I posted about the increasing prevalence of weapons in LEGO sets back in 2014 (https://plus.google.com/+CraigFroehle/posts/FMybDmsKigp), but it was anecdotal. This study clearly seems to support the conclusion that LEGO toys are becoming more violent:
"The results from both studies, weapons count and perceived violence, showed significant exponential increases of violence over time. LEGO products have become significantly more violent."
h/t Patrik Hanson
http://www.bartneck.de/publications/2016/legoViolence/index.html
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LEGO Americana Roadshow: Building Across America I just checked out this traveling exhibition from LEGO and was quite impressed. The scale ... -
Merry Christmas, everyone!
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When we let politics trump science, people are needlessly put in harm's way. http://arstechnica.com/science/2017/01/self-censoring-fears...
More expensive, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI hate this about Lego.
ReplyDeleteMore violent? Should I worry about the Lego figures rising up and attacking people? Perhaps it is the culture they reflect that has become more violent...
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child we had cap pistols that looked like Colt six-shooters and bow and arrow sets to play cowboys and Indians - now that was violent.
John Lewis Good, let the hate flow through you. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think it has to do with becoming more "for boys" over time, and all that gendered nonsense.
ReplyDeleteDaniela Huguet Taylor I'm not sure. LEGO now has several lines that are really not at all targeted specifically at boys: Creator, Clasic, City, Friends, Elves, Disney, Ideas, Architecture, Juniors, Mixels, etc. The problem is that most of their major licensing initiatives -- Star Wars, Marvel, DC, LOTR -- are conflict-centric themes.
ReplyDeleteBut those several lines are the least sold, or at least the ones not on show as much in (physical) shops. That's the main reason I buy online.
ReplyDeleteCame looking for bare foot pain on random Lego pieces relevance .... left disappointed
ReplyDeleteDaniela Huguet Taylor LEGO's trend is evidence of a larger societal problem, not the problem per se (at least not a major contributor to the problem, IMO).
ReplyDeleteFor me, it's not just the violence itself but the attitude towards it. When I grew up, the only head/face that existed was the normal (vague) smile¹. These² faces, for example, did not exist back then.
ReplyDeleteEDIT: Apparently, new faces were introduced in 1989 so I guess I was wrong, but whatever...
¹ http://goo.gl/K4mZBC
² http://goo.gl/ocp9sh
More info on the same topic: http://goo.gl/GIQurB
Craig Froehle I'm not blaming Lego for this trend, I'm just saying they're following the trend. And that's why violence.
ReplyDeleteLegos have never removed choice or agency by force.
ReplyDeleteI submit that despite the addition of weapons, they still enable more choice and agency.
Unless we're talking about stepping on them. If that's the case, I'd like to direct you to the Geneva Convention's thoughts about land mines....
Even before this, kids (or adults) have never been stopped from making Lego guns. IMHO, it's just money. The more they do themselves, the less people will buy from third parties like this one: http://www.brickarms.com/index.php
ReplyDeleteYes Lego sets have become more violent but not by virtue of parts. They have increasingly created conflict withing the sets bu depicting bad guy factions and licensed villain characters. No this isn't a cause for concern. Children naturally create conflicts in their play as part of storytelling. It's a trend that far outstrips the existence of LEGOs and is part of how we learn to deal with real life conflicts.
ReplyDeleteYeah but It's against their policy to have modern weapons in their set
ReplyDeleteCorrelation vs causation. We create what is inspired by our environment.
ReplyDelete