Page 2 - War Play News Today

For the president. shes joining us exclusively now. senator, thank you for being with us here. >> well, thank you. welcome to bangor, maine. >> i have to start with the news of the day, which is what is happening in afghanistan. you watched this war play out for 16 years. are you confident that the president can execute some kind of a successful strategy, if it means increasing the number of troops on the ground? >> well, we need to hear the strategy that the president is going to present tonigh...

Monday morning aaron alexis opened fire at a d.c. navy yard killing 12 people and injuring countless others. the big question, why? the quandary. is it guns or violence? joining me now, harvard university professor of psychology dr. john sharp and the author of "war play: video games and the future of armed conflict" corey mead. doctor, you do believe theres a connection between the games and violent behavior. why? >> well, you can look at the journals and see that its clear. there are new meta ...

Are overwhelming >> what do you mean? >> when you play a game youre dealing with text, visuals, sound, whatever else and coming rapid fire. the same way if you are on the bottle field youre getting communication in the helmet -- >> the problem is though -- >> go ahead. >> if i could say, well, people in the military are selected and trained and ready for this kind of exposure. astronauts and simulators, same thing. these are vulnerable, isolated people and maybe disturbed thoughts thoughts and p...

Channels of data? youre dealing with texts, visuals and sounds and coming at you rapid fire and on the battlefield, communications in to the helmet and figure out -- >> well -- >> right? >> the problem is -- >> go ahead, doctor. >> people in the military selected and trained and ready for this kind of exposure. astronauts in simulators, same thing. but these are vulnerable, isolated people, may be disturbed thoughts, on the brink or full pledged mental illness. you put them in a simulator and th...

>> what do you mean incoming channels of data? youre dealing with texts, visuals and sounds and coming at you rapid fire and on the battlefield, communications in to the helmet and figure out -- >> well -- >> right? >> the problem is -- >> go ahead, doctor. >> people in the military selected and trained and ready for this kind of exposure. astronauts in simulators, same thing. but these are vulnerable, isolated people, may be disturbed thoughts, on the brink or full pledged mental illness. you p...

Pirates, they are not going to be a pirate. war play has advantages for moral development because kids are exploring good and evil and trying out to be a hero. >> what about the video games. a lot of think that video games lead to children being more violent. >> yeah, a lot of people think that. i think that with any kind of screen time, you need to limit those to some degree. how they are behaving in real life and not prepackanged fun. >> allow kids to choose,/, reject play mates. you dont invi...

But he also said the united states is there for the long hall. >> were not finished with afghanistan. in fact to the contrary part of what ive tried to emphasize to president cars y and the afghan people but also to the american people is this a long-term partnership. >> in its ninth year has fallen since 2009. americans are now basically split on the issue with about half in favor and half opposed. author and journalist sebatian has watched the war play out up close in his new book "war." plato...

Meeting in washington today president obama and afghan president hamid karzai played down reports of tensions between them, to say the least. mr. obamas says hes confident to meet its self-imposed deadline to withdraw troops from snaun july 2011. but he also said the united states is there for the long hall. >> were not finished with afghanistan. in fact to the contrary part of what ive tried to emphasize to president karzai and the afghan people but also to the american people is this a long-te...

>> among american opposition to the war now in its ninth year has fallen since 2009. americans are now basically split on the issue with about half in favor, and half opposed. author and journalist sebastian junger has watched the war play out up close in his new book "war." he describes a single platoons tour of duty in one of the most dangerous regions in the country. spent months with them. i spoke with sebastian junger for tonights "360" interview. what was so unique about this place in the ...