Focus Group

28 people aged 11-16 watched 20 minutes of footage from Fallout 3 (a game that features segments of very intense violence).

Mock: Question 1

Plan:

Introduction- Establish question, name textual analysis (Gears of War 2, Call of Duty: World at War, Fallout 3)

Name method of resarch (eg: google [search Violent games cause violence]), What source does it give me (secondary/academic/varied), number of hits (395'000)

Answer:

My topic is Crime in the Media with the hypothesis Does the desensitization of violence in video games encourage people to commit crime?

The texts I decided to analyze were two 18 certificate games and one 15 certificate: Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Call of Duty: World at War.

My first method of research was to use the search engine Google to try and get a wide range of secondary sources to draw information from. I typed Violent games cause violence into the search bar and was presented with 395'000 results. From looking at the first few results I found I had a mix of academic and more public/popular opinion and criticism. Two results caught my attention; the first was http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/goldstein.html which is an academic secondary article and the other was http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723 a popular opinion article. Both articles spoke against the idea that games cause violence and were very good sources as one provided me with a scientific view point from a recognised proffesor and the other (although biased) provided me with a number of obvious points speak against my hypothesis. I accessed both these sites through google on November 6th 2008.

After finding two very different sources that oppose my hypothesis I decided to look up Jack Thompson on Wikipedia as I had heard of his campaign against violent media in the past. Although the page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(attorney)#Disbarment_proceedings (accessed November 17th 2008) did give me plenty of information on Jack Thompson and his work it gave me very little information to support my hypothesis; It simply gave me a few points on which Thompson based his campaign (Need to mention type of theory he seems to follow).

After using websites I decided to look into another source by using newspapers. Using the archive section of my local library I found an old issue of the Daily Mail (April 30th 2008) which had a story of a stabbing outside a game store during the midnight launch of Grand Theft Auto 4. Although there is no real evidence to support the idea that games cause violence the article does present many connections and it is presented in a clear and professional manner.

I then decided to follow up the newspaper source with book sources; Contexts (by Karen Sternheimer) and Studying Videogames (by Julian McDougall & Wayne O'Brien). Contexts generally contradicts my theory and simply writes off games influencing violence as nothing more then a scapegoat. Studying Videogames (page 59, Chapter 3) gives views and evidence for both sides of the argument. 

After reading up on several secondary sources I decided to look into getting my own primary sources. A chose three games that all contain extreme violence to analyse and see if any of them had content that could influence users. 

I first decided to analyze the game Call of Duty: World at War to gain a certain level of perspective on the matter of extreme content in games and how necessary it is for the experience. CoD:WaW  is a WW2 game based within real battles and situations, it uses a very detailed gore engine that allows character models to be mutilated horrifically; limbs blown off, organs exposed by explosions and other such movie grade violence. However unlike other games that would feature this violence CoD was only certificate 15 rather then 18. This is because the violence within the game is pivotal in painting a realistic picture of real world events. I'm using this game as a case study because it will give me a certain level of perspective on my other case studies that use violence as nothing more then a feature from which to enhance and sell the game and let me see why there would be a different level of psychological influence. 

Next I decided to look at a more questionably violent game to get a complete contrast to CoD:WaW. The game I decided to look at was Gears of War 2 by doing two comparison play sessions with myself and someone else. Analyzing GoW2 from two different points of view gave an idea of how desensitizing regular exposure to violent media can be. 

The results I got from the binary player study of Gears of War 2 has strong elements of the Culmination Theory. it is also very similar to a Research study conducted by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman which seems to rely on the idea of Culmination Theory. However my analysis of GoW2 could also follow the theory of Reception Analysis because both of us took different thoughts and feelings from the play through.

For my final textual analysis I created a focus group to study the effect of violence in Fallout 3 on a varied sample of users. The sample consisted of 28 people aged 11-16 who were given a questionnaire asking them there age and how much they play videogames. The rest of the questions resolved around what they thought of the violence and how it made them feel. The reason I used 11-16 year olds for a game certified 18 was because most of the media focus of violent crimes caused by games is committed by youths too young to be playing the games. 

