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[dead monkey uk]

That's pretty sad. I had friends in high school who were obsessed with gun stats K/D and all that good stuff but it seems tragic for a grown man to get that deep...

Do not judge the guys wife may have been a total horror. COD may have been all that was stopping him from jumping off the roof.

 

[g11]

Call me crazy a show titled "Are Video Games Really That Bad?", it sounds like they're coming at it from a not unbiased perspective to begin with.

 

[mrklaw]

Modern horizon is a groundbreaking example of how to pad 20 minutes of material into an hour long show.

It's all location shots, guest speakers listlessly looking off into the half distance to seem meaningful, while a voiceover repeats a basic point for the fourth time. They seem scared to actually have a reasoned discussion with their audience or tell us anything of substance.

Sad really. I had hoped that BBC4 might give it a new home and a new direction but as long as it is stuck on bbc2 I think it is screwed.

 

[hodgy100]

whats with the instant negativity. the BBC is trying to push the video game industry, get people excited and invested, this is in an attempt to try and nurture a new generation of game developers because the UK is a pretty big player in the industry.

 

[Stereogatari]

Whenever mainstream media talk about one of my hobbies, especially gaming, it's always so cringeworthy and pandering to the lowest common denominator. So no thanks.

Modern horizon is a groundbreaking example of how to pad 20 minutes of material into an hour long show.

It's all location shots, guest speakers listlessly looking off into the half distance to seem meaningful, while a voiceover repeats a basic point for the fourth time. They seem scared to actually have a reasoned discussion with their audience or tell us anything of substance.

Sad really. I had hoped that BBC4 might give it a new home and a new direction but as long as it is stuck on bbc2 I think it is screwed.

BBC4 is so god damn awesome. I leave it on as my default channel these days, rather than on the news.

 

[mrklaw]

Whenever mainstream media talk about one of my hobbies, especially gaming, it's always so cringeworthy and pandering to the lowest common denominator. So no thanks.

Isn't that interesting though? It can give you an insight on how other people may view your hobby, and also maybe just how shallow the coverage of other topics are too, which you may not realise as they aren't an area you are really into.

 

[Stereogatari]

Isn't that interesting though? It can give you an insight on how other people may view your hobby, and also maybe just how shallow the coverage of other topics are too, which you may not realise as they aren't an area you are really into.

Yes that is true. It's good to see the "other perspective" once in a while.

I guess it won't hurt in combination with the Daniel Radcliffe thing.

 

[Hedrush]

Just saw this in my local newspaper

Grand Theft Auto creators hit out at BBC dramatisation of their rise to fame

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/random-made-up-bs-scots-6452177

Edit: just saw the other thread, sorry.

 

[marrec]

Yes. Video Games are trash. BBC finally having the hard discussions about this terrible hobby.

 

[EGM1966]

Do not judge the guys wife may have been a total horror. COD may have been all that was stopping him from jumping off the roof.

Or he just ignored his wife playing games. It's not all positive examples or the case a gaming habit did no harm.

This is what I'm talking about - any negative info on gaming and people fall over to suggest it's not a key factor.

I really like gaming as a hobby/entertainment (surprise being on these forums and sinking a ton of my disposable income into buying PCs/Consoles/Games) but statistically it can't all be good. It will be harming some peoples lives and that's that. People can get addicted to anything including gaming and the results can be negative (for example dropping dead in an gaming cafe)

 

[thelatestmodel]

whats with the instant negativity. the BBC is trying to push the video game industry, get people excited and invested, this is in an attempt to try and nurture a new generation of game developers because the UK is a pretty big player in the industry.

The BBC's video game coverage has always been shoddy and out of touch.

Usually I love them but they always find a way to cock up the games coverage and make themselves look like they don't really know what they're talking about.

 

[BGBW]

Yes. Video Games are trash. BBC finally having the hard discussions about this terrible hobby.

Correction, all videogames bar Elite are trash.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

whats with the instant negativity. the BBC is trying to push the video game industry, get people excited and invested, this is in an attempt to try and nurture a new generation of game developers because the UK is a pretty big player in the industry.

No matter BBC's intentions, nor the quality and factuality.

You know how when you feel attacked when you think something personal impeded and you automatically get defensive?

Now watch when this happens to a whole community.

 

[Drek]

The 90's called. They want their discussion back.

Except the linked article actually covers a few recent studies about video games and neurological development.

It opens with a quick line about how video games might have a very minor effect on aggressiveness, but far less than other environmental or biological factors.

