Focus On The Family-Endorsed Game Gives Kids Brain Damage ?
Bruce Wilson printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Wed Dec 13, 2006 at 03:10:32 PM EST
Outbreaks of self contradiction and moral relativism, or perhaps moral atrophy, continue at the powerful "family values" organization Focus On The Family. First came Vice President Tom Minnery's surprising concern - "I fear that we're in a society in which you will be held to the standards which you claim." (see full story). Now, a Focus On The Family website has both enthusiastically endorsed a video game - that lets players command forces to convert to fundamentalist Christianity or kill all the residents of New York - as "the kind of game that Mom and Dad can actually play with Junior" and highlighted findings from researchers at the Indiana State School Of Medicine indicating frequent playing of violent video games can cause parts of children's brains to atrophy.
One retort to this might be the claim " 'Left Behind: Eternal Forces' isn't that sort of game ; they probably were researching the impact  "first person shooter" games had on kids' brains and the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" is a game of grand strategy where players control armies and not individual soldiers." But such distinctions may break down in actual game play, and an otherwise enthusiastic reviewer writing about the LB:EH game for Wired Magazine wrote, in reference to a game feature called the 'prayer button' that recharges the spirits of game fighters after they kill :  ""....In the thick of a really hectic Left Behind battle, I'd click the prayer button so instinctually that I pretty much forgot I was, well, praying."". Such decriptions indicate the distinction between the "Left Behind: Eternal Forces" game may be blurry.

Moral positions at Focus On The Family seem a bit blurry of late as well :

Since the Foley Scandal a sort of institutional Tourette's Syndrome (that one commentor called "mendacity as performance art") has broken out on the Christian right in repeated displays of hypocrisy and apparent moral relativism. In early October, in "Help, Help! We've fallen Into Moral Relativism and We Can't Get Up !" I described a Focus On The Family radio broadcast featuring James Dobson and Focus On The Family Vice President Tom Minnery, in which an obviously angry Dobson wondered what the Foley scandal had to do with him and Tom Minnery aired a rather suprising concern : "I fear that we're in a society in which you will be held to the standards which you claim." : scary indeed for those guilty of a wide gulf between words and deeds.

Moving along - from Minnery's concern about being held to publicly professed standards and James Dobson's tacit agreement with that worry - to the antics of "Plugged In Online" :

Early this December the Focus On The Family website "Plugged In Online" has enthusiastically endorsed the "Left Behind : Eternal Forces" video game allowing players to wage religious warfare against non-fundamentalist Christians on the streets of New York City as " the kind of game that Mom and Dad can actually play with Junior" [I characterized the product as a 'Satanic Role-Playing' Religious Warfare Video Game]. Plugged In Online now appears to have attacked its own endorsement by highlighting research showing that violent video games can cause brain damage in children, causing areas of their brains involved with self control to atrophy.

In "Video-Game Violence Studied", Plugged-In Online staff wrote:

Research confirms what many experts have concluded for years.

After brain-scanning kids who frequently play the games, researchers at the Indiana State University School of Medicine have found an increase in emotional arousal, and a decrease of activity in the area of the brain involved in self-control.

Dr. Karl Benzio with the Christian Medical Association isn't surprised by the study results. He told Family News in Focus the brain's response to violent video games is similar to not exercising -- if you don't, your muscles atrophy.




Display:
that are damaged.  The saddest part is the emotional and spiritual damage done.  This is the video equivalent of that "Jesus Camp", which I believe closed under the weight of public light and judgment.  Hopefully, the same will happen with this.  Forgive my 'preachy-ness' but this is soooo anathema to the revelation/teaching of One who calls us to love enemies and to not fear.  Gee, maybe this mushy moderate will dare to say something this Sunday!  It could happen. :-)

by Don Niederfrank on Fri Dec 15, 2006 at 12:11:56 PM EST

Every electronic game does damage to kids brain, the age in which trampoline for toddlers are created, the child's have mental problem other stuff relating to brain. Some times I fell a slave to these electronics.


by LayneMarvin on Sat Feb 15, 2020 at 01:32:11 PM EST

The site says something about Focus On The Family-Endorsed Game Gives Kids Brain Damage ? I don't know exactly what it is about so get the best arcade machine ever if you can explain something to us then it would be really good for those who need to go for it today and the rest of the days.