As well as textual analysis for my own primary sources I thought that emailing the makers of these more violent games to ask why they feel the need to implement such content and to see whether or not they think there is any truth behind such theories. I emailed Bethesda games Studios and Epic games asking them about their opinions and experiences involving violence in video games. Epic failed to reply and Bethesda simply said they couldn't comment at this time; both emails were sent on December 6th 2008.                                                                                        

Hypodermic Syringe- old and out dated

Two Step Flow

Culmination Theory- This is the first stage of my research into my hypothesis. This theory in a nutshell suggests that if a person is subjected to the viewing of many violent films over the years it could effect there view on violence making them less sensitive to the aspect and effects of it or maybe even make them a violent person.

Uses and Gratifications- Blumler and Katz’s uses and gratification theory suggests that media users play an active role in choosing and using the media.  Users take an active part in the communication process and are goal oriented in their media use.  The theorist say that a media user seeks out a media source that best fulfills the needs of the user.  Uses and gratifications assume that the user has alternate choices to satisfy their need.

Reception Analysis

Notes for Exam

"Studying Videogames"

pg 59, chapter 3

"Contexts"- White, middle-class killers retain their status as children easily influenced by a game, victims of an allegedly dangerous product. African-American boys, apparently, are simply dangerous.

Jack Thompson

Cultural Policy-Recently, attention has turned toward the violence in video games. It seems reasonable to many people that if passively watching violence in movies and on television causes aggression, actively participating in violence in video games should have an even greater effect. Surely, so the argument goes, spending hours shooting images of various creatures and of human beings and watching them blow up, break apart, scream in pain, spew blood all over, and so on must have a harmful effect on those who play - it must teach them that violence is acceptable, that it is a way to deal with problems, perhaps make them insensitive to real violence, and thus cause them to be more aggressive and more violent themselves.

More notes

Jamie Bulger

Fallout 3 banning- real life drug references

Daily Mail- GTA4 stabbing

 

Bully- 

Reply: Bethesda Games Studios

I received a reply from Bethesda games:

We are sorry but that is not something we can commit to at this time. Thank
you for your interest.

What Other Sources I Need.

Primary Sources:

1. Focus group/Questionnaire 
2. Textual Analysis

Secondary Sources:

1. More Newspapers/Journals/Magazine

Jamie Bulger

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

(4/12/08)

Does the desensitization of violence in video games encourage people to commit violent crime?

For years almost all forms of media entertainment have come under scrutiny and prosecution as a cause for real world violence.  In recent years video games have been the main focus of attention in the case that violent and aggressive media causes similar behaviour in real life.  However the whole debate has been rather shallow up to now, do violent video games really desensitize and as a result cause violent crime in the real world?

 

Jack Thompson campaigned against violent game content for years and believed them to be the source to mainly terrible crimes over the years…(more information)

 

However Karen Sternheimer (of the American Sociological Association) completely disagrees with the theories that people like Thompson supports and believes video games are just the new scape goat for people to assign blame to the horrendous acts commited by youths. Furthermore she also considers there to be racist undertones within this theory:

 

“White, middle-class killers retain their status as children easily influenced by a game, victims of an allegedly dangerous product. African-American boys, apparently, are simply dangerous.”

 

On April 30^th 2008 the Daily Mail reported on a stabbing that took place at the midnight launch of controversial game GTA4. A 23-year old man was stabbed outside the Gamestation store in Croydon while waiting in line for GTA4. Many witnessed believed the incident to be a publicity stunt for the game as "It was a scene straight from the game itself”. Although it is not stated whether or not the game was the reason for such an attack it is very possible it wasn’t just about someone influenced and desperate for a violent game as many people have been attacked and even killed at late night launches for popular products.

 

Also the violence alone cannot be the main cause for certain acts, other content such as drug use, glorification of criminal activity, etc have also been looked into for causing violence and make far more sense.

