I was surprised that he was at least semireasonable. The host kept trying to push for the soudbite and Phil at elast fell short of saying games are directly responsible.

I'm guessing that he got a lot of negative feedback from teh last time he talked about videogames...

...wow. Sure, he's still critical, but hey, he sounded a heck of a lot better than quite a few people.

Wait... What? If I read that correctly, that would sound almost like Dr. Phil saying something... That kinda... Makes sense? Instead of the normal fear mongering?

Huh, for once, he points out what most of us have been trying to get others to understand for a long time: Violent video games do not make normal, well adjusted people violent. However, it's the people that are already violent in some sort of way that tend to be drawn to the violent games more, be it kids, or adults.

*rant mode*
Of course, if the parents would actually, you know, do their job of PARENTING, we wouldn't be having this whole conversation now. If parents actually monitored what games their kids were buying and playing, and if parents didn't go out and buy little Johnny that copy of Manhunt 2 (which I can pretty much guarantee is how most underage kids will get it), then this wouldn't be a problem.

Of course, there will likely be someone coming in here to post all sorts of absolute nonsense about how Dr. Phil was actually saying that violent games cause all the violence in the world, and that we're all too dumb to see because we've all been lobotomized by video games. But that man is nothing but an attention whoring bully, who can only get his kicks from picking on other people he perceives, and wrongfully so, are less than him. He's exactly the type of person you see picking on kids in school. And I can pretty much guarantee that that's the exact type of person he was back in school, and he just hasn't grown up.

And of course, there will be the people that respond to him, in a varying manner of ways, some trying to be more on the nicer side, some being far more aggressive. And yet none of those posts will actually end up making any difference to him. In all actuality, they probably won't even be read, just like this post. Besides the fact that there's pretty much no way any of us will change his opinion on any of these subjects.

I could espouse the whole "ignore him and he'll go away", and while I think that could possibly work, chances are, it'd probably just cause him to start doing even more destructive things towards us.

Blah, rant mode sucks, cause I end up getting completely off topic.

tl;dr: Yeah, kids shouldn't be playing Manhunt 2, and yeah, it could probably give some person that's already sick in the head ideas, but that goes for pretty much any kind of media. The only difference is that games are more interactive.

I do think it'd be humorous to see some crazy kid try to kill someone with a Wiimote. Now that would be epic failure. Not to mention proof that training to kill people on games is kinda... Useless.

R-rated movies are probably in the house too. Man, I bet those parents are just total assholes, having to be "hyper-vigilant" when it comes to movies too?

That's insane!! They should make a word for this sort of insanity!

Oh wait, they already did. It's called "parenting." Being vigilant of your kids activities is one of the highest priorities when it comes to being a parent. I don't see how having to ensure your kids aren't playing the wrong games falls outside the spectrum of other media, like movies.

@ Josh

Who says they are vigilant over the movies their kids watch?

"Dr." Phil seems reasonable here. I still don't like him, but he is like Yee in that they do understand games to an extent.

@EZK

I'm saying they should be. It's something parents should be concerned about.

@ Nightwing

In his defence, he did state that a normal person will not be turned into a psycho killer by playing games before. It was in one of the last stories about him. So he is not totally contridicting himself.

But then again, if a person games more facts and changes their stance on a subject due to those new facts, are they really contradicting themselves? Not that I am saying that Phil here has all the facts.

@ DAN

Quiet, you are letting the influence of Manhunt 2 surface before scheduled. We need to wait for the programmed time. ;)

"The research has been very, very strong over the years that when you’re exposed to violence and when you actually mimic something like this the aggression can go up."

What research? Please, tell me what study has ever shown this.

While children probably should not exposed to this, it is idiotic to think we can or should shelter children from violence. Violence is not caused by the media, as there has been violence since before we developed language. Today, major causes of violence include abusive development and poverty, along with many others. If people want to reduce violence in society, go after those.

