A question of violence in media

[MrsWargamer]

Hey guys ... first off, this is NOT an attack on media.

But I've seen a struggle (in myself) this last 5+ years, my life has changed in a variety of ways.
The one relevant for here ((wargame land), is my ability to cope with violence in my media (books, games, film).

I used to own a MASSIVE reference library. No more. All gone. The knowledge, it got too much to carry.
I used to enjoy watching documentaries (military history in this case). No more, I'm getting rid of it all.
War movies, I just can't watch them anymore. I have less trouble with the older dramas, but, it's still, about watching death.
I just watched We Were Soldiers yesterday, and I finally realized, "I can't do this anymore."
Wargames seems to be an exception. I think because I don't see them as 'real'.

To me, my wargames are just pixels fighting on a screen, or pieces of cardboard fighting each other.
It's not real. Might be very accurate to the event depicted, but, no matter how often I play, no one is actually dying.

I'm wondering, does anyone else here fight with this sort of thing?
I'm hardly a common veteran, but, I am ex-military.
But I don't think that is what is at work with me.
My time in was back in the 70s. I was young and stupid. And I fortunately never saw anything scarring in uniform.

I also build models, and again, they are just puzzles made of lots of little pieces. Just a more complex form of Lego experience to me.

[zakblood]

i have no issues with films, book or games with violence in them, as like you say, it's not real

[MrsWargamer]

ORIGINAL: zakblood

i have no issues with films, book or games with violence in them, as like you say, it's not real

Well, with games yes, games are just games.

But are you able to say video and imagery of real events, isn't 'real' for you?

[zakblood]

yes

[zakblood]

if it happened in front of me it's real, if it happens on TV or i see it on the net, i'm detached from it to an extent, so to me like those pilots flying a drone, i'm kind out of the loop and not involved.

so unless almost anything happens live right in front of me, it's as if it's a film and or a game, and not real to me

[MrsWargamer]

No judgement here

I suppose my problem is I was too close too involved too familiar.
I need it to be even less than fiction.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: zakblood

if it happened in front of me it's real, if it happens on TV or i see it on the net, i'm detached from it to an extent, so to me like those pilots flying a drone, i'm kind out of the loop and not involved.

Different people may experience it in different ways. At end of last year, certain anime had traumatized a number of wussies and they vented their outrage all over the Internet (or at least over Twitter). And this is about a Japanese cartoon of fantasy genre, not something making serious attempt at visualizing realities and horrors of a real war. I guess zakblood can watch it without a sweat, but I don't recommend it to MrsWargamer.

What comes to drone pilots, I recall reading an article about it. One detail I remember is they saw a convoy going straight at buried IED and drone pilots didn't have convoy's phone number (or frequency or whatev). For that pair of men, it was an ordeal equivalent of seeing it straight through the window. Or so I remember reading it.

[Orm]

My limited experience on this is that those who play war games, and study history, are less violent than those who do not. But analysing this beyond a personal level has the risk of violating the forum rules.

Therefore I only say that I have no issue with it. And when it becomes real to me I tend to think that we must strive to make the world a better place. And that I begin with myself and those close to me. And learning about the past helps me with that. Or so I like to think.

And shedding a few tears tend to help as well.

[Lobster]

One word. Desensitization. It's been well studied. There is an impact. A war game where you move around pretend card board pieces won't do much. Things like Fantasy General are not a problem either. Shooting people and watching them bleed out, watching graphic scenes in movies and tv. Things that are graphically representative of real life violence. Those are the ones that are studied and those are the ones that will desensitize. Not saying they will create serial killers. I don't think any study shows that.

"desensitization to violence through violent media has been studied and supported through research fairly consistently."
http://hwrage.sites.gettysburg.edu/ger2 ... henomenon/

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/v ... sitize.htm


Edit: Probably has something to do with the drop in empathy seen in our culture also as indicated by studies.

[TulliusDetritus]

No. It's just fiction. Although a horror movies fan, what I can't stand is pointless, childish gore.

PS except of course social satire like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and assorted zombies' massacres

[JReb]

It really is a subjective topic and I think our age has some role to play also.

Back in the 70s the horror movies were more about shock value than a straight up gore fest. Watching Jamie Lee Curtis running around the woods while Mike Meyers was just walking along but always seemed one step behind her, that was kind of funny and scary at the same time. I remember a scene in Nightmare on Elm St. when Feddie's tongue came through the phone and into the girl's mouth, that was hysterical but still made me jump. Today's horror movies seem to be more about body desecration and gore and for extended amount of time where before it was chop off a head and move on to the next scene.

War movies based on historical battles really don't bother me too much but I am still moved deeply by some of the scenes of heroism and horror. The Omaha Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan, the scene from A Bridge too Far where Redford and his men paddle their way across the river in little boats while being blasted by artillery & MG fire, from Enemy at the Gates where the Russians are being ferried across the Volga to join the battle in Stalingrad, all these and more always touch me very deeply. The bravery and sacrifice is almost unimaginable in this day and age of comfort and plenty.

I guess in some ways I find those moments inspiring because even on my worst day, when I might be feeling sorry for myself or things are tough economically I think about how much tougher it was for so many others. Then I realize that my life ain't that bad after all and what my Grandfather endured in Italy or my uncle on Guadalcanal was way worse.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: JReb

The bravery and sacrifice is almost unimaginable in this day and age of comfort and plenty.

Look up what's going on in Syria and Afghanistan right now and in few years past. You might find some bravery and sacrifice going over there.

[operating]

You know when it's a good day, when you shut the computer down and your still fighting the game for God knows how long afterward...[:)]

[Orm]

ORIGINAL: Lobster

One word. Desensitization. It's been well studied. There is an impact. A war game where you move around pretend card board pieces won't do much. Things like Fantasy General are not a problem either. Shooting people and watching them bleed out, watching graphic scenes in movies and tv. Things that are graphically representative of real life violence. Those are the ones that are studied and those are the ones that will desensitize. Not saying they will create serial killers. I don't think any study shows that.

"desensitization to violence through violent media has been studied and supported through research fairly consistently."
http://hwrage.sites.gettysburg.edu/ger2 ... henomenon/

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/v ... sitize.htm


Edit: Probably has something to do with the drop in empathy seen in our culture also as indicated by studies.

Any double blind studies that confirm this?

[Pvt_Grunt]

Every person has a different "threshold" where it can become too much. It doesn't mean you're less of a person just different, which is good.