 

Even certain governments take the content in games far more seriously then others, like Australia who do not even have a “mature” or “18” rating for games. There content rating system only goes as high as 15 so as to limit the amount of “adult” content in games. Fallout 3, a game set in a post apocalyptic Washington DC after the world has been ravaged by nuclear war. The reason why the game was band was not because of its violence, its disturbing theme of the apocalypse but because of the use of real world drugs. Although the drugs don’t share the same names they have near identical visual look.

 

(Examples of video game crimes normally stem from people from unstable backgrounds)

(Jamie Bulger case- although not a game it is a key example of how the media may cause violent behaviour, although their backgrounds also make more sense for such an act.)

Of course video games are not the only form of media that has suffered critisim, movies have been a favourite of critics for the causes of violence. One example of this is the Jamie Bulger case where two boys killed a young child as a result of supposidley watching the film Childs Play 3 numerous times. Many opinions of several scare mongerers was that the film influenced the children to kill Jamie Bulger. However it is also understood that that both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson had very traumatic family backgrounds which more then likely contributed to the act they commited.

 

 

Ever since the release of games like Doom video games have been the target of much critisim and the popular theory that the violent media encourages its audience to violent crime. However over recent years that theory has been dismissed again and again by scientists and other specialists; the only real support for such a theory only comes from the news mediums looking for a story and an explanation for such horrible acts.

 

Friday Lecture Notes: Christia Van Raalte

I attended a lecture:

5 theories 

Operating procedures of the BBFC- Seven points: Theme, Language, Sex & Nudity, Violence, Imitable Techniques, Horror, Drugs.

General Media Violence- Child's Play 3 (The Jamie Bulger case) Was it the film or their family backgrounds.

Car Advert (poster)

Christia Van Raalte (Principle Lecturer)

The Great Censorship Debate

Passive/Active viewer- Passive (Take everything), Active (Take in only what they find interesting)

Email: Bethesda Games Studios

I have composed an email to Bethesda Games Studios on their website.

(emailed 27/11/08)

Sources

Theory-

• Violent content in games desensitizes children into violent crime
• The idea that video games cause violence is a myth.

Internet-

• Wikipedia
• Culture Policy
• Serendip.brynmawr
• PBS
• Kotaku 

Textual Analysis-

• Gears of War 2
• Call of Duty: World at War
•  Fallout 3

Books-

• Contexts (Karen Sternheimer)
  
• Studying Videogames (Julian McDougall & Wayne O'Brien)

Journals/Mags/Papers-

• Daily Mail

Primary Research: Questionnaire, Focus Group, Email-

• Email to Epic Games
• Email Bethesda

Source Evaluation: Kotaku

Method of Research: Website

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source: 

Academic/Popular Criticism: Academic/ Popular fan-base

Title and Author: Luke Plunkett 

Location of Source: http://kotaku.com/5023636/heres-why-fallout-3-was-banned-in-australia

Main Points: Points out other type of strong images that got Fallout 3 banned in Australia. The use of drugs that looked like real life counterparts.

Strengths: Fan made site, personal, unbiased report. Nothing but actual facts.

Weaknesses: Lack of full information, based on secondary information

Evaluation: A strong article and site where I can find unbiased news on  games without the injection of personal opinion.

Links to Other Sources:

Source Evaluation: Daily Mail

Method of Research: Newspaper

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source: 

Academic/Popular Criticism: Academic

Title and Author: Sam Greenhill & Olinka Koster

Location of Source: Daily Mail (April 30th)

Main Points: A story of a man who was stabbed while waiting to get his copy of GTA4 at the midnight launch. A number of people in the report were interviewed and were quoted as saying it was like something out of the game. It is also mentioned that someone was waiting with his son, whether or not his son was younger than 18 isn't mentioned.

Strengths: Interviews, straight story (no injection of personal opinion)

Weaknesses: Skin deep- No actual follow up, reason for attack is unknown, just assumptions

Evaluation: A informing report that tries to bring about an unclouded view by interviewing eye witnesses but it fails to reveal the true intent of the attack. It is only an assumption that the game was the reason for the incident.

