Which do you think is worse, pornography or violent video games?

I’m always the guy that thinks it depends on a specific situation, different minds are affected by different things, but just randomly….I’ll say porn, because viewed at a young age, it may present relationship problems later in life if viewed too much.

So, what happens if a child illegally watches porn, or illegally playing video games..
I think the issue would be the parents, if a child had access to either.

@Blackberry: And even worse at a young age… Pornography in violent video games. I’m sure most people here have heard of Grand Theft Auto? (don’t get me wrong. As an of-age adult, I actually enjoy playing that franchise [at least the older games])

I think violent video-game porn is the worst…. the image quality sucks and you never really get to see any of the good bits.

Depends on how old the kids are. If they’re teenagers, then I wouldn’t think anything particularly negative about them looking at porn unless they looked at it all the time. I started looking at porn when I was 14. Nothing wrong with me.

If they’re younger, then I wouldn’t want them doing either and I would try and prevent it. In America, we’re so sex-phobic that people let their kids play violent video games where people are shot and there’s blood flying everywhere, but if there’s boobies in the movie, then no way will their precious Jimmy be watching it. Ridiculous.

As a “child” here, I think porn is worser than violent videogames. So what if you kill someone or something in the game? It’s just a game, it’s fake. I would rather my child play those kind of videogames than let them watch porn at the age of 6.

I would choose violent video games over porn. My kids are 7 and 10 and I think violence is easier to explain than sex.

It not only depends on the age of the kid in question, but the personality of that kid, their history etc. Violence will injure one more than the other, and one might be more sensitive to porn than bloodshed. For example, the if I was a parent who had adopted a kid from a sexually abusive home, I probably would rather he do the violent game than watch porn…if I didn’t have a choice of course.

lol4rl @Dr_C. Where are we going, and what are we doing in this handbasket?

For the sake of the hypothetical, I’m going with violence. To me, violence is always negative and unnatural, whereas sex doesn’t have to be. It usually is in media, but… meh.

Also, re: “It’s just a game, it’s fake.” This doesn’t always register with people. All people, not just kids.

Actually, there are plenty of people who are blaming violent video games for the results of a recent study. The study compared results from the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory(or MMPI) of students from 1938 through 2007. According to the study, the trend shows that an average of five times more students rated above threshold in one or more mental health areas in 2007 than in 1938.

The study showed and increase in “psychopathic deviation,” which is to say psychopathic behaviour (though a much milder form [such as… Having trouble with authority and/or feeling that the normal rules don’t apply to you]). The percentage of students who scored high in that category went from 5% in 1938 to 24% in 2007.

Don’t get me wrong on this one either. I don’t attribute this to video games at all. But I know a lot of people who do. They tend to irritate me.

Why is a child even having access to either of these things? Porn is illegal to kids under 18. Violent video games are rates “M” for mature. Parents are the ones who need to be responsible and keep kids from seeing either things.

But if I had to choose, I’d say violence is much worse that sex.

@knitfroggy In which case shouldn’t you have put porn over violent video games?

Extremely broad generalisation here, but I think that porn is worse. I’d be more easily able to explain violent games to my kids (“That’s just fiction sonny. You can’t hurt and kill people just because you happen have a crowbar in your hand.”) Plus it’d be easier to demonstrate the negative consequences of violence (ie physical and emotional pain).

Porn on the other hand… When you say kids, I’m assuming that they’re pre-pubescent and not able to comprehend truly the biological function of the dangly bits. While I definitely do not want to expose my child to pornography, how does one explain why it’s bad? Pornography itself is a controversial topic. Some say that it’s alright, just not in too much quantities. Others totally abhor it. In any case, why should I confuse a young kid about sex when they won’t be doing anything sexual til puberty at the earliest? It doesn’t make much sense. Let them live the life of kids, don’t confuse them further.

Pornography for sure. At least video games aren’t reality and the violent situations aren’t actually happening whereas in pornography they are.

@ItalianPrincess1217 True. The one problem is the internet is like the frontier—the nearest law is a hundred miles away and the viruses porn runs free. I think it’s difficult, if not impossible, for most parents to watch their kid’s every click on the internet. There are so many variables. Keep in mind, I’m not saying this takes the responsibility off the parents, just that, in today’s world, it is nearly impossible for a child not to see some porn (e.g those Evony advertisements).

@Spinel Even so, I still think violent video games can have a bad influence on kids. Sex is sex. That’s something they’ll eventually have to experience. I’d prefer that my kid doesn’t need to experience shooting their enemy in the head or slicing open someone with a knife in real life.

@Spinel: Kaspersky makes it very convenient for parents to do just that, actually. Between that and simply putting in some kind of DNS blocking software on the router, it’s easy to not only prevent children from seeing the porn, but also keep track of whether they are looking for it. If a responsible parent is allowing their children to access the internet, they really ought to keep these faculties in mind.

