TresSugar

Thai Teen Kills Taxi Driver, Video Game Pulled Off Every Shelf

LibertySugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:30:18 -0700

The strikingly violent video game Grand Theft Auto IV will no longer be sold in Thailand, after a teenager murdered a taxi driver while trying to bring the virtual violence into reality. Video retailers have pulled the game off the shelves, and replaced it with other games. As for the teen who played the game for hours a day over a few years span, he now faces a possible death sentence.

Bangkok's police chief said that the teen wanted to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game. He said the boy planned to use the stolen money to play the game at arcades.

While I have a low tolerance for violence (I closed my eyes during most of The Dark Knight), I can't decide if I think Thailand is overreacting to this individual's crime. To see what experts might say, read more.

Some empirical research has shown that high levels of violent video game exposure have been linked to delinquency, fighting at school, and violent criminal behavior. I wonder which is the cause, and which is the effect. Still, other research maintains that there is no connection between violence and gaming.

If the distributors of Grand Theft Auto start self-censoring, will movies, cage fighting, and other forms of violent entertainment be expected to follow?

Grand Theft Auto: Soccer Dads and Happy Lads Edition, II

GiggleSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:00:00 -0700

It's official: The G-rated version of Grand Theft Auto is a hit and Conan's back with more. He maintained the setting and atmosphere of the original game, but tweaked the values and motives of the players - just a bit. The result is quite lovely. Everyone acts with a little more . . . Sense and Sensibility. Now who wouldn't want that?

Grand Theft Auto: Soccer Dads and Happy Lads Edition

GiggleSugar — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:00:00 -0700

Grand Theft Auto, the ridiculously offensive and violent video game that scores big with kids and grown buffoons alike, released its fourth edition this past week. Much to my delight, it's a keeper! I had a hunch that all the needless bloodshed, prostitute abuse, and vulgar language would get old and eventually give way to something a little more happy-go-Tootsie. All our players need is a fresh set of linens and a decent meditation spot. With these things, they're good to go eat their soy dogs in peace.

Grand-Theft Auto It's Not. Video Games Ease Soldiers' PTSD

CitizenSugar — Wed, 21 May 2008 11:00:52 -0700

Soldiers and Marines are iron tough in battle - though the biggest enemy they face sometimes doesn't show up until they get home. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or major depression afflicts nearly 20 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. One-half don't seek treatment. But a new treatment, Virtual Iraq, allows troops to delve into their trauma without landing on the couch.

With many soldiers avoiding treatment out of fear of stigma, a customized version of the best-selling videogame Full Spectrum Warrior has become a promising option. Since 2005, the Department of Defense has poured funding into it and two other virtual-reality programs targeting PTSD. And psychologists like JoAnn Difede - who treated Sept. 11 victims with a similar program called Virtual WTC - are hopeful. She said:

You don't have to do any work. You don't have to engage in any mental effort. We'll do it for you and then, gradually, we'll let you get involved in the experience in sensory detail.

Slow and steady wins the race with this therapy. A patient's readiness to move on must be carefully assessed. Looking at an Iraqi street scene may begin and end the first session, but slowly sounds and smells and actions are added. It can take months.

How is this even helpful? To see how, read more.

It's a form of prolonged-exposure, or immersion, therapy. The idea is to expose a patient to the source of trauma over and over until the event or situation no longer triggers fear. If you remember psychology and this sounds a lot like "habituation," it's because it is. (Does Pavlov ring a bell? Heh! Bell.)

While results are still pending on the efficacy of Virtual Iraq so far it's promising. After a few weeks of exposure, one marine was able to sleep without medication, felt more relaxed, and could joke around. He said:

Before I felt like there were two people in me. The marine who was numb, who was a tough guy, and the civilian in me, the real me, the guy who isn't serious all the time, the guy who can take a joke. By the end of therapy, I felt more like one person.

Should we be exploring more cutting-edge methods of treating the whole soldier? Could forcing them to relive the sights, sounds, and smells of battle, actually help soldiers cope?

Source

Rated G(angsta): UK Prisons Ban Adult-Rated Video Games

LibertySugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Well-behaved prisoners in England and Wales will no longer be allowed to play adult-rated video games - that means auto thieves cannot relive their crimes playing Grand Theft Auto. Bummer! Under the new system, those with kid-safe game privileges will also have to pay for the consuls and games themselves. (The games cost taxpayers £10,000, or $20,000, last year.) Officials will still permit the use of video games in cells, as a way to keep order in overcrowded prisons.

Since a booming prison population reduces resources for meaningful activities like educational classes, guards turn to PlayStation and Xbox when they want to reward inmates. Inmates at risk of suicide can play, too. Hoping to show offenders that appropriate behavior brings positive results, the reward scheme also allows for in-cell TV, more outside visitors, and the right to ditch prison garb for one's own clothes.

It would be hypocritical to allow prisoners to play video games riddled with violence and sometimes crime, characteristics of many over-18 games. But, does making well-behaving prisoners stick to kid games diminish the reward?

Source

Flashback: Magnavox Gets in on the Video Game Action

GiggleSugar — Tue, 13 May 2008 09:00:00 -0700

With games out today like Grand Theft Auto, it's hard to imagine anyone was entertained by this self-described "electronic game of the future." You attached the Magnavox Odyssey to your color or black-and-white television, and it allowed you to play games such as hockey, tennis and. . . geography(?!) I have a feeling the Magnavox Odyssey tanked, but at least we have this awesome commercial to look at!

Introducing: Snuggle the Video Game

GiggleSugar — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 03:30:00 -0800

Is Grand Theft Auto too violent for you? Then I think I've found your video game! I've never been a big fan, but I would play this over and over and over again. . .