Violence in gaming.

[Ezechiel357]

Is it true that the Swiss have a secret language?

No.
But we've got your IP address and your location. Please, don't leave your sit as we consider it an obligation to answer your question personnally and in great detail. Don't run, don't shout, we are your friends. And no Romansch is not a secret language.

I am just wondering if while you were here(I live in Sacramento California), you may have noticed a difference between what is available in Sweden vs. what you can find in The USA.

Edit: In the media that is. Video Games/Movies/TV ect.

Regarding movies, the same are showing in Switzerland than in the US (as long as they are distributed outside of US), and I would say, there is probably less censorship regarding sex/nude scenes than in the US (cf Basic Instinct for those who remember). Violence in movies is not specifically censored.
Movies are rated PG & cie, I would say more or less on the same scale than in the US.

As a side note, Singapore (where I lived for 2.5 years) has a much tougher censorship - Planet Terror from Rodriguez for example was forbidden to import, so no shop got it (but I could get it through Amazon though).

Regarding games, there are regularly outcries in the newspaper regarding such and such video game being too violent/promotting crime & so on (like GTA), but I do not remember having a game being formally banned (at least big title). And unless it would be banned in every neighbouring country, it would not be very effective - considering the size of Switzerland, 3/4 of the population live within one hour drive from a border (with France, Germany, Italy, Austria or Lichtenstein - which I only mention for the sake of completeness  ).

Do we have more violence ? Since a decade or so, violence is on the rise - fight, brawl, assault -  and respect towards authority (police, train & bus controller) has drop a lot - when they check your ticket in train or bus, it is no more a single controller, but it is a group of 3 or 4 because there was too much abuse and violence towards them.

Is it linked to more weapon ? I do not think so, because you don't see more guns being involved.
Is it linked to movies/games ? who am I to say.

What is a fact is that a lot more foreigners are involved in violent crimes than Swiss citizen (we have about 20% foreigners in our country), so for me it looks like it is more linked to education, culture and integration in the society than weapon availability - but again, I am not a sociologist.

Hope it brought some light on my little country way of life.

[Flawless P]

Well thanks for the answer, I wasn't sure I'd get one after I butuchered that post...

I sometime wonder if the aggressive tendancies of most of the high school kids in the US is connected to being pressured to be competitive in sports also. I'm just musing here so I'm not looking to offend anyone but I feel like of the people most likely to get into altercations and start fights or arguements were people who were involved in organized sports.

Not saying that sports are to blame because that would make me just as bad as the scapegoaters who are blaming violent media, but I think if we are going to disect the violent tendancies of one group of hobbiests it might be worth it to take note of another group.

[metalwhisper]

Yeah, I wondered about the mainstream acceptance of violent sports, as opposed to the way the same supposed mainstream demonizes video games, as well. I think a part of it might come down to what clockworkjoe mentioned earlier in the discussion regarding criticism of certain types of media being a form of class warfare. I guess in this case, it could be seen that sports, even or perhaps especially, violent sports such as football are viewed as reinforcing the value system of the social class, order, or whatever, that wields power, while other entertainment, such as video games, rpgs, comics, are seen as different, strange, and/or somehow undermining what's is considered socially normal. I mean, look at the jock vs. geek thing in high schools and even afterward. Old, tired, and cliched, sure. But also pretty well established and consistent. Jocks, athletes, cheerleaders, what have you are held in high esteem and regard. Nerds and geeks are looked down on or teased with perhaps some people feeling sorry for them, etc. Granted, that may be changing now with video games and the internet becoming more popular as a past time than ever before, but even so gaming will never be as unquestioned or unconditionally accepted in the US as much as football ever will. Just my take.
Kind of sucks.

[Teapot]

Here's a thing: http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/1870569?articlePage=0

Well, it's more a PR move for "execs" looking to loot some of the love America has for the military with a weekend LARP.

But it's sold because of a lot of cultural myths in the US. Which come to a nice sharp militant point spreading messages about what is good and what is condoned and such.

[Flawless P]

That was a good article.

I just need to share this fact.

My brain went straight for the Prime Directive, as soon as I read the conditions of the test.

In the discussion of the events I would have had two options. Either kill them all to save the girl, or let it happen.

The Prime Directive dictates that no one need die.

Weird that I went straight for Star Trek to guide my moral compass.