|
| 
 enlarge | Authors: Lawrence Kutner, Cheryl Olson
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $6.98
You Save: $18.02 (72%)
New (33) Used (19) from $6.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 37561
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0743299515
Dewey Decimal Number: 302.231
EAN: 9780743299510
ASIN: 0743299515
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! Has a publisher remainder mark. 2008 Hardcover.
|
| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 6-10 of 10 | | « PREV | | |
 An Unearned gift to the videogame industry April 30, 2008
10 out of 108 found this review helpful
This book does a great disservice to families and anyone trying to make sense of the effects of violent video games. Having conducted a survey and focus groups, asking kids what they think of the effects of violent video games on themselves, the authors dismiss a wealth of scientifically valid, peer-reviewed journal articles that have shown that violent video games contribute to users' becoming more hostile, more aggressive, and, yes, at times, more violent. The argument that there's hardly any research on violent video games is false, as is the suggestion that the research is inconclusive. The book smells a lot like Jonathan Freedman's book on media violence. Freedman, a psychologist who never conducted his own research on media violence, wrote a book in which he systematically tore apart every study that had been conducted to date, without regard to the validity of the studies. Freedman gratefully acknowledged funding from the Motion Picture Association of America for his book. It's hard to figure out why someone like Kutner, who has apparently dedicated his career to helping families, would confuse his audience by throwing out valid findings, and calling the research "irrelevant" and "muddleheaded." He is simply wrong.
 Nice book, cuts through the hyperbole April 27, 2008
26 out of 30 found this review helpful
As a video game violence researcher myself, I have grown accostomed to considerable hysteria surrounding video games (as I write this GTA IV is about to come out, to much fanfare). Unfortunately, much of the hysteria and bad information comes from psychology as a discipline where poor research methods have been "given a pass" in support of outdated dogma and social engineering. Thus it is refreshing to see a book such as Grand Theft Childhood, which deftly cuts through the politics and dogma, discusses the research in a way parents can understand, and offers concrete directions for the future.
Drs. Kutner and Olson do an excellent job of discussing the history of moral panics which consistently surround new media and how the recent controversy over video games fits into this historical context. Each new media, from novels, to movies, to comic books, to television, to jazz, rock and roll and rap, to Dungeons and Dragons and Harry Potter faces public hysteria, usually from "elders" unfamiliar with the new media. We look back on these past panics as just that...panics...yet somehow we never seem to learn the lesson. None of these media forms touched off a wave of violence...nor has video games. Violent crimes in the US, including among youth, have dropped to 1960s levels, even as violent video games become overwhelmingly popular. Are we worried about nothing?
Drs. Kutner and Olson do an excellent job discussing the research, pointing out the significant methodological flaws, related to poor definitions of "aggression" and "violence", to the use of invalid measures of aggression, to some scholars who "cherry pick" data to support their views. This section of the book is a must-read for anyone who hears "a study found that video games cause aggression" and actually think the study had anything to do with hitting, kicking, violentce, etc. Most don't.
The authors present their own research, funded through the DOJ, and largely correlational in nature. It's a nice although (as the authors admit themselves) imperfect study (I would have liked to see more measurement of family environment...in my own work controlling family violence typically negates any relationship between violent games and violent outcomes). Yet they find a complex relationship between game playing (they focus on M-rated games) and both positive and negative outcomes. Bottom line seems to be that most kids who play even M-rated games come out perfectly fine and may even see considerable benefits, whereas some kids who already have problems with violence may be best kept away from M-rated games. Their results generally question the conclusion that violent video games are setting off a wave of serious youth violence. Some kids even report using games to relax and vent aggression. This finding is likely to be controversial. Probably anti-game advocates will counter that kids don't necessarily have insight...yet as this argument is based on findings using invalid aggression measures it's simply hard to know whose right...the kids talking about themselves...or anti-game researchers who persist in using invalid measures of aggression.
The book is very pleasant to read and very informative. It's also very balanced, neither taking the side of the video game industry (which is itself at fault for some of the hysteria), nor indulging in anti-game hysterics. In short this is probably the most intelligent and most balanced book I've seen written on violent video games to date and I give it my highest recommendation.
Christopher J. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Texas A&M International University
 Erring on the side of caution is rarely a bad thing April 23, 2008
26 out of 49 found this review helpful
When I first opened this book, I was very impressed by the approach they took to scrutinizing the recent media frenzy concerning the link between violent video games and extremely violent behavior (e.g. Columbine). Although the research (including the research in the book) suggests that violent games are associated with aggression, the effects are relatively small. As such, this book may do well to allay concerns that parents have generated as the result of media hype. I agree with the authors that it is not wise to scapegoat video games for everything and that other risk factors should be considered. Unfortunately, I found little of value after the initial chapters.