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 20/11/08)

Daily Mail

Posted on April 30th a story in the Daily Mail reported on an act of violence committed in a queue for GTA4

The launch of the ultra-violent Grand Theft Auto IV video game descended into real-life horror when a man was stabbed repeatedly in a queue of fans waiting to buy it.

Shoppers thought they were witnessing a promotional stunt for the launch when the blood-soaked victim staggered among them.

They realised the attack was genuine only when police arrived.

The GameStation shop in George Street, Croydon, where a 23- year-old man was stabbed last night

It took place outside the Gamestation store in Croydon, South London, one of 40 stores which opened at midnight to sell the new game.

Elsewhere, two muggers shattered the jaw and nose of an 18-year-old boy to steal his copy of the game just 30 minutes after he bought it in Leyland, Lancashire.

The violence intensified a chorus of criticism aimed at the British-designed game, the latest in a hugely controversial series.

Massive industry hype has surrounded its technological advances and stunning graphics and it is forecast to break records by selling six million copies in its first week.

But the content is unadulterated violence. Players assume the identity of Niko Bellic, a shaven-headed veteran of the Bosnian conflict who arrives in 'Liberty City' as a gangland novice.

He makes progress by killing people to order, robbing banks and dealing drugs with the help of an almost inexhaustible arsenal.

The game has been give an 18 certification from the British Board of Film Classification but critics fear it will inevitably be played by much younger people.

The series has sold an estimated 70million copies since its launch in 1997, but has been shrouded in controversy.

Last year teenager Ezekiel Maxwell butchered a grandmother after hearing "gangster voices" in his head from an earlier version of the game telling him to stab a woman.

Yesterday, as police issued an appeal to find the Croydon attacker, witnesses described what happened.

Malcolm Critchell, queueing with his nephew Jordan, said: "The victim was covered from shoulder to belly in blood. Everyone thought it was a show to promote the game."

Despite his wounds, the 23-year-old victim is believed to have gone home to arm himself with a kitchen knife to seek revenge, but police intercepted him.

He was treated in hospital for several stab wounds.

Another queuer, Marcus Henderson, 24, said: "It was a scene straight from the game itself. In Grand Theft Auto, when you attack someone but don't finish them off they'll come and get you. We thought it was a stunt put on by the makers of the game."

MP Keith Vaz said of the video game: "This kind of violence should be deplored. It's highly likely that younger children are going to get access to this game.

"A young person's mind is impressionable and the interactive violence of Grand Theft Auto is going to have an impact on them."

(accessed from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-562729/Man-stabbed-queueing-midnight-launch-ultra-violent-video-game-Grand-Theft-Auto-IV.html on 21/11/08)

Textual Analysis: Gears of War 2

Comparative Response between myself (a regular video games player) and one of my friends (a casual player) engaged in playing through the games campaign in co op. The game is an 18 certificate based on its extreme over the top violence. Players are capable killing opponents with "executions". These executions can vary from crushing their head onto the pavement, pummeling them repeatedly in the face, cutting them in half with a chainsaw or knocking their head off with the handle of a shotgun like a golf club.

After an extended two hour play I enjoyed my time on the game and found that the heavy violence enhanced the experience and made it more fun. However my friend found the violence to be unnecessary and put him off continuing to play.

Manhunt 2

The most controversial game in recent memory Manhunt 2 saw heavy opposition in the UK for a full ban, even after Rockstar modified its original version and toned down the violence.

The wii version can be seen as particularly disturbing:

Particular controversy was repeatedly heaped upon the Wii version of the game due to the console's highly immersive nature, with certain gaming sites that had a hands-on preview of the game reporting that Manhunt 2 used the Wii Remote in an interactive manner; for instance, in order to stab someone in the game the player would have to flick the Wii Remote forward, in much the same fashion one would do when actually stabbing with a knife.

Banning of Fallout 3 in Australia

This article from Kotaku explains how Fallout 3 was not banned in Australia for its violence or swearing but for its inclusion of drugs.

