Cry havoc and let slip the Legos of war

[CountDeMoney]

Lego 'arms race': Bricks growing more violent, study says
BBC News

Lego products are becoming increasingly violent as toymakers engage in an "arms race" to catch children's attention in the digital age, a new study says.

New Zealand researchers say bricks with weapons have steadily become more commonplace and are now included in 30% of Lego kits.

The study said Lego reflected a broader trend in children's entertainment.

Lego says weapons are always used for a wider purpose such as saving the world, and are part of a child's development.

In a peer-reviewed study published by the online journal PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Canterbury concluded that Lego "showed significant exponential increases of violence over time", with a higher proportion of weapons appearing among Lego's building blocks and themed kits.

Lego's first weapons were issued in 1978 when a castle kit included swords, axes and lances.

"The Lego company's products are not as innocent as they used to be," lead researcher Christoph Bartneck said.

"The violence in Lego products seems to have gone beyond just enriching game play," he added.

An analysis of Lego catalogues from 1973 to 2015 found the scenarios depicted had also become more violent, with 40% of all pages containing some type of violence such as shooting or threatening behaviour.

"To catch the attention of their customers, toy manufacturers are similarly locked in a metaphorical arms race for exciting new products," the study said.

Lego spokesman Troy Taylor said the company's products promoted a range of play activities such as construction, fantasy and conflict.

"As with other play types, conflict play is a natural part of a child's development," he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

"We always try and use humour where possible as it helps tone down the level of conflict," he added

Lego almost went bankrupt in 2003-4 as electronic games threatened its future.

The Denmark-based company tried to reinvent itself by embracing popular culture, selling themed kits linked to popular movie franchises such as Star Wars, Batman and Harry Potter.

The result has been 11 straight years of growth, with the company announcing earlier this year that net profit in 2015 soared 31% to $1.4bn (almost £1bn).

Peer-reviewed* article link below--

Abstract - Although television, computer games and the Internet play an important role in the lives of children they still also play with physical toys, such as dolls, cars and LEGO bricks. The LEGO company has become the world's largest toy manufacturer. Our study investigates if the LEGO company's products have become more violent over time. First, we analyzed the frequency of weapon bricks in LEGO sets. Their use has significantly increased. Second, we empirically investigated the perceived violence in the LEGO product catalogs from the years 1978-2014. Our results show that the violence of the depicted products has increased significantly over time. The LEGO Company's products are not as innocent as they used to be.

http://www.bartneck.de/publications/2016/legoViolence/index.html

*"Peer-reviewed," as in a bunch of pussies read what some other pussies in New Zealand wrote all the while nodding sagely but is it really surprising coming from New Zealand and its nuclear-free zone bullshit which is pretty fucking funny coming from a country that filmed all the TLOTR slasher flicks oh but that's OK for the nation with the highest rate of alcoholism in the English-speaking world with 1 out of 3 criminal arrests involving alcohol because hey you can't hug children with nuclear arms but you can beat the fuck out them on a bender

[Ed Anger]

All I know is I keep stepping on the damn things.

[Admiral Yi]

I've heard that Maoris are not good with the fire water.

[mongers]

I've heard that Maoris are not good with the fire water.

I'll ask the ones I know and report back.

[Razgovory]

I heard that New Zealand poaches the best Samoan soccer players.

[11B4V]

Lego SS Panzer FTW

[Ed Anger]

Lego SS Panzer FTW

That makes me erect.

[Monoriu]

I like the LegCo War movies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt7o1v9msA0

[Agelastus]

Lego SS Panzer FTW

Chinese-made "Lego compatible", not Lego. Lego's always refused to produce twentieth century/modern military sets.

Edit: Well, with the exception of a pair of Sopwith Camel sets released several years apart, and aimed at the adult builder's market.

[celedhring]

Lego has moved towards a business model heavily supported by pop culture IPs, that these IPs incorporate violence shouldn't be surprising. Star Wars = the clue is in the title.

[Barrister]

Not sure whether I agree or disagree with the article.

The lego kits of my youth weren't necessarily peaceful - I remember having a castle set and a spaceship set, and both implied violence.  Whereas some of my kids sets definitely have violence (Star Wars, or pirates), not all of them do - he got a rescue evac plane for his birthday.

But what did strike me is that these modern sets actually shoot!  The little stormtroopers have guns that shoot lego bricks, and the pirates have a cannon that similarly shoots.  That's definitely new.

[Martinus]

What's wrong with violence? It's a part of life.

[The Brain]

What's wrong with violence? It's a part of life.

Mart: Lawyer. Faggot. Thug.

[Martinus]

What's wrong with violence? It's a part of life.

Mart: Lawyer. Faggot. Thug.

[Barrister]

What's wrong with violence? It's a part of life.

Kids innately know that violence is a part of life.  One of their first actions when they see a toy they want is being used by someone else is to push the other kid and take the toy.

I'm not vigorously anti-violence, but it is important to teach kids how to solve problems without violence.