That's a failure of the other kid's parents then. But the raising of a kid is done by the parents, and nothing else. Bad influences only indicates that the parents were unable to shield their kids from it, while millions of other parents are able to.

I will say that video games can impact your life, like Age of Empires 2 and Battlefield 1942 were both games that spiked my interest in history.I learned alot of history from those games, and that i think is whats great about games, they contain moral lessions, history or anything else.

the biggest problem with parents is that they think too highly of themselves.
and don't really analyze things, and say things about things they just cannot know about. for example: if my mum says it’s bad for me to play shooters, how does she know its bad for me? she hasn't even tried it herself.
she only says it becouse there is some shooting in the game.

I know for a fact that the school system here participates in that process. At least prior to high school, since vast majority of people are done with the initial process at that time.

actually, my interest for space and aliens began when i saw my brother playing Unreal(the first one).

Video games made me a fan of the outer space, I think it all started when I played Quake 2.

Computer games also made me learn about PC hardware so i could upgrade and overclock my system.

Perhaps we should participate in a thread called "What doesn't affect people?" Shortest thread ever.

not a bad idea Tyster..... I think Video games ARE fun and are a good time killer also.

But the question is, is do tey affect your personal views? have you ever wanted to do something you saw in a game or even tried?

Wanted, maybe. tried ? hell no! (well if you are talking about fragin someone )

So now we're getting more specific than considering whether they affect people in general. For me, I cannot think of any specific examples. However, I'm sure that some people might play a shooter and then go shoot people; then again, such people would most likely shoot people either way.

yup.

I must say, games have influenced my whole life, but for the better. I drew inspiration from them which allowed me to grow a better artist. Playing 'Freelancer' completely inspired me to make my own science fiction universe (documentry about 64 pages now) + story.
In my early ages I attempted mapping for Quake 3 Arena (didn't go so bad), Jazz Jack Rabbit 2 (I was little...) and not very long after, UT2004. Now look what I can do with 3D artitecture ^^

Anyways...
Parents can make all the difference.
Using games for example of what not to do in real life, is pretty smart, not?

you started at 9? i started around 3 or 4

I started at 5 - 6, Windows 3.1 with some dos games installed like Monster Bash, Duke Nukem, etc.

I think video games are supposed to help you expand your imagination. Only mentally distressed people get ideas of criminal acts after playing a game. Usually they have a troubled background, so it only falls to that form of individual.

I do like making my own fictional universes in my spare time, most of them barely developed. You should see some of the stuff I make up. It's freakin' ridiculous. I guess that's why most of them end up in the trashcan anyway, eh?

I think that it depends on who plays the game, some people can play the most violent and bloody games and then go straight back to normal life, while other less stable people might get ideas from any game

From what I have hear about in the media, people who would commit crimes without games would play games and then commit crimes; therefore, video games cause crimes.

But thats exactly what i'm saying, you just said it yourself

"in the media"

I still think that the goverment are scape goating the problem onto games

ok, well, I've stayed out of this for long enough...

*sighs*

IMHO ::

Games do NOT make you DO things ...

When you are growing up / raised / brought up whatever you want to call it, you are conditioned in a certain way. The way you are taught, the princples and values you are taught, what you are taught, greatly influences who you are today. Yes each person has their own personality, but what and how you handle your personality is shaped by your upbringers (parents/guardians etc.).

IF you are lucky enough to have been brought up to know what is right and wrong, what is reality and what is entertainment, when to do what, prioritize your life, whats important etc. then games are purely entertainment, which is what they are in reality...you know the difference between getting shot at, or shooting some-one in a game, and holding a real weapon and killing some-one...

If however, you have been left mostly to your own devices whilst growing up, you do not actualy know where that line is between real and not real, because it's never been pointed out to you and taught to you...

I normaly start throwing things at the TV and people when they start preaching how games are so bad for their kids and they refuse to let them touch the computer blah blah blah....that comes from pure ignorance, they don't know, so they over react.

When people say the computer keeps their kid up all day and night and they never go outside and play etc. I ask why they allow that?? Why are they allowing their kids to play those blood splattering games ?? ITS NOT THE GAMES FAULT ... ITS THE PARENTS FAULT ...

ok, enough ranting....

I do however believe, that games can promote and encourage thinking...but only if the person has been brought up more or less properly (by this I mean princples, values etc.) ...

To those who say they hate computers and will never let their kids near one because of violent games: I say, explain to me how you would get through your NORMAL day with out a computer influencing something in your routine..if the kids of today do not learn computers at an early age, then we can say good-bye to the future, cause computers control almost everything !

Games are entertainment, and yes they are a multi-billion dollar industry, becuase they provide entertainment and encourage us to constantly push ourselves further, which keeps bringin us back to those games...which leads me to say, games touch that part of us that is instinct driven: to compete !

Games can be bad in some ways, people can get carried away with being too competitive...which again brings me back to how you were brought up...

So true, so very, very true.

I recall having seen a sign (I think in high school): "You are 100% responsible for 100% of what you do 100% of the time". Anyways, well put, Cybrex. There is no substitute for good parenting and an understanding of what you want your kids to be.

Cyberax nailed this thread, time to put a dot. "."