Then it goes through a series of studies about how video games are being used to prove out improved cognitive ability in children and the elderly, all with far stronger early trends than the video games = aggressive behavior study.

At least skim the article people.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

BBC Horizon used to be one of the best documentary series but it has gone way downhill over the last few years. They used to do solid scientific episodes, interviews with relevant people in a field etc, now they will cover a science-related subject and interview people about it that aren't even scientists and the like in the field it's ridiculous. If this was done by BBC Horizon before they became shit it would be pretty good I think but based on what Horizons has been like these last few years... it's bound to be silly.

Well said, Horizon is a mess nowadays. They're too busy wanking over how many different camera angles/cuts they can fit in. It's not an episode of 24, FFS.

 

[giant_frying_pan]

Producer of videoGaiden worked on this Horizons episode, for those interested.

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

well, I might have to watch this then. Though a serious investigation would focus on social indicators ( "fat, stupid, and depressed" is an actual thing, as is being disenchanted and having improved logical thinking) and not the very iffy and almost borderline science associated with direct effects, like 'leads to aggression'.

eh. It's probably not very good. It's also been a while since I watched Horizon. It's always hit & miss between 'trashy topic for views' and 'expert topic that is great but nobody watches'.

 

[AcademicSaucer]

People will tell you videogames are bad with a straight face, and then continue to play candy crush on their iphone.

 

[Kurdel]

OK I stopped reading right there, maths / statistics and psychology just dont mix.

The ology lot always trying to read into things that just are not there.

 

[Phocks]

Video games are riddled with misogyny, don't buy into rape culture.

 

[Billy Big Bollocks]

This has some interesting facts that show video games can be good for you
http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcs76fr

German neuroscientists asked 23 people to play Super Mario 64, a popular 3D platform game, for at least 30 minutes a day for two months. MRI scans showed some players experienced growth in specific areas of their brains.

and you can click on the different parts of the brain

 

[LoveCake]

Anyone else watching this? (it's on now).

 

[Newlove]

Anyone else watching this? (it's on now).

This...how is it? I may catch up.

 

[Strictly]

On the whole, very positive for the industry.

 

[LoveCake]

This...how is it? I may catch up.

It is pretty good, they have had bits on the media saying how games are bad but they are following this up with actual science where studies & experiments have been done on gamers & none-gamers, gamers are better at tracking more objects at once or hand eye coordination for use in surgery with tools that are inside a body but are operated from the outside where they have to be used while viewing them via a 2D screen, or how gamers brains have better plasticity where the brain can change itself (faster in gamers brains) to do some-things better like cognitive ability's or some of the others mentioned above.

In the most part it is how gaming could be (seems to be) beneficial.

Just on they have given a driving game (Sonic Racers it looks like) & they played it for 4 weeks for about 15hrs & it improved their short term memory & also attention span but nearly 30% across the board for all that played.

Also there is NO evidence that gamers are going to be more violent to others by playing games, if you are of a violent persuasion you are going to be violent to others regardless of if you game or not.

 

[RecursiveFault]

They're not bad.

They're worse.

 

[Kierian]

I just started watching it, all they have stated so far is that, through a study, they found out that people get annoyed when they lose at a competitive game. I hope they get to more interesting studies soon.

 

[Coolsambob]

What a waste of an hour.

This guy says their evil. This guy says they do nothing to you. This guy says they help brain development.

Conclusion: they will divide scientists.

 

[Halph n Halph]

I quite enjoyed that. I felt it had more conclusive evidence showing benefits of gaming, or that violence in gaming has no real adverse effects.

 

[OldSkoolFool]

Thought it was good.

Has nothing to do with violence (imo) but everything to do with frustration.

I put my fist through my spectrum and smashed several quickshot 2's/competition pro's back in the 80's due to match day/match day 2.

Spoiler

Fucking footy games...... nothing changes..

 

[Katana_Strikes]

From what I watched I thought this program was sponsored by Capcom. DMC, RE0 and SF all on show quite a bit b

 

[D4Danger]

I thought it was pretty good. It seems like the public perception of games is becoming more positive.

that evil tetris game was pretty funny.

 

[cbrotherson]

Was asked to be a speaker on this, so very curious to how it turned out. Glad that people seemed to enjoy it.

Will try and catch it on iPlayer at some point.

 

[Starwolf_UK]

that evil tetris game was pretty funny.