Although it is good for parents to attend to other high risk factors, it is my opinion that the authors play down the effects of violent media too much. Even their own research suggests that children who play violent games are 1) more likely to engage in aggressive conflicts, 2) engage in delinquent behavior (e.g. property damage) for fun, and 3) receive poor grades on a report card. Seemingly games are associated with problematic behaviors. And even if the relationship is the reverse, such that children who are more likely to have these problems will turn to violent video games, then parents of children who play these games should remain concerned - as it is suggestive that their child may already be engaging in problematic and delinquent behavior.
I also found that the approach to criticizing previous research was not very even handed. There was a lot of picking and choosing of individual studies to make specific points about the failure of previous research. Any study, when considered individually, will have flaws. But other studies that have been conducted more recently have done well to rule out several of the flaws identified by the authors. These studies were not mentioned. Even the study reported in this book had a great deal of flaws (many of which were also never mentioned). For example, they relied entirely on self-report. People are often reluctant to respond truthfully to self-report questions, especially when the questions pertain to socially undesirable behavior such as aggression. This flaw is most likely to affect the interviews they held with children. The responses children gave seem incredibly insightful and intelligent. One might wonder, however, whether these children put as much thought into their behavior when they aren't being observed by adults. Heck, if an adult asked me these questions when I was a kid I'd be able to report back all the rules and lessons that my parents tried to teach me. I'd probably tell them whatever I thought they wanted to hear. This did not mean, however, that I actually followed these rules in my parent's absence.
Lastly, the authors suggest that violent video games may even confer some benefits to children who play them. They did find that children who played violent games were less likely to be bullied than those who didn't play violent games. Additionally they suggest that children may play violent games to relieve stress, achieve success at something, and that violent games confer social opportunities for children. Given the questionable methods of the study, however, these conclusions are speculative at best. Also, it could be argued that there are a host of other activities that children could engage in that confer the same benefits - activities that aren't associated with aggression, delinquent behavior, and school problems.
Overall I thought this book was alright. I think it is important for parents to understand that violent games need not be their only concern. The way the book is written, however, may leave many of the readers completely unconcerned with the way violent media may influence their children. I don't think this was the intention that the authors had, but unfortunately it may come across that way (I've seen some gamer's responses to this book, and unfortunately some seem to have taken it as evidence that they shouldn't be concerned at all about their violent game play). In the end, in my opinion the true values of this book are the first chapter concerning the misguided media frenzy and the suggestions they make to readers in later chapters about how to monitor your child's exposure to violent content.
Insights you would never expect April 17, 2008
32 out of 40 found this review helpful
The research done for this book was obviously well-done and carefully considered. Instead of drawing premature conclusions, the authors really explored true cause-and-effect relationships of video games, social interactions, parenting, and violence.
One of the most amazing parts was the research about kids that did NOT play video games at all. It showed how video games, especially in moderation, can help kids with social interactions and help them try out social and life situations in a non-threatening and low-risk environment. With today's games being simulations as much as they are games, it has really changed the impact that video games can have on people.
The section on parenting and video games was one of the most impressive and thought provoking. When situations are presented that allow a child or teen to teach their parents how to play games with them, it can really improve the child's social skills and relationship with their parents.
If you are looking for a source to back up either your love or hatred of video games, this may not be the right book. But if you're looking for an interesting, thought-provoking, and impartial look at video games and their real effect on children and teens, this is a great book.
Thought-Provoking and Relevant April 17, 2008
36 out of 43 found this review helpful
I've been a gamer for about 19 of my 23 years of life. As such, I've grown more and more frustrated at the misguided and misleading attempts of religious groups, politicians, and "watchdog" groups that purportedly have the best interests of children at heart. Few people seemed to truly be interested in figuring out the truth behind violent video games and violence in general. Perhaps this is why I'm so shocked that Grand Theft Childhood seems to be the first one to try a really simple idea: why not talk to the gamers themselves? It was refreshing, for a change, to hear the opinions of young people who actually play games.
GTC goes more in-depth than that, though. The first chapter does an excellent job of tackling the myths from both sides of the issue. The book then goes on to make parallels between complaints about violent video games and complaints about violent media in general over the last several hundred years. It explains how little effective research has been done on the correlation, and more importantly, the causality, between violent media and violent behavior.
The book freely admits that its research merely scratches the surface: this should immediately cause anyone to be skeptical of claims of a definitive link or vindication of violent media. Gamers, you will find a lot here that confirms what you already believe. Parents, you will learn more about the world of your children and practical ways you can keep up with it. Skeptics, if this book encourages you to look at the issues more critically, then that's a win.
I can't recommend this book enough to anyone who plays games or is worried about games.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
