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On Tuesday tthe 24th of August. the channel 9 program "A Current Affair" aired a piece on the way violent forms of media effect 10 year olds. Usually the story ends when Mike Monroe back announces the show. This spilled into a chat with Barabara Biggins from "Young Media Australia": a non profit organisation (in accordance with the ORG in the URL) that is interested in protecting youth. The questions were all valid from the chat room, but the answers from Biggins were all stonewalls. Biggins does not admit once that violent video games or violent film won't effect some children. Biggins keeps talking about evidence that she has but never quotes a single report. If you want to find out more from YMA you need to pay 55 dollars.. Now as far as I know "Media Effects" can only be put down to the simple "May or might cause effects on the audience" type deal.. But question after question rolls off Biggins with an ugly ignorance. This is my opinion.. Gather your own.
Host Dave 9msn says: Good evening Barbara. It’s a pleasure to have
you join us.
Host Barbara Biggins says: Hello everybody.
Host Dave 9msn asks: To begin with could you tell us what Young Media Australia
is?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Young Media Australia is Australia’s only
national advocacy organisation which represents the interests of children
and young people in relation to the media.
Krusty asks: Tonight’s report claims there is evidence to suggest
video and computer games make children violent. Where is the evidence?
Host Barbara Biggins says: There is some research evidence done, but not
a lot, on the more recent realistic games. However there are plenty of indicators
of harm from the 20 years of research into the impact of violent TV and
films on young people, and with video games you add an extra element where
the player is rewarded for being violent. And as any teacher will tell you,
children learn from doing rather than just watching.
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Irritated_Nick asks: Do you approve of our computer game classifications?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I believe that in both the video game classification
system and the TV system, we’ve not yet taken enough notice of the
research evidence that says that the combination of factors — such
as the violent attractive hero, the rewards for being violent, violence
with few real life consequences — ie. glamorise violence, increases
the risk of desensitisation and increased use of aggression to solve conflict.
However I support classification.
Mingers_PhD asks: Do you think that video games are only a problem if
the media continues to perceive it as a negative influence? Surely there
are video games that allow the development of positive facets of childhood?
Host Barbara Biggins says: There are video games that promote positive aspects,
but there are far more games in which violence is the main theme. There’s
not enough games with themes that appeal to girls.
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Grant asks: How did you keep a straight face when claiming that a kid
became a dead-eye with a gun after playing video games?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I read the research evidence very carefully.
I also believe evidence from former Army trainers such as David Grossman
who says that the types of games that are being commonly played by children
and young people now are exactly the types of games that are being used
to train soldiers to point and shoot, not to think. David Grossman says
that every time a child plays an interactive point and shoot video game,
he is learning the exact same conditioned reflex and motor skills required
for modern soldiers and policemen.
Irritated_Nick asks: What is the difference between the ‘good old
days’ Cowboys and Indians and video games? Kids get hurt, kids act
violence.
Host Barbara Biggins says: In the ‘good ole days’ most kids saw
Cowboys and Indians once a week at the local theatre. The essence of the
problem now is that children see at close hand , for several hours a day,
far more realistic violence and they’re trained in pointing and shooting.
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Video_Gamer asks: OK, how can you call 2 afternoons a substantial study
into proving video games cause children to become violent?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I wouldn’t. I didn’t set up the two
afternoons of play, Channel 9 did for the purposes of the program.
I take my evidence from reliable research studies carried out over several
years.
Grant asks: Why make 10 year old kids play MA+ games, and have you ever
played a “violent” video game yourself?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Yes I have played violent video games. I didn’t
set up the experiment, Channel 9 did, and I understand the 10-year-olds
had their parents’ permission, which is allowed under the classification.
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Zipppo asks: Barbara: would you agree that the program was not worth
being aired?
Host Barbara Biggins says: No, I thought there were worthwhile points made
in the program. The points were made that media violence hurts children
and they were made in a number of ways. And if people take that message
away it was worthwhile.
geoff asks: While video games seem to be an influence on these kids who
shoot up their schools, has anyone actually come out and said “Yeah,
I did it because of video games”?
Host Barbara Biggins says: A particular example, quoted by Grossman —
he was an expert witness in the case of a boy who had spent hundreds of
dollars on video games learning to point and shoot, point and shoot . They
decided to rob a local store, he pointed a .38 pistol at the assistant who
turned to look at him and the boy shot reflexively from about 6 feet away.
The bullet hit the assistant right between the eyes. When the boy was asked
why he did it, he said it was a mistake, it wasn’t supposed to happen.
There are numerous other cases like that.
Michael Carneal was the Paducah (Arizona) murderer — the boy who had
never fired a gun before but admitted he had learnt his skills from playing
video games.
Krusty asks: Japanese video games are much more violent than those of
Europe and American origin, but they have virtually no violent crime. What
does Mrs Biggins think about this?
Host Barbara Biggins says: That’s not what the research says.
pc_user99 asks: It seemed to me the camera was exciting the kids, what
are your comments?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Well it could have, but it doesn’t explain
the difference in play between day 1 and day 2. The camera was there both
days.
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hippieadam asks: Why did they test younger children and not the target
range (15yrs+)?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I’ve no idea, you’d have to ask Channel
9.
geoff asks: Is there a measured observation of kid’s reactions to
real violence as portrayed in Saving Private Ryan versus video game violence?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I don’t know of research where they have
tested the same children with both a violent film and a violent video game.
However the research evidence would lead me to think that a film like Saving
Private Ryan, where the real consequences of violence were shown and the
violence was not glamorised or rewarded, would not be likely to produce
the detrimental effects observed from watching video games.