For anyone who didn't watch it this is called Bastet*. Rules are just like Tetris except the random distribution of pieces is weighted so that you get a piece needed to clear a line 2% of the time and the worst possible piece 70% of the time. It sounds like something out of a f2p dystopia.

*-Egyptian cat goddess of warfare? no silly, short for bastard tetris and some think this is an XKCD take on it. Or to be all GAF>Internet>GAF here is a thread from 2009 (note: the version used in the study probably has different odds because 2% brings hope and keeps you hooked)

 

[SquirrelSoup]

Pretty good show. Would have liked to see some story based games mentioned at least or something. It was all explosions and fighting all the time, with the one exception being tetris.

 

[MilkyJoe]

The evil Tetris guy nailed it. Frustration causes aggression, not depicted violence.

 

[daniels]

In laboratory studies, some researchers have found an increase of about 4% in gamers' levels of aggression after playing violent games.

I wonder what the increase of aggression levels is after people watch this BBC crap.

 

[Reverend Funk]

if you like video games then fuck you

 

[Americanmushroom]

if you like video games then fuck you

Yes, thats what they say in the documentary.

Eerhh

 

[Starwolf_UK]

I wonder what the increase of aggression levels is after people watch this BBC crap.

No but my levels of aggression go up after reading

Spoiler

shit

posts like this that don't bother to engage in what was quite an interesting program (there is an even an article in the OP which shows some of the contents).

Like seriously you take you 4 seconds out of around 3000 to make a point of "the BBC sucks because a guy found something in a study that I don't agree with".

 

[Carl]

I wonder what the increase of aggression levels is after people watch this BBC crap.

I don't see the benefit in taking one quote and calling it crap. A good unbiased programme is all about balance, posting the good and bad sides and allowing people to make their own judgements. It sounds like they did a pretty good job of that.

Besides, a 4% rise in aggression sounds about right.

 

[daniels]

Like seriously you take you 4 seconds out of around 3000 to make a point of "the BBC sucks because a guy found something in a study that I don't agree with".

Thats what you say.
I can agree with it no problem there, i also agree with that i routinely get pissed by random annoyances in life way past some 4% like spilling coffee or waiting in a traffic jam on a hot day.

 

[Pyramid head]

Call me crazy a show titled "Are Video Games Really That Bad?", it sounds like they're coming at it from a not unbiased perspective to begin with.

It sounds like there's a silent "We all know they're bad but-" at the start of that title.

I don't even know why it's important to know whether or not a videogame increases someones aggression by a few percent, I'm sure the effects are many times smaller than the effects of playing competitive sports or plenty of other activities.

 

[Zoned]

I don't see the benefit in taking one quote and calling it crap. A good unbiased programme is all about balance, posting the good and bad sides and allowing people to make their own judgements. It sounds like they did a pretty good job of that.

Besides, a 4% rise in aggression sounds about right.

Yeah sure unbiased. A made up bad argument to counter good doesn't make the discussion balanced.

 

[patapuf]

It sounds like there's a silent "We all know they're bad but-" at the start of that title.

I don't even know why it's important to know whether or not a videogame increases someones aggression by a few percent, I'm sure the effects are many times smaller than the effects of playing competitive sports or plenty of other activities.

It's important because it's become a pervasive prejudice against games and it has been used by politicians to push regulations in the past ( though luckily, rarely with success).

The BBC itself points out that these 4% aren't a big deal.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Are Videogames Bad Enough To Rescue The President?

BBC redeemed.

 

[hodgy100]

this aired last night and it was pretty positive really.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06cjypk/horizon-20142015-19-are-video-games-really-that-bad

people at work here are pretty chuffed that sonic racing was in it

 

[SmartWaffles]

Yeah looks like it is about video games helping scientists researching human brain, not really negative stuff.

 

[aygomyownroad]

I've played video games since I was 5, and 25 years later still do.

Are they that bad? Well judging by how my Education and Career has gone so far No they are not bad for me.

Would rather play a video game than watch EastEnders!

If you are going to have physiological etc problems caused by video games like Anger issues after playing them then there is something wrong with you as a person and its not the video game. I get angry playing video games but once they are off I distinguish between reality and make believe!

 

[AmyS]

So far it's pretty much hot garbage The biggest flaw I see is the testing itself. Violent video game / non violent video game. Then watching real world violence on a screen. The claims are what you'd expect, playing violent video games 'desensitizes' people to real violence.

The Gamechangers was at least entertaining. This is not.