Edit - Lotta video game apologists in this thread. Look past your capitalist dependency on causing violence to other people/animals, and recognize what you're doing. Stop Video Games.

Video Games are a media (superstructure) that reflect the economic base we live in. It is part of the cultural hegemony we live under, that the state uses to justify itself and capitalism.

Violence is an inherent part of this ideological propaganda apparatus (along with patriarchy, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, anti-communism, capitalist normalization etc.)

All media influences the people that receive it. It is "pure liberalism" to believe it does not. If you're a Marxist, you must stand against video games under capitalism.

  • Frank [he/him, he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Every study they've ever done on this says that video games do not cause violence behavior in people who are not already violent.

    It turns out that people can, in fact, tell if they're awake or dreaming.

    A more valid criticism would be that games like Call of Duty deliberately distort history in dangerous ways, or that many if not most economic games reinforce Capitalist ideology by omitting figures like labor power, environmental degradation, or any kind of mechanics for human flourishing from the game.

    US society was built on genocide and violence, and has been genocidal and violent for hundreds of years. Video games only really entered public mass acceptance twenty years ago. And metrics of interpersonal violent crime have been falling for almost all of that twenty year period. There is simply no evidence to support your claim and what you're doing is just a conservative reaction to new forms of media. You might as well be blaming comic books for juvenile delinquency or blame women's lib on the invention of the novel.

    • LiberalSocialist [any,they/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      Pure liberal idealism. Video Games reinforce and normalize the structures of violence that our capitalist society depends on. YOU are the one who's being a reactionary conservative under the guise of liberalism. Stop doing capitalist apologia. Stop Video Games.

        • RION [she/her]
          ·
          2 years ago

          That's how you know it's a good one. Gotta respect the hustle

        • Omegamint [comrade/them, doe/deer]
          ·
          2 years ago

          This user has been making on the nose topics for awhile actually lol. It's obviously someone who actually has spent time here because they're actually decent at doing this

      • KobaCumTribute [she/her]
        ·
        2 years ago

        The actual truth is more insidious: just like action movies and any sort of action literature, violent video games primarily hinge on the idea of legitimate violence doers doing violence - the chosen heroes, the formally sanctioned enforcers of the system, monarchists, and other narratively accepted legitimate violence doers.

        They're just another facet of media that's reinforcing the idea that it's ok when the people whose job is doing violence do violence to someone. They can only "cause" violence from the consumer when they inspire that consumer to join up with one of those formally legitimized violence-doer groups like the police, military, etc. The same was true for movies before that, like how the secret service agent who saved Reagan was inspired to join the secret service after watching a movie (starring Reagan, ironically) about them. Though of course saving Reagan is a degree of heinous behavior well above most cases.

  • UlyssesT [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I know this is a bit, but that said, while there is no direct connection between "played MechWarrior" and "hijacked the family BattleMech to blow up the school after those stravags refused a batchall," the arrogant claim that the media we consume has no effect on our attitudes, beliefs, or behavior at all is both presumptive and dangerous.

    • CliffordBigRedDog [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      You mean im supposed to let me Black Knight just catch dust and rust without ever using it?

      • UlyssesT [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I mean, you should have when Operation REVIVAL began and the Clans came to save you from yourselves. :FrothingNicolai:

  • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    But seriously yeah video games cause violence but not in the way most think.

    For example, how many kids have signed up for the US or a NATO aligned military after playing call of duty or battlefield? And have gone on to participate in violent acts as part of those armies? Or become a cop?

  • Rixuyo [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Yes but have you considered that they are fun

  • dead [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    So video games reflect our reality, correct. That would mean video games don't cause violence.

    Getting mad at video games for being a reflection of capitalism would be like if I got mad at mirrors for making me ugly. The mirror isn't making me ugly, it is just reflecting what is reality. Changing the mirror won't change the way I look. We have to change what is being reflected, not the reflective surface.

    edit: I rephrased the analogy.

  • D61 [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Seriously though, the amount of times kid me chunked things at walls because I couldn't get past a level in Super Mario, so much violence.

  • pooh [she/her, any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    What about a first person shooter where instead of a gun you have a spray bottle and you go around shooting at people who are horny-posting and also sometimes bonk them on the head? Something like this:

    :volcel-judge::spray-bottle: :panting::panting::panting:

    • D61 [any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      "Volcel Police 2999"

  • CliffordBigRedDog [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Video games do cause violence in that when i see a G*mer post online i want to do violence against them

  • Comp4 [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    So what are you gonna do about it other than scream into the void ? If this was a serious problem it would require serious solutions. What would you propose under the current capitalistic system. Posting on this obscure platform known as Hexbear doesnt really count.

    • LiberalSocialist [any,they/them]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      if we can light up a hexbear, we can light up an internet, if we can light up an internet, we can light up the world.

      tweet at cpusa to get them to add "Ban Video Games" to their platform. I guarantee it'll get them elected.

      • Comp4 [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I salute you. While I wont join you in this strugge I can clearly see you are serious about it. Carry on.

      • D61 [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Oh sh*t! LiberalSocialist is lighting up hexbears left and right!

        :sicko-hexbear: :stalin-gun-1:

  • usernamesaredifficul [he/him]
    ·
    2 years ago

    yeah a culture glorifying violence does contribute to violence. But countries other than America have both violent video games and similar access to guns with nowhere near the rate of mass shootings.

    no one knows why Americans do mass shootings not even themselves