Stupidly stupid study/Poll about GTA3

[thegreatescape]

As if there wasnt enough GTA3 violence stuff going round, I saw this (http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/gtateenstwiceaslikelytofight.shtml)just after posting in that other GTA thread.

Basically it claims that
According to a survey, conducted by a Gallup company, 70 per cent of American teenage boys have played Grand Theft Auto and are more likely to get involved in a fight than those who haven't.

The figures are: " 34 per cent of boys who admitted to being in a physical fight over the last year have played GTA, while 17 per cent who were in a fight have not played the game. "

Now THAT is what i call vague. Ive been in a fight in the last year (indoor soccer...), and i played GTA3, but i played it for 15 mins before i decided it wasnt the game for me. Apparently those 15 mins of fleeting violence influenced me to start fighting.

Its the kind of study that shows like 60 minutes would love to get their hands on. :evil:

We now bring you back to your regularly scheduled program.

-SMi

[Duncan]

As if there wasnt enough GTA3 violence stuff going round, I saw this (http://www.megagames.com/news/html/pc/gtateenstwiceaslikelytofight.shtml)just after posting in that other GTA thread.

Basically it claims that
According to a survey, conducted by a Gallup company, 70 per cent of American teenage boys have played Grand Theft Auto and are more likely to get involved in a fight than those who haven't.

The figures are: " 34 per cent of boys who admitted to being in a physical fight over the last year have played GTA, while 17 per cent who were in a fight have not played the game. "

Now THAT is what i call vague.

You'd think that a supposedly reputable firm like Gallup might be able to work up better research than this. I can point out several obvious flaws right now.

For instance, the word "teenage" includes everyone from a womb-fresh 13-year-old all the way up to a full-grown 19-year-old. And of that range, you really ought to be able to remove 17- to 19-year-olds from the survey -- after all, they're of sufficient age to play the game.

I'd like to see Gallup run the poll again with those restrictions and see what the results are. I suspect that, first, you'd get a far smaller number of GTA players. And second, I'm pretty sure that the number of supposedly GTA-inspired fights would decrease -- thanks to the simple fact that young teenage boys tend to get in a lot of trouble no matter what.

Duncan :D

[Vroomfunkel]

Of course, there is also the fact that it is seriously flawed methodology to start with. The implication is not necessarily that those who play GTA3 are more likely to be violent. It could well be that people who are already predisposed to violence are more likely to like GTA3.

Vroomfunkel

[Jorpho]

More importantly, how many teenage boys play GTA3 and do not get into fights?
________
Zx14 Vs Hayabusa (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Which_bike_is_quicker_kawasaki_zx_-14_or_suzuki_hayabusa)

[atomicthumbs]

Well, I've played the game for hours on end and I haven't gotten into a fight in years! The only thing that would come close that I can think of is all those hookers I killed, though they didn't really put up much of a fight. But I'm 25... Does the study say anything about my age bracket?

[Duncan]

Of course, there is also the fact that it is seriously flawed methodology to start with. The implication is not necessarily that those who play GTA3 are more likely to be violent. It could well be that people who are already predisposed to violence are more likely to like GTA3.

That's true. They've always said the same things about violent TV or movies making more of an impact on naturally violent people than the general public.

Duncan :D

[Kroogah]

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics.