I could play baseball or football professionally. Third, there are ratings on video games which serve as warnings to parents. If a game is named "Grand Theft Auto" and is labeled "M" or "AO" then that should be a fairly good indication that it's not for your eight year-old child. If the parents do buy this sort of game for their kid, then the developer and publisher cannot be held accountable; there was a warning in the form of a rating and title. Fourth, of the children who do play video games, only a small minority go crazy and strike out. There are literally thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, playing video games in the United States today and only a small handful actually attempt to kill anyone. These people have psychological problems and that is the root cause, not video games.

So really, video games are just a convienent scapegoat right now. Before video games, there was movies, television, comic books, etc. In the future, I'm sure there will be something else as well. Unfortunately, society has this knack for ignoring the obvious (there might be something the matter with your child!) and instead, shifts the blame to something else entirely.

90% of school aged boys play video games whenever they are not sleeping, eating or in class. So no the average gamer is not a 30 yr old male. a majority of them are at work or raising families.

Yes i do believe games the violent ones, are to blame for alot of school kids thinking violence is cool. they see it on the game, they shoot ppl or things on the game, and when they win, they are cool. so yes IMO it has alot to do with games.

Then that it is your opinion; however, it is not backed up by recent studies and data proving to the contrary.

Perhaps I wasn't clear in my distinction: The average age of a male gamer on the PC is 30 years-old; it usually (but not always) is younger for console gaming. As I said before, recent data supports these findings. Believe it or not, it's your call. However, there are many, many gamers who are even in their 50's and 60's.

There is far more to gaming that "run, jump, shoot." Take, for instance, the game "World of Warcraft" which is a Massively-Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. It has violence, but it also supports vast social networks and teamwork. People have made real life friends on there, and even met future spouses.

Unfortunately, it appears you've been bombarded with the anti-gaming propaganda perpetuated by the media and the anti-gaming pundits, none of whom understand the gaming culture or who is really a gamer. They tend to have this ignorant view that all gamers are either young boys or lonely losers living in their parents' basement. Fortunately, nothing could further from the truth.

The bottom line is you'll find gamers in all walks of life, of all ages, in all careers.

Edited April 18, 2007 by DeadPoolX

[Heracles 417]

I'm sorry, but hitting your child with bicycle chains IS constituted as child abuse, regardless of whether or not it made you a stronger person.

There is discipline and then there is discipline. There are parents who don't know where to draw the line but I think most sane people know the difference. The point of discipline is to teach a child that there a consequences for their bad actions.

The results of the failed 'my child is my friend' attitude is evident throughout society.. cough cough "JackAss the movie" is an example..

Edited April 18, 2007 by Infidel

[Heracles 417]

So really, video games are just a convienent scapegoat right now. Before video games, there was movies, television, comic books, etc. In the future, I'm sure there will be something else as well. Unfortunately, society has this knack for ignoring the obvious (there might be something the matter with your child!) and instead, shifts the blame to something else entirely.

The "Sound of music" is not going to have the same affect on a child as is "Hostel".. While someone 30 years old knows the difference between reality and fantasy there is countless evidence out there linking children's behavior to what they see on tv, as they mimic the behavior

Edited April 18, 2007 by Infidel

[Alex+R 0]

A long time ago, when the US has less rules regarding immigration in the early 1900s, the large amount of sweatshops, and immigrants living in tenement buildings there were less disorderly families. Most immigrant never thought about how hard and unsanitary their lives were because all they thought about was 'I must work hard.' It's the outsiders that consider it to be hard. To these people, they think it's normal. The parents within these small room filled with 10 people disciplined their children very harsh. When they grew up, they turned into teachers and University professors. They were given very high standards. Now, with the lack of disciplinary action except for staying afterschool, or suspension geometry, algebra, is taught at a higher grade level than a lower grade level. For example, algebra used to be taught in the sixth grade, now it's moved to the eight grade.

Standards have been lowered. Without strong discipline, it'll be very hard to have high expectation for children. We worry about our children's childhood experiences, but, give them something to think about. Give them the knowledge, share the experience so that they don't take things for granted. Let them learn how to push themselves. Anyway...I agree with Infidel, parents nowadays have the mentality " my child is innocent attitude. "

In the tenements, there was an extremely high rate of suicide. I believe those people considered it to be hard. Especially because they came from places where they had less money but a higher standard of living. Where do you get the idea that new immigrants were all extremely strict, and that is why their children grew up to be successful people? Don't you think that the fact that they sacrificed for their children was more of it? And are you really trying to claim that all those new immigrants had successful offspring? Because then I wish someone would explain all those gangs and the high rates of specialized crime in the tenements..

hmmm... I'd say that there is no correlation between depriving your children and having them be successful, but you can rationalize your usual craziness however you choose, Consoley

[Niels Bohr 72]

A long time ago, when the US has less rules regarding immigration in the early 1900s, the large amount of sweatshops, and immigrants living in tenement buildings there were less disorderly families. Most immigrant never thought about how hard and unsanitary their lives were because all they thought about was 'I must work hard.' It's the outsiders that consider it to be hard. To these people, they think it's normal. The parents within these small room filled with 10 people disciplined their children very harsh. When they grew up, they turned into teachers and University professors. They were given very high standards. Now, with the lack of disciplinary action except for staying afterschool, or suspension geometry, algebra, is taught at a higher grade level than a lower grade level. For example, algebra used to be taught in the sixth grade, now it's moved to the eight grade.

Standards have been lowered. Without strong discipline, it'll be very hard to have high expectation for children. We worry about our children's childhood experiences, but, give them something to think about. Give them the knowledge, share the experience so that they don't take things for granted. Let them learn how to push themselves. Anyway...I agree with Infidel, parents nowadays have the mentality " my child is innocent attitude. "

In the tenements, there was an extremely high rate of suicide. I believe those people considered it to be hard. Especially because they came from places where they had less money but a higher standard of living. Where do you get the idea that new immigrants were all extremely strict, and that is why their children grew up to be successful people? Don't you think that the fact that they sacrificed for their children was more of it? And are you really trying to claim that all those new immigrants had successful offspring? Because then I wish someone would explain all those gangs and the high rates of specialized crime in the tenements..

hmmm... I'd say that there is no correlation between depriving your children and having them be successful, but you can rationalize your usual craziness however you choose, Consoley

It's based on the elderly experiences. I volunteered in a nursing home in high school, and many of these elderly share their stories of how they lived, and how their parents lived, etc...That is where I got the idea from.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If people think that the media in general doesn't celebrate violence - I wonder if anyone else remembers those "baseball cards" of serial killers that went on sale a few years ago. Because its ok to profit from someone else's tragedy...

Just disgusting...

[pedroh 21]

games are not to blame, is the parents that don't check the game ratings when the kids buy'em.. supposedly, some stores do not sell M games to 17- yrs old.. I play all those 'violent' games, and I don't feel like killing someone..

[almaty 19]

games are not to blame, is the parents that don't check the game ratings when the kids buy'em.. supposedly, some stores do not sell M games to 17- yrs old.. I play all those 'violent' games, and I don't feel like killing someone..

i agree..you are mature adult..an M games are for those who are 18 and over, not a 12 year old