@Spinel Oh man I hate those Evony ads. Everywhere I go they pop up. All I see is boobs, boobs, boobs. Bleh…

@Jerikao Exactly.

I don’t know about any of you, but before I was 14 or so, I was almost like afraid of porn. I remember one time I clicked on something and some porn picture popped up and I covered my eyes and X’d out of there as fast as I could. I never went looking for it, even though I had access to the internet since I was around 12 or so. There was some kind of blocking software on there until I was 14, but I didn’t even look for it because I didn’t want to. Then I turned 14 and everything changed… :P

I think my parents effectively kept me uninterested in violent video games by only letting me have educational games when I was really young and when I was older, Kirby and the Harry Potter games were all wanted to play. Then I added Guitar Hero to the list. That’s about it. :P

And to be honest, if your kids are so interested in looking at porn that you have to log what they search for and they feel like they have to get around any kind of blocking software, maybe you should actually try and talk to your kid about it…just a thought…

I love both. I’m always violently grasping the joystick whenever I watch porn.

@MacBean ”To me, violence is always negative and unnatural”
While I agree with negative.. Unnatural? Since the beginning of life, beings have done two things. Fight and fuck. Violence is absolutely natural.

As someone who was raised by violent video games, I can tell you that they may have affected me negatively, but they certainly haven’t turned me into a psychopath, nor a killer. I’ve also watched porn since I was a kid, I haven’t turned into a peeping tom nor a rapist, nor even someone who makes crude remarks to girls.

If I had to choose which one is worse, I’d say violent video games. Not because they’re violent, but because they’re video games. They do a pretty good job of sucking out all your free time. I’d rather have my hypothetical kid out doing.. outdoorsy…stuff.. whatever that is. Football? I don’t know what kids do these days, nor what they’ll do in 20+ years.

Wow, I just realized that I wrote pron ography in the question title, sorry about that.

@ekans- It’s okay. Prons Prawns need a release now and again as well.

Video games is make believe, porn is a real problem that destroys a lot of families. And porn can become a serious addiction where as violent video games really don’t leave a lasting impression at least to those of us who are mentally stable.

I would worry that porn, porn, porn might turn them into those delicious men~~~ who see women for just sex. And I would be afraid that too much violence might desensitise them to how horrible it is. And don’t they have sex in these games, too?

@Tenpinmaster You assume that all people that play videogames are mentally stable. But to use your argument Porn is also a form of fantasy that has no lasting effect on those who are mentally stable. As far as video games not having any lasting effects, there are several health care studies that disagree with you.

“Young Men randomly assigned to play Grand Theft AutoIII exhibited greater increases in diastolic blood pressure from a baseline rest period to game play, greater negative affect, more permissive attitudes toward using alcohol and marijuana, and more uncooperative behavior” (Brady, 2006).

“11.9% of video game players fulfill diagnostic criteria of addiction concerning their gaming behavior” (Grusser, 2007).

“Adolescents who play more than one hour of console or Internet video games have more or more intense symptoms of ADHD or inattention than those who do not” (Chan, 2006).

“Online Gaming Addictions display core components of addiction such as salience, mood modification, tolerance, conflict, withdrawal symptoms, cravings, and relapse” (Chappell, 2006).

“Both novice and expert online game players are subject to time distortion and have difficulty breaking off from the game without interruption by others in the real world” (Rau, 2006).

“Video game usage may be linked to a lower GPA and SAT score” (Vivek, 2007).

“Those who play Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) report more hours spent playing, worse health, worse sleep quality, and greater interference in “real-life socializing and academic work versus those playing other types of video games” (Smyth, 2007).

“8.5% of video-game players ages 8–18 exhibited pathological patterns of play as defined by exhibiting at least 6 out of 11 symptoms of damage to family, social, school, or psychological functioning” (Gentile, 2009).

* Over-dependence on video games could foster social isolation, as they are often played alone.

* Practicing violent acts may contribute more to aggressive behavior than passive television watching. Studies do find a relationship between violent television watching and behavior.

* Women are often portrayed as weaker characters that are helpless or sexually provocative.

* Game environments are often based on plots of violence, aggression and gender bias.

* Many games only offer an arena of weapons, killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting.

* Playing violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004). Questions have been raised about early exposure to violent video games.

* Many games do not offer action that requires independent thought or creativity.

* Games can confuse reality and fantasy.

* In many violent games, players must become more violent to win. In “1st person” violent video games the player may be more affected because he or she controls the game and experiences the action through the eyes of his or her character.

* Academic achievement may be negatively related to over-all time spent playing video games. (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Gentile, Lynch & Walsh, 2004)

Questions to ask: Is the violence rewarded or punished? What are the consequences? How graphic is the violence? Is the violence against humans or inanimate objects? Is the violence sexual? Is the time spent playing video games out of balance?

Care to try again?

