Research suggests...

Web addicts have brain changes similar to those hooked on drugs or alcohol, preliminary research suggests.
Experts in China scanned the brains of 17 young web addicts and found disruption in the way their brains were wired up.
Internet addiction is a clinical disorder marked by out-of-control internet use.
A research team led by Hao Lei of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan carried out brain scans of 35 men and women aged between 14 and 21. Seventeen of them were classed as having internet addiction disorder (IAD) on the basis of answering yes to questions such as, "Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop Internet use?"
Specialised MRI brain scans showed changes in the white matter of the brain - the part that contains nerve fibres - in those classed as being web addicts, compared with non-addicts.

These findings could change treatments for web addiction. Most of the addicts played violent games which some researchers say was key to their addiction.

Source: bbc news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16505521

Violence in games

A recent study has shown that violence depicted in gaming raises the risk of aggressive beviour in young viewers and even adults. The violence shown could have the capability to pose a threat to public health.
Other research has found those who play violent video games showed less activity in areas that involved emotions, attention and inhibition of our impulses. Behavioural studies have shown an increase in aggressive behaviour after someone has played a violent video game. There is also psychological evidence to show that violence viewed on screens or played in games has a negative effect on areas of the brain.



 

Poster Pictures

We started by taking a long shot but it was too dark and he isn't that visible at first glance. 

We then took this photo ^^ but we decided that we would prefer a straight on angle and more of a close up on his face. 

This is more of the shot we wanted but we lost the top of his head so re-took the picture. 

We really liked this shot and we are likely to use this on our poster. 

Completed webpage

http://www.wix.com/gameboythemovie/gameboy

The link above is for our completed webpage that we have made to go along with our film.

Critics view on violent computer games

Gaming is very similar to horror movies. They provoke unnecessary moral panic. Back in the 80s, unregulated horror movies were seen as such a threat that people were sent to prison for copying or distributing them. According to the tabloid press, the country was awash with filth that would twist our children's minds and turn them into killers and cannibals.

Charlie Brooker described CoD:MW2 as "the Citizen Kane of repeatedly shooting people in the face" concluding: "Don't worry, it won't turn anyone into a killer." People believe him. Why? Because he knows his subject. The game is rated 18, is not intended for kids and as far as I'm concerned it is no more of a threat today than The Evil Dead was 25 years ago.

BBFC rejects criticisms of Byron Report

BBFC Rejects Criticism Of Byron Games Classification Proposals


The BBFC’s Director, David Cooke, today rejected criticisms from some quarters of the games industry of the Byron Report proposals for games classification.

He said:

“We are disappointed and concerned about attempts by one or two video games publishers to pre-empt, through recent press statements, the forthcoming public consultation on video games classification. Their statements are misleading in several respects:

The BBFC’s current average turnaround time for games classifications is eight calendar days. In terms of international comparisons, this is notably quick. There is no reason why the increased role for the BBFC envisaged by Dr Byron should lead to delays.

BBFC classifications are already cheaper for many games than those under the Pan European Games Information System (PEGI). Because the BBFC currently deals mainly with the most problematic games, BBFC costs will fall if, as Dr Byron recommended, we take on all games, physical and online, rated ‘12’ and above.

It is absurd to imply that the BBFC could not cope, or would need “a building the size of Milton Keynes”. The BBFC is a larger and better resourced organisation than PEGI, and is well used to gearing up, and to providing fast-track services where appropriate.

We reject any suggestions that the Byron proposals for dealing with online games are not future-proof. Countries such as the USA and Germany already classify such games in a way which reflects national cultural sensibilities. The BBFC has made clear that we are prepared to work through PEGI Online, which already recognizes BBFC symbols. But, with online games, the real need is not a pan-national grouping of markets, but rather soundly based and independent initial classification, full information provision, and responsible self-regulation of online game-play backed by properly resourced independent monitoring and complaints mechanisms.

“The games industry really does have nothing to fear from a set of proposals which would provide more robust, and fully independent, decisions, and detailed content advice, for the British public, and especially parents. The Byron proposals, far from envisaging the collapse of PEGI, specifically provide for a continuing PEGI presence in UK games classification. They also provide significant opportunities to reduce duplication of effort and costs. And they would make wider use of a system, the BBFC’s, which British parents recognize, trust and have confidence in.”


June 30th 2008

Byron Report Key Points

The internet and video games are very popular with children and young people and offer a range of opportunities for fun, learning and development. But there are concerns over potentially inappropriate material, which range from content (eg violence) through to contact and conduct of children in the digital world.

· Debates and research in this area can be highly polarised and charged with emotion.

· Having considered the evidence I believe we need to move from a discussion about the media "causing" harm to one which focuses on children and young people, what they bring to technology and how we can use our understanding of how they develop to empower them to manage risks and make the digital world safer.

· There is a generational digital divide which means that parents do not necessarily feel equipped to help their children in this space - which can lead to fear and a sense of helplessness. This can be compounded by a risk-averse culture where we are inclined to keep our children "indoors" despite their developmental needs to socialise and take risks.

· While children are confident with the technology, they are still developing critical evaluation skills and need our help to make wise decisions.

· In relation to the internet we need a shared culture of responsibility with families, industry, government and others in the public and third sectors all playing their part to reduce the availability of potentially harmful material, restrict access to it by children and to increase children's resilience.

· I propose that we seek to achieve gains in these three areas by having a national strategy for child internet safety which involves better self-regulation and better provision of information and education for children and families.

· In relation to video games, we need to improve on the systems already in place to help parents restrict children's access to games which are not suitable for their age.

· I propose that we seek to do that by reforming the classification system and pooling the efforts of the games industry, retailers, advertisers, console manufacturers and online gaming providers to raise awareness of what is in games and enable better enforcement.

· Children and young people need to be empowered to keep themselves safe - this isn't just about a top-down approach. Children will be children - pushing boundaries and taking risks. At a public swimming pool we have gates, put up signs, have lifeguards and shallow ends, but we also teach children how to swim.