Pen & Teller: Video Game Violence

hool10

hool10

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I take these guys with a grain of salt. They fail as magicians, have the mouth of a sailor, and force their own views in your face. Still though I'm watching and they even got an interview with Jack Thompson. Who would give an 9 year old kid an assault rifle like that too?! Kid can barely put the stock against his shoulder. Ahh I might add this is NSFW because of the language. Anyways:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBtxB_PnCTo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN7uE-CoFW0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERyc5NH5VZQ
 
Umm they are funny you just have to like the jokes they are telling you. They are both in politics and thats why they did this piece as many gamers are tired of Jacks antics. CNN and FOX wont cover the gaming scene correctly and call Jack on school shootings as the voice so while this show isn't the best choice of letting the word out for the gamers point of view it is start and I like that.
 
I lol'd at the start..

Kid: Video games without big F*CKING guns are BULLSHIT.
 
The only one of their shows (although I haven't seen them all) I don't agree with is the circumcision one, tbh.
 
Kid's sister is cute.

Anyways, I don't see why you dislike Penn and Teller so much. Sometimes they can be a little over-conservative, but they are intelligent and mostly agreeable.


Edit: Aw, poor kid. I'm surprised it scared him that much!
 
Well, Penn and Teller should be judged as comedians and entertainers rather than serious journalists or political commentators. That is, after all, their profession.

They are very good entertainers. They do a good job of setting up the gags and making people with crazy ideas seem like lunatics. Their magic tricks are also sometimes supberb.

As commentators and journalists though, they are incredulous. They do shoddy research, use biased evidence, and usually just ridicule or attack ideas rather than arguing against them.

This doesn't decrease their entertainment value -- they aren't trying to be serious, after all. But it does decrease their value as a source of knowledge. They do have a knack of pushing people in the right direction though, and this I applaud them for.
 
I liked that. Of course I was disappointed that they did a lot more jokes than supplying evidence but at least the jokes were funny.
 
good show, and it brought out a lot of good points. also the anti video game fat guy was hilarious!
 
I hated firing the rifle / being on the shooting range when I was in the army :P
 
Even the penn and teller haters cant disagree video game violence is bullshit :P
 
Mabye Penn & Teller aren't right all the time, but they let you think outside the box, and that's what I like about this show. They make you think about things you usually haven't given much thought.

Also, the "violent videogames = violent kids" episode was awesome. Especially in the end. It really puts perspective on the matter.
 
the thing is they make it look like the kid was crying because he got scared of the gun or that reality somehow hit him(pun not intended)... but it could all very well be just because he got smacked in the face from the recoil, kid looks like a wimp that would bawl over something like that.

also I have to say that the fire instructor was an ass from not warning him of the recoil or instructing him in how to properly rest the rifle...the kid could have lost some teeth on that.

and before you all go "but it was to show that video game skills don't translate into real weapon handling skills"...well in that case they should have let the kid figure out loading the weapon, turn of the safety trigger etc etc. and the kid wouldn't have gotten a single shot off because he wouldn't know how to properly prepare the firearm for firing...of course that wouldn't have made for just as entertaining television, but really it would probably have put the point across even better.
 
PriNcE oF SpAcE said:
the thing is they make it look like the kid was crying because he got scared of the gun or that reality somehow hit him(pun not intended)... but it could all very well be just because he got smacked in the face from the recoil, kid looks like a wimp that would bawl over something like that.

also I have to say that the fire instructor was an ass from not warning him of the recoil or instructing him in how to properly rest the rifle...the kid could have lost some teeth on that.

and before you all go "but it was to show that video game skills don't translate into real weapon handling skills"...well in that case they should have let the kid figure out loading the weapon, turn of the safety trigger etc etc. and the kid wouldn't have gotten a single shot off because he wouldn't know how to properly prepare the firearm for firing...of course that wouldn't have made for just as entertaining television, but really it would probably have put the point across even better.
Click to expand...

^^

this
 
I wish they wouldn't swear so much.
 
PriNcE oF SpAcE said:
well in that case they should have let the kid figure out loading the weapon, turn of the safety trigger etc etc. and the kid wouldn't have gotten a single shot off because he wouldn't know how to properly prepare the firearm for firing...of course that wouldn't have made for just as entertaining television, but really it would probably have put the point across even better.
Click to expand...

They didn't have him load it and do all the mechanics of the weapon for obvious safety reasons. When he's firing, at least it's straight ahead, but when you have the kid fiddling around with the parts trying to figure it out, there's a chance he'll accidentally point it at someone and cause potential harm.
 
Last part just went down before I could see it. DAMN.
 
He was startled by the kickback, but what he is desensitized to is the act of not only is it ok to point a weapon at someone, but you should aim for center mass or head.

I am not suggesting FPS players are misanthropic nutcases ready to snap at any moment, nor am I suggesting that playing FPS games makes you that way.
However, playing an FPS or any game for that matter does develop certain instincts through repetitive play, just like a sport.

That is why I strongly dislike holding or firing real firearms, because like so many of us, as a child playing with toy guns, and eventually virtual guns, I was taught to aim at people.
Sure you don't know all the mechanics of the gun, but if you've played enough FPS games, it's extremely easy to aim, steady, and lead a target. I am saying this from personal experience. When I fired my first few firearms it was very easy for me, and a few proffesionals were surprised how well I could handle some weapons.

I would never intentionally hurt someone, but playing FPS games gives a false sense of security and natural comfort when holding a real weapon.
 
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