@Dr_C: Ahem. In response to at least the Smyth quote… ”...children who play [MMO] games would see less of a distinction between their online friends and real friends; virtually socializing might be just as fulfilling as a Friday night party. And they would be more likely to participate actively in their own entertainment, clicking at the keyboard instead of leaning back on the couch.” (Dr. Mizuko Ito, Cultural Anthropologist, University of California Humanities Research Institute 2009)

Just thought I’d chime in.

i think violent video games are worse. becuase if you get into a fight with your wife or girlfriend, you cant replace the chick with a violent video game, the way you can with a porno.

@Jerikao i completely agree, but if you read that quote carefully it’s a specific comparison between children playing MMO’s and children playing other kinds of games.

but just as added measure I’ll re-post the Gentile quote in answer to Mizuko,

8.5% of video-game players ages 8–18 exhibited pathological patterns of play as defined by exhibiting at least 6 out of 11 symptoms of damage to family, social, school, or psychological functioning (Gentile, 2009).
Gentile, D. A. (2009). Pathological video game use among youth 8 to 18: A national study. Psychological Science, 20, 594–602. Available Online at: http://www.drdouglas.org/page_resources_articles_2009gtext.html.

Pr0ns, to be sure.

@Dr_C: Well played, sir. Well played. I actually hadn’t noticed the Gentile quote somehow.

My point was to show that perhaps those playing MMOs were doing little (or at least less) harm to themselves. If you read further up, I did reference a study done that shows the incredible increase in psychopathic deviations in today’s youth. And that was just one area of mental health.

I wouldn’t really mind either. Not when they’re 2 or something, now THAT would cause some interesting developmental effects. But really, the difference between fantasy and reality tends to come about as soon as you can remember dreams, or other such things.

@Jerikao I saw (which is why i was surprised by the Mizuko…). But anyway.. do we agree on pr0n then?

I would combine the two.

@Dr_C Wow, you really did your homework. That was a fantastic response!

I think it totally depends on the kind of “porn” you are referring to. I feel there is absolutely nothing wrong with watching two people who obviously care about each other make love with one another, it is absolutely natural, and easy to explain. Violence, on the other hand…. For me, it’s obvious when I see violent, real-life videos of people beating other people on line. To me, this is very disturbing and often troubles me and saddens me deeply. Watching two people make love has absolutely no such effect on me, in fact, it is often the remedy to those terrible feelings caused be seeing those type of violent videos.

lolololololol @HTDC thinks porn is real…

Heh, I don’t watch porn – but I am not against it.

I also see nothing wrong with me playing a violent video game, if I as a free, American adult choose to.

If violent video games cause murders, then pencils cause misspelled words.

I don’t think either affect people, unless they are not mentally stable. I play violent video games, but I am not a violent person. Some games that allow you to have sex like Sims and Fable don’t really affect the way I think about women.

My sons are 15 and 17 and have played violent video games for several years now. They have never acted out violently.

I’d rather my sons were taught that sex is something that you share with someone that you care for. Pornography does not portray this. Pornography is worse imo.

I think both are relatively harmless if the person understands that neither represent the real world (ie know that you shouldnt shoot people or treat women like they do in porn)

@benjaminlevi some of the porn I’ve seen included really, really good sex!!

I think violent video games are bad. I don’t think porn is bad, if my child saw porn i would just explain to them the things about porn. I would also definitely not mind if they saw two people who love each other making love

@dutchbrossis What if the two people didn’t love each other? Would that be different

@faye I meant just dont treat them like objects and don’t think everything you see in porn is how everything is in real life.

@benjaminlevi No, I was just saying I definitely wouldn’t be upset at them seeing porn when it is two people who love each other. I wouldn’t be upset either way, I see nothing wrong with it. I am not sure what I would say, whatever feels right at the moment to explain it to them. I am very against censorship though, and don’t want to hide what goes on in the world from my children

@benjaminlevi Just funnin’ with ya

Fact from fiction, truth from diction. Going purely the merits of the question I would say the video games would be worse. In many games you are not killing random aliens or zombies but other humans. Somewhere in the back of my mind I believe some kids know shooting other humans are bad but that somehow not as fatal because no one ever really dies permanent in a video game. Plus it makes the rush of shooting something you should not something moving that much more. I think most young children would be grossed out by porn and the allure of it would fade quickly. Not that it would be good for children to sit around watching 2 or more people boinking would be good just that the single shooter video games and such would be worse.

I wonder how many people read “Fact from fiction, truth from diction” and automatically think “DOUCHE” and don’t read any further…

I mostly just think “Oh cute, a neat little rhyme that he starts every post with and it means absolutely nothing” and don’t read any further…

@Sarcasm @MacBean Except maybe bigger douches who have nothing better to comment on or upset because they can’t think of anything .0001% as good….....ummmmm…....., maybe they should just go about their way and not be a hypocrite telling people to ignore what they seem to can’t resist LOL

Neither

@Mike_Hunt If you read the small print, they are looking for an answer other than neither