Why the Wii is well-suited to video game violence
I wrote recently about the need for violent video games on the Nintendo Wii and, for clarity, the main point of my message is that the Wii is a great platform for a game that has physical interaction.
It could be where you can pull a street sign from the ground and shove it into your enemy's head, or it could be a cooking game where you have to assemble a Gordon Ramsay-esque 10-course meal. The point is, the Wii has unique features that are well suited to violent games.
As to whether or not game developers will make violent games for the Wii and if they will be big sellers is not my area of expertise. It's the underlying possibilities of the technology that I find interesting.
Violent video games on the Wii address two specific points:
1. Nintendo wants to sell more Wiis and games. Hardcore gamers are not buying Wiis
a. I could make a couch-jockey/carpal tunnel joke, but the Wii doesn't have the graphics horsepower of other consoles or PCs. What it does have is the ability to use more than your thumbs to play a game.
2. The Wii brings a whole new level of human/game interaction that would be well suited to more adult/violent games
a. Wii baseball has a batting game. I'm not suggesting this is the same social context as hitting some in-game enemy in the head, but I am saying it's pretty fun to hit stuff.
b. We all need more exercise
I figure if you can do one thing (hit a baseball) then you can do more things (hit an in-game enemy in the head). How that gets manifested into the game is a whole different story.
The comments and arguments around my previous post (in which I assert violent video games are cool) remind me of the Simpsons episode when Marge campaigns against Itchy and Scratchy.
I don't know if video game violence has an effect on children, and I'm not sure if I care. I write about software disruption, not social issues.
Dave Rosenberg dishes up "Software, Interrupted" with nearly 15 years of technology and marketing experience that spans from Bell Labs to multiple start-up IPOs to open-source enterprise software companies. He is co-founder of MuleSource and currently serves as the general manager of Hardy Way. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure. You can contact Dave via e-mail at softwareinterrupted@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @daveofdoom. 
He should never have children and, if he already has spawned, they should be removed from his influence immediately.
No, he is not a moron, and he should use his considerable powers to identify more useful ways to contribute to the society that has done so well by him.
If you are going to maintain a positition (any position) or insult people about their views, the least you can do is explain your own. You left yours unexplained as if it was self-evident, when it's not. Be a person instead of a troll and provide some rational argument.
Now, to business: I refer you to this article for starters: http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html
There are many more to be found on hardcore scientific databases. If you are a university student, you probably have access through your library. I beg you to check it out, in the same way I have.
I'm just very disappointed in you Mr Rosenberg: you have such a wonderful opportunity to influence people for the better through your blog.
Comments such as: "I don't know if video game violence has an effect on children, and I'm not sure if I care. I write about software disruption, not social issues" are certainly shocking, and not cool at all. They fly in the face of a convincing and overwhelming body of evidence that expose such comments as, well, " ignorant, ill-informed, unfeeling, neanderthalic (and) misanthropic", to quote myself. I might add, too, that such views are naive, and are disturbingly revealing about the kind of person you may be. Absolutely very uncool.
If you are, indeed, exposing your children to raunchier versions of Grand Theft Auto they probably SHOULD be removed from your care! Authorities in many civilized societies would view such child abuse as indicative of a deep-seated streak of sociopathic disregard for the well-being of a young individual. Sorry, but this is true. Check your facts if you do not believe me.
If you really believe what you wrote in the two articles in question, I am reassured at least that you clearly have made no effort to give your views credibility and depth with a more balanced approach. That is, there is hope for you yet to become a more rounded, caring person, who understands the responsibilities entailed with online commentary.
I doubt that you'll read this at such a late juncture, and I don't really care. I wish you the best in life, and pray that you will do a literature check on Google Scholar for this issue before you have children ? and especially if you already do.
Best wishes,
Tim.
asozasis at hotmail dot com if you wish to reply to me direct.
hemroids
Man I?m really surprised that, that game got no attention at this rate?.
And why are they just bringing up the Wii? Even the N64 and GCN had their share of M-rated games.
While we?re at it, where are all the M-rated games for DS? I got 50 DS games (my current highest out of any system) and none of them are rated M. <a href="http://www.hsbc.co.uk/1/2/personal/current-account">Current accounts</a> | <a href="http://www.talktalk.co.uk/products/broadband">Broadband</a>
<a href="http://www.4hemroids.com/">Hemroids</a>
- by ursonlyvarun November 22, 2009 11:15 AM PST
- Those games are generally high graphic games, involve considerably more processing power, and are not conducive to animation or 'cartoony' looking characters.
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