In Dr. Phil's defence, I believe he gave a very objective view.

He didn't say violent games made kids violent. And I agree, you would have to be messed up already to go out and mimic what you see on the game and kill.

What Dr. Phil said made so much more sense than anything Jack Thompson ever said about video games and violence.

He's being more reasonable, but still pushing his agenda. The whole "desensitizing" issue, yet again:

...but it does desensitize them to it and they’re less sensitive when other people are that way...

I play video games, even the ever-so-feared "violent video games". I've also been to war, and been in real violent situations. Video Games did nothing to even remotely desensitize or prepare me, in any, way, shape, or form for the reality of having to kill someone before that person kills me. When mortality is on the line, it is a whole other situation.

I've also dealt with people who had some serious mental issues, like a friend of mine literally running me out of her house for fear of my own life while she was wielding a kitchen knife and shouting nonsense at me. If it wasn't for the help of some neighbors of hers to let me in and then lock their door as she started breaking it off its hinges, I may not be alive today (it took 4 Army MPs to hold down a 130lb, 5'10" woman, who was tossing them around like sacks of potatoes individually). Once again, video games did nothing to prepare me for reality, or desensitize me to reality.

Dr. Phil needs to stop pushing his agenda, underhanded, overtly, or really in any way. It is a load of BS, and is statements made from someone who tries to intellectualize the problem, without ever taking stark reality into account.

@ Xlorep DarkHelm

You beat me to it.

"Now, now, I mean, we had this saying where I grew up, 'If you beat a man to death with a, with a manhole cover, don't expect him to send you flowers on your birthday.'"

Hmpf so now Dr Phil. The man that can tell you all of your life woes by speaking to you over the phone for 5 minutes.

Sorry but no. Long odds he is just repeating the words of others (his corportate sponsers come to mind). Unlikely he has played the game that his is now an expert on, but still trying to link it to school shootings. Sigh. Oh but wait; he deigned to admit that watching/played violent games will not turn one into a mindless psycho killer. This is common knowledge (and common sense). Dig a bit deeper Doctor.

I see word play for sensationalism again,with a slight lack of looking at some studies that say the "damage" with interactive media is less not more than normal media, because the interaction is a distraction from absorbing it...

as for desensitize.....in the case of media it makes you panic a bit less when sht happens or even helps you deal with loss and death better than one who never experienced the emotions, all it dose is use those emotions more and helps make you more mature in handling some emotions.

witch makes the PC nazi fight against it kinda funny because they want to keep people deaf, dumb and blind.

Adaptor
*LOL*

Dr. Phil is a jackass who's on his way to being marginalized.

Doctor Phil needs to just shut the hell up. He barely knows what he is talking about.

@BetaSword

DAMN RIGHT!!!
parents have gotten lazy and use media as a scapegoat when their crazy ass kids do something bad.
Bobby killed James because he played manhunt. WRONG bobby killed James because his dumb ass parents didn't stop him when they caught him torturing his gerbil in first grade.

(bobby and james do not exist...al teast i hope they don't)

I heard that Dr. Phil and his wife are getting a divorce, so why should anyone listen to this asshole anyway when he can't even keep his own shit together?

[...] Link [...]

Now the truth is, if somebody plays this game and then they go and do this in their life, there was something seriously wrong with them before they got the game.

at least Dr.Phil is looking at both sides of the coin

If you have this game in the house with young kids, at least the Wii version, then you should have parental controls enabled anyways.

@ Xlorep DarkHelm

I've already made my argument before that last comment. But, it still serves a purpose. This is a man who goes around telling other people how to improve themselves and what they should do and how they can improve their marriages and such, as well as the occasional video game/gamer bash he does. I'm basically saying that he shouldn't be taken seriously since he can't even follow his own advice apparently if he can't keep his life and marriage together.

@Cyberskull

Exactly. You could have a bunch of AO games lying around the house, but if the console has parental controls on it, the kiddies can't play them. I think that's the major issue here, not enough parents are aware of those controls. If they were, maybe they'd shut the hell up.

