Book: On Killing by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman

[Tamara]

Does the video gamer learn how to execute a press-out? Does a video gamer learn how to press a trigger while maintaining sight alignment? Does the video gamer learn to manage recoil, gripping the gun in such a way that the sights rise and fall naturally back into alignment, while simultaneously resetting the trigger so it's ready to go in a quarter second? No, no and no.

But I'd guess (there I said it again) modern video games do engage the player's imagination in some ways as previously mentioned. Things you don't get watching HGTV.

Well, to the last sentence there, sure! Whether the video game is Tic-Tac-Toe, Minesweeper, Solitaire, or Jeopardy!, it evinces a desire to interact with the world in a way that passively consuming TV shows does not.

It is a long stretch, though, from that, to assuming that the simplified control movements allowed by a yoke- or joystick-operated flight simulator are analogous to the move-cursor-with-mouse of an FPS.

[Odin Bravo One]

I would guess that something similar holds true with first person shooters and basic firearms training. A few minutes playing Call of Duty will expose you to basic marksmanship concepts such as proper sight alignment, aiming, holdover, reloading, recoil movement, muzzle blast, etc in a fun, fast paced and safe environment. The average gamer also picks up his/her first gun with more interest and less inhibitions than the average non-gamer too. The instructor should be aware of negative learning that the gamer has picked up, but I suspect that there is some real initial advantage that occurs. I would suspect that those teaching entry level coursework would see this benefit. I would also suspect that by the end of an 8 or 16 hour course, that advantage is gone.

Without getting in the middle of the other exchanges going on from the above, and subsequent responses..........the hypothesis of improved physical performance with firearms due to video games is not geared toward the Instructor/Student relationship.......that theory as discussed previously in the thread, and in Grossman's book, are that they somehow increase proficiency, therefore creating a more efficient psychopathic killer. Therefore, video games with graphic violence, and call for the gamer to assume a first person shooter role, are why the mass shooting events we have witnessed in modern history have taken place, and there have been so many victims.

Has nothing to do with the perpetrator being shit house rat crazy, and selecting his target locations as the softest available for the assault to continue uninterrupted for as long as possible.

........yup.........it's gotta be the video games.......

[jetfire]

In Battlefield 4 I can with regularity make head shots on running targets at over 100 yards.
In real life, I can with regularity miss running coyotes completely at 80 yards.

But video games totally trained me to be a better shooter.

[PPGMD]

How could you forget this classic?

Just aim the gun at your lamp and you will always get a 100% hit rate.

[Jay Cunningham]

Can video games desensitize one to pulling a trigger?

[Tamara]

Can video games desensitize one to pulling a trigger?

Perhaps. In combination with other factors.

I would say that the predilection needs to be there already.

[BLR]

psychology needs to have the -ology removed from it.

I'd challenge someone to find a psychology study/paper published that didn't have the the exact opposite results reported elsewhere.

Too many variables to model, and way-way-way too many unknowns and uncontrolled/ignored variables.

[Tamara]

psychology needs to have the -ology removed from it.

Astrology and phrenology haven't.

[BLR]

All three are of the same ilk.

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[Odin Bravo One]

Can video games desensitize one to pulling a trigger?

Maybe......

But I'll go back to the Rwanda Genocide experience..........no video games to desensitize anyone there.

What desensitizes the rest of the world?