What I Did Today

[BroomJockey]

I carjacked a sports car and sped down the street, sideswiping a car and taking out a bus shelter as I went. I killed 3 pedestrians on my way to a drug deal. I used the cash from the deal to buy a new SMG, and took out some lieutenants in the rival gang. I then helped commit insurance fraud by throwing myself in front of a truck and being launched 300 ft.

In case you haven't figured it out by this point, I was playing a computer game. Saints Row 2. You play the part of a former gang leader just escaped from prison, and you're out to restore your gang to prominence in the city. It's a fairly violent game. You can kill anyone you can see, and you can do it in a variety of fashions. You commit crimes ranging from drug deals to hits to casino heists. The crazier you are, the better the rewards. Games like this are fairly common, with the most famous being the Grand Theft Auto series.

Now, the question I'm placing before everyone isn't the classic "Do violent games cause people to behave violently?" The question is, "Do violent activities allow people to release aggression in a safe way, or is it better to rise above aggression and put it behind?"

In slightly longer phrasing, are outlets ranging from contact sports (like Rugby or football) to violent video games (GTA, Hitman, etc) to violent media (such as action movies and TV shows like the Sopranos) allow a pressure release for most people? Or does it feed violent urges and thereby increase them?

[Flyndaran]

Violent imagery has a very real effect on children. The more realistic, the greater the effect.
But as long as all other aspects of the child's environment are healthy, then the imagery can simply be a non-issue.
The real problem with adults is one of desentization.

[BroomJockey]

Er, I said that "Do violent games cause people to behave violently?" wasn't the question. And so you very politely answer that one. Or possibly just gave a non-answer altogether.

The question is, are violent media a valid release of aggressive emotions, or are they feeders of aggressive emotions? I'll clarify. Not desensitization, not "what effect on kids." For a normal adult, not a psychopath. Not the extreme end of the bell curve of things like the Saw movies, or games like Manhunt. Just average action movies like Die Hard, sports like rugby, and games like GTA. I'm not even talking about causing actions, such as "do people who engage in these activities commit more violent acts?" Just, "Does it cause or relieve aggression"

[Flyndaran]

How many qualifiers are you going to use?
Mentally stable adults watching certain types of violent imagery...

[lordlundar]

Before I got into retail, I would not even touch a FPS (First Person shooter) and would run with Role playing games and strategy games. Once I started working in retail however I found that if I had a rough day at work, I'd pop in unreal tournament and play a little unfair capture the flag(ie me virtually unstoppable). And if I had a REALLY rough day, I'd find the most violent mutator for the game, plug it in and go to town. Very therapeutic actually, especially when I would imagine the ones whose heads were being blown apart was the one that pissed me off.

So to answer your question, yes. It's not healthy to keep the rage bottled up until you pop. This provides a safety valve where no one gets hurt.

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I know that a rousing round of COD4, RSV2, or Mercs2 is a great way to unwind after a sucky day. If it was a really sucky day, I might end up playing Left 4 Dead for hours on end, nothing like exploding zombie heads and epic finale battles set to the Resident Evil themes (Seizure of Power and Cleansing)

But everything effects people differently. It's evident that for some (most notably the nutty ones) violent media makes them more violent. But here in real people land, it's just a release.

Still, I'm no shrink so the best I can give is a great big *shrug*

[Slytovhand]

or is it better to rise above aggression and put it behind?"

Of course it's better to rise above it! Humans don't need to get angry or violent...

I had a guy I know pass away after a long disease. I went to a mate's place, and his suggestion was to go shoot things... yeah... good advice!! NOT!

Personally, I prefer other sorts of games - LoTRO at the moment... so I can get up close and personal with my killings hackity-hackity-hack (don't come back! )

[tabbyblack13]

If I have had a bad day I will play games. Right now work has been stressful with a lot of changes going on. I use video games as a release but I really don't have violent games to play. The most violent game here is Demigod. I will admit I tried playing GTA when it first came out but I wasn't interested.

Violent games can be a release, but I think that sometimes the games are too much. There are people that should not play these games. I also believe that children shouldn't be allowed to play these games as well. Sometimes a child's mind cannot differentiate between reality and a game world.

[DesignFox]

I think that for most normal, healthy adults these things can all be a pressure release. I know plenty of people who play GTA and they don't go around robbing and killing people.

I prefer the hack and slash of Diablo myself...

Anyway, I find that physically doing something is often a better release than the video games. So I'd probably tell someone to go out and punch a punching bag, play a sport, or (in my case) get outside and spend time with the horse...

But everyone is different. I don't think video games create criminals.

[powerboy]

For me, I play Left 4 Dead, Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, or Legends of WrestleMania. Those games are my outlets. I can keep beating someone down on the wrestling games or I can go in and just start killing Zombies

[lovlybones]

I know this probably sounds pretty girly, but when i'm pissed off I like to play burnout since I can total a car, and then still get back in the game to win.

i also think that playing games based on my mood is what I do. it cheers me up in an odd way.

when I feel melo, I play some golf, when I'm pissed i break things, and when I'm happy I play tetris forever...hehe

just my opinion, but its better than me actually going out and totaling a car, cause I'm pissed so its a good outlet as long as people (teenagers/kids) realize it is only a game.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I don't play computer games much now, due to not having a console handy; but my fave game back in the day was Streets of Rage 1 and 2. However, I can honestly say I've never felt the urge to go around cracking heads and kicking arses in real life while wearing a red PVC mini and crop top. XD

[Cassandra]

I believe that having an outlet for the aggression is a way of getting above it and moving on. Like many of you here, I like nothing more than to kill a few zombies in Res Evil or beat the living hell out of everyone as Ivy in Soul Caliber when it has been a long day and I'm pissed at the world. Better to get the aggression out on screen than in real life.

I have to agree with those who mentioned that if it's a mentally healthy adult it's cool to release the tensions of the day in this manner, but not for children. My fav thing to do at the game store is tell the parents just what you can do in GTA and that in COD World at War you can watch people being tortured and their throats slit. It keeps them from buying these games for the children and helps them to push their little ones towards more appropriate ways of releasing aggression and anger.

Some days I'm too pissed to even shoot things and that's when I go real quiet and grab a book to read or start typing away at the keyboard and watching as a new short story is created.

To go back to my opening sentence, in order to rise above the aggression, sometimes you have to release it rather than push it aside so that it my rise up above you again.

[Flyndaran]

...
To go back to my opening sentence, in order to rise above the aggression, sometimes you have to release it rather than push it aside so that it my rise up above you again.

Simply letting it go works best for me. With my anxiety condition eating up most of my mental energy, opening up any feelings of aggression could lead to dangerous exhaustion or something else nasty.
Eh, everyone's different. What's healthy for you is certainly unhealthy for me. And learning to let it go is much more difficult that it sounds. I've had years to learn.

[blas87]

A while back, someone posted a link on CS to this site where you find all these random ways in the office to kill your boss.

I must say, I played that little game after work for many, many days and it made me feel better.