In a perfect world where adults WERE being responsible parents, we wouldn't need these controls, but this is the age of machine dependence so just roll with the punches I guess.

@Dexee:
Sure it does! Ultra-Violence was a difficulty level in Doom before I Am Death Incarnate! :)

I say lets let Dr. Phil redeem himself and publically discuss his feelings as to the mental state of JBT. If they are positive then we know as a liar and can probably nail his hide to a wall. If bad then we have proof (as would the florida bar) that JBT is a (self-serving, hypocritical, megalomanic) loony.

Talk about win-win

I think it was Triumph the dog who compared his doctorate to that of Dr. Seuss.

"Please, I beg you, don't start that Foghorn Leghorn crap with me."

I LOVE it... "Dr. Phil "Weighs in" ,

He sure does... and he seems to be tipping the scales...

LITERALLY!!

-cs

http://www.realmofdarkness.net/pranks/drphil-black.htm

@ Pandralisk

Oh, not this f*cking shit again, you were so good for a while.

[...] The real question is, what impact will this have on the video game ratings system, namely the ESRB? First of all, the edits made to the game are laughable. The color spewing, nauseating effect that RockStar/Take Two chose to use in order to mask their objectionable material is negligible. Any idiot with a public image to uphold or some fear to monger is going to jump on this game like wolves on a Sizzler. [...]

At least he almost sounds like somebody who could have earned a degree in this tamer version of "let's blame the games".

Although I'm still wondering what research is supporting the widespread opinion that videogames are worse than other media.

I mean, let's say we ignore the part where the oft-cited mirror neuron research admits that reality does not corroborate the supposition that playing violent games will contribute to violent actions--and even admits there must be some higher mirror neurons doing some sort of morality check to inhibit such violent reactions.

Then we're still left with some research which shows that watching actions fires up the same parts of the brains as performing actions...so, that should mean that there's no more harm in playing a game with violence than in watching a movie with violence, right?

I'm still waiting for the self-proclaimed experts to:

a) admit what they're saying is opinion and has no basis in fact

or

b) accompany their "evidence" with caveats that it doesn't actually prove anything, for or against their much-touted beliefs.

This is the research that Dr. Phil is referring to:
http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html
The research was done by the American Psychological Association. There is a .pdf flile link on that page containing the full results on that page.
Ben

Please, people......I think all of you are angry because you KNOW Dr. Phil is right, you just don't want to admit it. Is it that much trouble for you to keep ass-beating blood squirting games away from your children? I mean, really, you are so PRO violence that you want to make sure your follow the same path. Yeah, THAT'S not weird...You really would rather kids play violent games rather than Shrek or something?? I mean, really, have any of you really thought about what you are fighting so hard for? "Dr. Phil is wrong! I want equal violent video game priveleges for all ages!" HellloooOOO????????

Yes, I have a child. Yes it's hard to say no to 90% of the games my son wants to get. Yes, it's a pain in the ass to make sure no one else brings any "bad" games over. The worst feeling that I've ever had was when my son was telling me about a video game he was playing (he's 7) and the foulest things were coming out of his mouth: "You have to stab this guy like a hundred times" "And then I killed this dude" "There was blood all over the place!" That's disgusting. That should never come out of any child's mouth. I pity all of you that aren't strong enough and don't care enough about your children to not monitor what they are playing. I refuse to go with the grain on this one. I will NOT get used to hearing my son talk like that and certainly will not let my son get comfortable saying those words. He is a child. I was only loosely monitering his games at first, but after what he said, he doesn't play anything T and beyond, and I STILL check the game to make sure there isn't anything in there that I don't think is appropriate. it's my job to make sure my son doesn't hear or see anything inappropriate for his age. Do YOUR job people! Even if there is only a SLIM chance that violence and video games, don't you owe to your kids NOT to find out?