(this site was accessed through Google. Search term "why Fallout 3 banned Australia")

(accessed 18/11/08)

Book Source

"Studying Videogames"

By "Julian McDougall" & "Wayne O'Brien"

Chapter 3, pg 59

(accessed 13/11/08)

Source: Search Engine

Search method: Google

Search Term: Violent games cause violence

Results: 395'000

(accessed 6/11/08)

Source Evaluation

Method of Research: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Academic/Popular Criticism: Popular Criticism based on others research

Title and Author: SerendipUpdate

Location of Source: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/1723

Main Points: A number of points are raised by a number of the sites users, who all submit their own thoughts and opinions, some more balanced and calmer then others.

Strengths: Wide variety of user imput, many opinions to accompany the main article

Weaknesses: Mainly opinion, not much scientific fact

Evaluation: A very good common sense set of articles that give some surprisingly good points, even if they are lacking in real facts to back up arguements

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 17/11/08)

Source Evaluation

Method: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Acedemic/Popular Criticism: Acedemic

Title/Author: Jonathan L. Freedman

Location: Internet- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto

Main Points: The reason behind blaming games, how it can't be true. Rationalises media scare mongering

Strengths: Proffesional, scientific observation

Weaknesses: Purely outsider study, single person

Evaluation: A very proffesional and well researched piece of study

Links to Other Sources:

(accessed 11/11/08)

Source Evaluation: Wikipedia

Method of Research: Internet

Primary/Secondary: Secondary

Type of Source:

Academic/Popular Criticism etc: Public Publication

Title and Author: Community Based

Location of Source: Wikipedia.org

Main Points Raised: Popular opinion within the media that video games are a main source of violence to young children, issues examples; school shootings etc.

Strengths: Multiple users have input information, varied source material as a result

Weaknesses: Moderating publications on the site is difficult so its hard to tell what information is real or what is false

Evaluation: A site of varied source material and opinion but it can't be taken at complete face value due to the risk of error information

Link to Other Sources/Relevant Points:

Book Source

I have stumbled across a website that contains several extracts from the book Contexts, a quarterly journal published by the American Sociological Association, USC's Karen Sternheimer. The book details how the theory that violence in video games cause real world violence is nothing but a myth and an attempt for people to try and understand why such acts are commited by the youth of society. She also details how such a theory also has slight racist undertones.

http://www.gamepolitics.com/2007/02/28/violent-games-dont-cause-youth-violence-says-usc-sociologist

(accessed 10/11/08)

Jack Thompson

Jack Thompson became famous for his campaign against violence in video games, his attempts to get violent games banned or completely censored resulted in his disbarment for professional misconduct.

More Information

(accessed 17/11/08)

Source Evaluation

This is where all source information will be evaluated.

Bully: A unique example of school violence?

If any link can be made between school related violence and video games then that link is Bully, created by Rockstar games in 2006, the game involved taking pat in school related aggression.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207584,00.html

(accessed 14/11/08

Site Quotes

Recently, attention has turned toward the violence in video games. It seems reasonable to many people that if passively watching violence in movies and on television causes aggression, actively participating in violence in video games should have an even greater effect. Surely, so the argument goes, spending hours shooting images of various creatures and of human beings and watching them blow up, break apart, scream in pain, spew blood all over, and so on must have a harmful effect on those who play - it must teach them that violence is acceptable, that it is a way to deal with problems, perhaps make them insensitive to real violence, and thus cause them to be more aggressive and more violent themselves.    (accessed from http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu/conf2001/papers/freedman.html Nov 7th 2008)

Hypothesis

Does the desensitization of violence in video games encourage people to commit violent crime?

Extreme Violence?

Does excessive violence in video games really desensitize its audience? I don't really see any issue with gore on this level but is that down to years of exposure to slowly escalating scales of violence?

Although the next video isn't the traditional gory violence people are used to hearing about this still is quite extreme in terms of content

Theory Types

Hypodermic Syringe 

Two Step Flow

Culmination Theory

Uses and Gratifications

Reception Analysis

Sites of interest

theory.org.uk

google scholar 

Carl's Blog

Sally's Blog