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Oct. 2, 2014 - Freedomain Radio - Stefan Molyneux

02:06

2808 Video Games vs. Drones: What They Don't Tell You!

We hear this all the time - playing video games leads to violence. Gamers across the globe roll their eyes whenever they hear about a new study that correlates aggression and time spent in a virtual world. Titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto immediately draw controversy upon release because of graphic depictions of violence. Killing and robbing virtual prostitutes or carrying out a fictional terrorist attack on a Russian airport will make you more violent, the media tells us.

Time	Text
	So, we hear this all the time, right?
	Playing video games leads to violence.
	Gamers across the globe roll their eyes whenever they hear about a new study that correlates aggression and time spent in a virtual world.
	Titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto immediately draw controversy on release because of graphic depictions of violence.
	Killing and robbing virtual prostitutes or carrying out a fictional terrorist attack on a Russian airport will make you more violent, the media tells us.
	Hmm.
	So the Oxford Dictionary defines the phrase video game as follows.
	A game played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a monitor or other display.
	You know what else fits this description?
	Piloting military drones.
	Sitting in a comfortable chair with your hands on the joysticks and your eyes focused on the monitor in front of you, you push a button and people die.
	There is no respawn.
	A recent study of 1,000 United States Air Force drone pilots found that 4.3% of them experienced moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
	For comparison, between 10 and 18% of soldiers on the ground are typically diagnosed with PTSD. Among the symptoms were recurring nightmares, intrusive thoughts, trouble falling asleep, and difficulty concentrating.
	People think we're sitting here with joysticks playing a video game, but that's simply not true, stated a retired Air Force officer.
	These are real situations and real-life weapon systems.
	Once you launch a weapon, you can't hit a replay button to bring people back to life.
	When was the last time your conscience haunted you for getting a headshot in Call of Duty?
	Shockingly, the brain is, in fact, able to distinguish between real and imaginary violence.
	So, whenever you find yourself frustrated at the mainstream media's coverage of violent video games, remember the following principle that underlies their narrative.
	Killing virtual people is bad.

Time

Text

So, we hear this all the time, right?

Playing video games leads to violence.

Gamers across the globe roll their eyes whenever they hear about a new study that correlates aggression and time spent in a virtual world.

Titles like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto immediately draw controversy on release because of graphic depictions of violence.

Killing and robbing virtual prostitutes or carrying out a fictional terrorist attack on a Russian airport will make you more violent, the media tells us.

Hmm.

So the Oxford Dictionary defines the phrase video game as follows.

A game played by electronically manipulating images produced by a computer program on a monitor or other display.

You know what else fits this description?

Piloting military drones.

Sitting in a comfortable chair with your hands on the joysticks and your eyes focused on the monitor in front of you, you push a button and people die.

There is no respawn.

A recent study of 1,000 United States Air Force drone pilots found that 4.3% of them experienced moderate to severe post-traumatic stress disorder.

For comparison, between 10 and 18% of soldiers on the ground are typically diagnosed with PTSD. Among the symptoms were recurring nightmares, intrusive thoughts, trouble falling asleep, and difficulty concentrating.

People think we're sitting here with joysticks playing a video game, but that's simply not true, stated a retired Air Force officer.

These are real situations and real-life weapon systems.

Once you launch a weapon, you can't hit a replay button to bring people back to life.

When was the last time your conscience haunted you for getting a headshot in Call of Duty?

Shockingly, the brain is, in fact, able to distinguish between real and imaginary violence.

So, whenever you find yourself frustrated at the mainstream media's coverage of violent video games, remember the following principle that underlies their narrative.

Killing virtual people is bad.