That's according to a study carried out by Dr Sonya Brady of the University of California.
GTA makes young men smoke marijuanaThe study, carried out by Dr Brady and Professor Karen Matthews at the University of Pittsburgh, involved a group of 100 male undergraduates aged 18 to 21, asked to play either Grand Theft Auto III or The Simpsons: Hit and Run. In GTA the player took the role of a criminal and was instructed by the Mafia to beat up a drug dealer with a baseball bat. In The Simpsons: Hit and Run the player took on the role of Homer Simpson attempting to get his daughter's science project to school before it can be marked late.
The study claims that the men who have just played a violent game (GTA) are more likely to see others' attitudes towards them as hostile, smoke marijuana, and drink alcohol.
Advertisement"Parents have been told the message that violent video games and violent media in general can influence the likelihood that their kids will be aggressive," Dr. Sonya S. Brady told Reuters Health. "What this study suggests is that they might increase any type of risk-taking behaviour."
According to the report in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, playing a violent game caused young men's blood pressure to increase, and appeared to have a greater effect on those that came from violent homes or communities. No matter what background each male had, the researchers found that playing a violent game made the young men in the study less cooperative and more competitive in completing tasks with another person.
After playing one of the games, the males participating in the study were shown a scenario of a teacher telling his class that he suspects some students have cheated, but also that he is proud of those who did well. The teacher then asks a boy called Billy to stay behind after class so that he may speak with him. Participants were then asked to put themselves in Billy's position. When asked how likely it was that the teacher was going to accuse them of cheating, those participants who had been playing Grand Theft Auto were more likely think they would be accused.
The report is also one of the first to link violent games to behaviour other than violence, but will no doubt provide more ammunition to those against violent video games.
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dwu wrote at 15:42 on 10 April 2006
What a load of crap. I've been playing violent games for years. Hell, I even remember playing Mortal Kombat on Game Gear when I was 10 years old. I've never once tried any drugs.
jtorry wrote at 15:55 on 10 April 2006
Maybe you are so out of it from all the drugs that you just don't know what's happening and have in fact been high since you were 10 :)
Exnor wrote at 15:59 on 10 April 2006
Tripppppin' over oblivion maaan
Iain McC wrote at 16:55 on 10 April 2006
I love the equal footing they base this study on. If you give anyone the choice of playing GTA vs The Simpsons Hit-and-Run, what do you think people are going to pick?
Play Great Game, or play Shit Game? Hmm, I think I'll play Shit Game, please!
Seriously, is this news? Get 18 year olds playing football, and that'll cause their blood pressure to increase and make them feel more competitive. So should we ban football?
Another thing: "What this study suggests is that they might increase any type of risk-taking behaviour."
And this is a bad thing? We've become so risk-adverse as a society, it's actually damaging. Other behavioural studies have shown that when you stop people from taking risks as kids, it prevents them from being able to judge what's a bad risk to take and makes them actually MORE prone to serious (even fatal) accidents in later life.
I did all sorts of mad shit when I was a kid - had umpteen high-speed bike accidents, almost got run over twice, fell off assault course equipment from 12 feet when I was in the ATC... but boy, has that made me a good judge of risk. Which may be why I don't take drugs... illegal, unhealthy... too risky for me.
Ed wrote at 20:58 on 10 April 2006
I don't smoke marijuana. But I'm twisted anyway.
BM wrote at 03:32 on 11 April 2006
I've played violent video games since I was 12 years old....and I'm in law enforcement now. I think these studies are inaccurate. What they should study is how parents are parenting in today's world...and find out which parents produce the undisciplined children and which ones produce those that are healthy contributions to society. The key is discipline and knowing what is right and wrong. Just because I play GTA San Andreas doesn't mean I agree with the actions in the game. It is purely for entertainment, not for real life. You must always maintain that barrier. Whether it be movies, video games, or music, if you blur that barrier, then you've got mental problems and should seek psychiatric help.
Joe wrote at 03:38 on 11 April 2006
Crapola
Violent games, hah, try Cheech and Chong.
DS wrote at 03:45 on 11 April 2006
This is bull
This is bullshit, stop blamming everything on GTA! GTA has not once influenced me to do anything that I have done. Its just all the already stoners, cheaters, killers, and all those people play GTA, its not making them that, they already are :-D So **** off u antivideo game people, its just like TV and movies. Ur just jealous ur not making millions off of GTA like Rockstar is... Top selling games...u will never win!!
Drug Lover wrote at 04:11 on 11 April 2006
This Is True
I just played the simpson game and now I want do tons of drugs. Will someone please pass the Meth?!?! After I bump a few lines I will be able to play the Simpsons game for days. What's GTA? Is that a drug I can do. I think I am going to go huff some Funiture Polish. Word up... thanx Video Games for making me hooked on crack.
NIeman.the.dem wrote at 04:23 on 11 April 2006
no its not about money
thier jsut the Dumb christian i know best for every body attitud, im not saying all christen are like this but ya everybody who hates games goes to church every sunday to listen to the preacher or whatever talk about how these kids are getting ruined by todays media, just keep the your damn censorship limited to your front door and quit tring to tell me whats best for me. and what this bias ed ass study prove. NOTHING
WTF wrote at 04:48 on 11 April 2006
LOAD OF BULL
wow.... this is the most retarded story i have ever seen, not even worth the point of reading
Diplomat wrote at 05:10 on 11 April 2006
Diplomat
That's funny, I was smoking maryjane 15 years before I ever discovered and played any shoot-em-up games.
I don't let it control me and I am a pretty successful dilligent and hardworking business person!
Diplomat wrote at 05:13 on 11 April 2006
Diplomat
Studies have shown that Doctors that conduct studies to discredit people who use Marijuana - 99% of the time usually are trying to hide homosexual-necrophiliac-bestial tendencies.
Grammar Police wrote at 05:18 on 11 April 2006
ummm...
NIeman.the.dem:
Anyone with grammar that bad isn't allowed to have an opinion! Especially about Christians, so STFU YOU DUMBASS!
Mobius wrote at 13:52 on 11 April 2006
So Dumb
This study is so stupid. Shouldn't you be out doing something constuctive? You might as well be playing video games and blazing.
Anonymous wrote at 14:07 on 11 April 2006
ONE HUNDRED (100) PEOPLE to talk about 6 000 000 000 peoples behaviours? OMG WTF! C'mon, you can prove whatever you want with that shit!
AHA wrote at 15:58 on 11 April 2006
More stupid christians and their baseless rants. I lead a successful life, smoke blaze ass cannibus, and play violent videogames. Many others do as well. The problem isn't games or drugs, it's peoples attitudes in the first place.
Reason wrote at 17:52 on 12 April 2006
What a load of crap.
Way to go with the sensationalistic headline guys. Need to gain readership to boost ad revenue, eh?
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