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adam_james asks: What are the effects of long-time exposure to television
violence?
Host Barbara Biggins says: They are three-fold: there’s an increased
risk of using aggression to solve conflict; there’s an increased desensitisation
to the use of violence by others; and there’s increased fearfulness
about the world they live in.
The different sorts of violence produce different effects. For example,
the movie or cartoon with the attractive violent hero and few real life
consequences of violence are likely to promote the first two risks. Watching
real life violence such as the news is likely to increase the third risk.
Not all children are vulnerable, not all will react in the same way, children
under the age of 7 are at particular risk.
In essence media violence has been shown to be a contributor to real life
violence but by no means the sole cause.
adam_james asks: Who do you think is responsible for controlling what
children are exposed to, parents or the government?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Both - and the industry (entertainment).
Saint asks: Isn’t blaming video games just a scapegoat for bad parenting
skills?
Host Barbara Biggins says: The increasing range of violent media is making
it very difficult for even the most responsible of parents to avoid the
impact of media violence on their children. Parents do have responsibility
for their children, but we are making their job very difficult by making
so much violent media so attractive to children. We are actively marketing
violent products to kids.
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Adrian asks: Is the increase in violence in society a result of violence
in video games or the other way around?
Host Barbara Biggins says: There is good evidence that media violence in
all its forms is a contributor to violence in real life. There’s not
a lot we can do about some causes of violence in society, but we should
be doing something to decrease children’s exposure to violent media.
Chris_K asks: Barbara, what video games have you played?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Phantasmagoria, Mortal Kombat, Doom and many
other titles.
Jim asks: Barbara: Are you recommending to Australia restrictions in
access, based on age, to certain video games OR the complete banning of
some games?
Host Barbara Biggins says: We already have restrictions on access to games
by age. That’s not always observed because often parents don’t
realise the classification of a game and they can’t play the game.
I am recommending that we look more carefully at the classifications that
we give in the light of evidence such as David Grossman’s about the
training to kill games and the media violence research.
Krusty asks: There have been numerous attempts to sue game manufacturers
in the US, but not a single cent has been won off them. Does this tell you
what you believe is incorrect, or simply difficult to prove?
Host Barbara Biggins says: I understand that there are still court cases
pending in relation to these matters. I think the jury is still out.
strober asks: Barbara: do you think violent video games played by the
correctly aged person poses a danger to society? If so, does that danger
also transfer to other games ie Frogger turns people into jaywalkers?
Host Barbara Biggins says: The research evidence indicates that you need
a diet of media violence for it to affect you. I don’t think we can
say anything much about the impact of playing just one game. I still think
that we need to be revisiting the criteria for classification given the
research on glamorised, rewarded violence.
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Krazy asks: Games like that are like cartoons. People die and then they
come back to life, just like Tom and Jerry or Road Runner. Do you think
cartoons like that should be banned too?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Cartoons have considerable impact on children
under 7 because they don’t distinguish between fantasy and reality.
What they see is an attractive hero using glamorised violence. A lot of
the impact of any media violence will depend on the age and the amount of
time spent.
Blade asks: What about real life? Why isn’t all the violence in
real life (such as wars), blamed for violence in children?
Host Barbara Biggins says: Violence in real life, such as the news, has
a different impact on children. It is more likely to increase fears and
anxieties that some of those things might happen to them.
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Nash asks: Barbara, don’t you think that TV articles like the one
tonight seem to stereotype children and video games?
Host Barbara Biggins says: It was refreshing and quite a change to see the
media doing a story that indicated that there might be harm from media violence.
I haven’t seen a program that has done that on television in a long
time. I don’t think we have to worry too much about stereotyping, it
was a good cautionary message.
Adrian asks: Violence is just one of a number of “adult” facets
of life including sex and drugs. To what extent can we expect to shield
“impressionable” members of our society?
Host Barbara Biggins says: The problem with media violence is that there
are far more incidents of media violence than there are in real life and
the portrayals are largely not true to life. For example, media violence
rarely hurts permanently. One of the problems is that children lack an adult
perspective and they don’t know when reel life is not showing them
real life.
Gorgar asks: Barbara, how important do you consider the need for parental
supervision and interaction whilst kids are playing games?
Host Barbara Biggins says: It’s vital. And what’s more, parents
need to learn to play the games too.
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lockey asks: Do you have a list from your studies that are decent for
kids to play? We have a 4 year old who loves Zelda which we bought because
of the G rating. What are we to trust?
Host Barbara Biggins says: We don’t as yet have a list of approved
video games, we’re working on it. But we do recommend that for the
time being if you’ve got a child under the age of 7 to stick to G-classified
games. G8 means suitable for 8 years and over.
Host Dave 9msn says: Our final question …
student asks: Barbara, I’m a yr11 student half way through doing a
major study on media violence. I thought that perhaps I could interview
you sometime and I was interested if there was a work phone number I could
reach you at?
Host Barbara Biggins says: The Young Media Australia phone number is (08)
8232 1577 we’re open 9.30am-4.30pm Central Standard Time 5 days a week.
Host Dave 9msn says: Thanks very much again for answering the chatters’
questions and for such an interesting interview.
Host Barbara Biggins says: Thank you. You can also email us at: info@youngmedia.org.au .
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Host Dave 9msn says: This concludes our A Current Affair live chat with
Barbara Biggins, 24 August, 1999. Produced by ninemsn in Sydney, Australia.
ninemsn ©1999