by Archie24 on Sat May 09, 2020 at 03:17:45 AM EST


WWW Talk To Action


Cognitive Dissonance & Dominionism Denial
There is new research on why people are averse to hearing or learning about the views of ideological opponents. Based on evaluation of five......
By Frederick Clarkson (375 comments)
Will the Air Force Do Anything To Rein In Its Dynamic Duo of Gay-Bashing, Misogynistic Bloggers?
"I always get nervous when I see female pastors/chaplains. Here is why everyone should as well: "First, women are not called to be pastors,......
By Chris Rodda (203 comments)
The Legacy of Big Oil
The media is ablaze with the upcoming publication of David Grann's book, Killers of the Flower Moon. The shocking non fiction account of the......
By wilkyjr (111 comments)
Gimme That Old Time Dominionism Denial
Over the years, I have written a great deal here and in other venues about the explicitly theocratic movement called dominionism -- which has......
By Frederick Clarkson (101 comments)
History Advisor to Members of Congress Completely Twists Jefferson's Words to Support Muslim Ban
Pseudo-historian David Barton, best known for his misquoting of our country's founders to promote the notion that America was founded as a Christian nation,......
By Chris Rodda (113 comments)
"Christian Fighter Pilot" Calls First Lesbian Air Force Academy Commandant a Liar
In a new post on his "Christian Fighter Pilot" blog titled "BGen Kristin Goodwin and the USAFA Honor Code," Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan......
By Chris Rodda (144 comments)
Catholic Right Leader Unapologetic about Call for 'Death to Liberal Professors' -- UPDATED
Today, Donald Trump appointed C-FAM Executive Vice President Lisa Correnti to the US Delegation To UN Commission On Status Of Women. (C-FAM is a......
By Frederick Clarkson (126 comments)
Controlling Information
     Yesterday I listened to Russ Limbaugh.  Rush advised listeners it would be best that they not listen to CNN,MSNBC, ABC, CBS and......
By wilkyjr (118 comments)
Is Bannon Fifth-Columning the Pope?
In December 2016 I wrote about how White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who likes to flash his Catholic credentials when it comes to......
By Frank Cocozzelli (251 comments)
Ross Douthat's Hackery on the Seemingly Incongruous Alliance of Bannon & Burke
Conservative Catholic writer Ross Douthat has dissembled again. This time, in a February 15, 2017 New York Times op-ed titled The Trump Era's Catholic......
By Frank Cocozzelli (65 comments)
`So-Called Patriots' Attack The Rule Of Law
Every so often, right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan lurches out of the far-right fever swamp where he has resided for the past 50 years to......
By Rob Boston (161 comments)
Bad Faith from Focus on the Family
Here is one from the archives, Feb 12, 2011, that serves as a reminder of how deeply disingenuous people can be. Appeals to seek......
By Frederick Clarkson (177 comments)
The Legacy of George Wallace
"One need not accept any of those views to agree that they had appealed to real concerns of real people, not to mindless, unreasoning......
By wilkyjr (70 comments)
Betsy DeVos's Mudsill View of Public Education
My Talk to Action colleague Rachel Tabachnick has been doing yeoman's work in explaining Betsy DeVos's long-term strategy for decimating universal public education. If......
By Frank Cocozzelli (80 comments)
Prince and DeVos Families at Intersection of Radical Free Market Privatizers and Religious Right
This post from 2011 surfaces important information about President-Elect Trump's nominee for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. -- FC Erik Prince, Brother of Betsy......
By Rachel Tabachnick (218 comments)

Respect for Others? or Political Correctness?
The term "political correctness" as used by Conservatives and Republicans has often puzzled me: what exactly do they mean by it? After reading Chip Berlin's piece here-- http://www.talk2action.org/story/2016/7/21/04356/9417 I thought about what he explained......
MTOLincoln (253 comments)
Fear
What I'm feeling now is fear.  I swear that it seems my nightmares are coming true with this new "president".  I'm also frustrated because so many people are not connecting all the dots! I've......
ArchaeoBob (107 comments)
"America - love it or LEAVE!"
I've been hearing that and similar sentiments fairly frequently in the last few days - far FAR more often than ever before.  Hearing about "consequences for burning the flag (actions) from Trump is chilling!......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)
"Faked!" Meme
Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible move to try to discredit the people openly opposing Trump and the bigots, especially people who have experienced terrorism from the "Right"  (Christian Terrorism is......
ArchaeoBob (165 comments)
More aggressive proselytizing
My wife told me today of an experience she had this last week, where she was proselytized by a McDonald's employee while in the store. ......
ArchaeoBob (163 comments)
See if you recognize names on this list
This comes from the local newspaper, which was conservative before and took a hard right turn after it was sold. Hint: Sarah Palin's name is on it!  (It's also connected to Trump.) ......
ArchaeoBob (169 comments)
Unions: A Labor Day Discussion
This is a revision of an article which I posted on my personal board and also on Dailykos. I had an interesting discussion on a discussion board concerning Unions. I tried to piece it......
Xulon (180 comments)
Extremely obnoxious protesters at WitchsFest NYC: connected to NAR?
In July of this year, some extremely loud, obnoxious Christian-identified protesters showed up at WitchsFest, an annual Pagan street fair here in NYC.  Here's an account of the protest by Pagan writer Heather Greene......
Diane Vera (130 comments)
Capitalism and the Attack on the Imago Dei
I joined this site today, having been linked here by Crooksandliars' Blog Roundup. I thought I'd put up something I put up previously on my Wordpress blog and also at the DailyKos. As will......
Xulon (331 comments)
History of attitudes towards poverty and the churches.
Jesus is said to have stated that "The Poor will always be with you" and some Christians have used that to refuse to try to help the poor, because "they will always be with......
ArchaeoBob (149 comments)
Alternate economy medical treatment
Dogemperor wrote several times about the alternate economy structure that dominionists have built.  Well, it's actually made the news.  Pretty good article, although it doesn't get into how bad people could be (have been)......
ArchaeoBob (90 comments)
Evidence violence is more common than believed
Think I've been making things up about experiencing Christian Terrorism or exaggerating, or that it was an isolated incident?  I suggest you read this article (linked below in body), which is about our great......
ArchaeoBob (214 comments)

More Diaries...




All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies. Comments, posts, stories, and all other content are owned by the authors. Everything else © 2005 Talk to Action, LLC.