Comments on: Video-Games and the ESRB http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/2007/06/24/video-games-and-the-esrb/ nerd nouveau Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:19:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: georg http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/2007/06/24/video-games-and-the-esrb/#comment-2587 georg Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:29:09 +0000 http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/2007/06/24/video-games-and-the-esrb/#comment-2587 Yes, and there's a very good point you are raising in the video you've linked to, namely Jack Thompson seeing causal link between violent video games and real-world violence when there's only a correlation: What he's championing is a simplified stimulus-response system that is not applicable to how we perceive and process media. However, it's a tempting interpretation for someone who is not immersed into this field of research and thusly constitutes a good way to make a point in a manipulative way. Incidentally, that's another point why I don't think using people "off the street" to rate games is a valid process, as the less we're familiar with a certain topic, the more likely we are to see oversimplified causal links where there actually are none, be it "violent games make kids violent" or "using the internet isolates people". Yes, and there’s a very good point you are raising in the video you’ve linked to, namely Jack Thompson seeing causal link between violent video games and real-world violence when there’s only a correlation: What he’s championing is a simplified stimulus-response system that is not applicable to how we perceive and process media. However, it’s a tempting interpretation for someone who is not immersed into this field of research and thusly constitutes a good way to make a point in a manipulative way.

Incidentally, that’s another point why I don’t think using people “off the street” to rate games is a valid process, as the less we’re familiar with a certain topic, the more likely we are to see oversimplified causal links where there actually are none, be it “violent games make kids violent” or “using the internet isolates people”.

]]> By: Paul Levinson http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/2007/06/24/video-games-and-the-esrb/#comment-2584 Paul Levinson Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:56:33 +0000 http://retiredblog.gkaindl.com/2007/06/24/video-games-and-the-esrb/#comment-2584 I would just comment here that Jack Thompson's campaign against video games is supported by no reliable scientific evidence, and that point should be made to all governments and agencies that may evaluate the "danger" of videogames.. <a href="http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2007/06/how-i-went-face-to-screen-with-jack.html" rel="nofollow">I Went Face-to-Screen with Jack Thompson</a> I would just comment here that Jack Thompson’s campaign against video games is supported by no reliable scientific evidence, and that point should be made to all governments and agencies that may evaluate the “danger” of videogames..
I Went Face-to-Screen with Jack Thompson

]]>