Weapons and violent scenarios are increasingly playing a bigger role in Lego’s products for children, according to research carried out by a team from New Zealand. The researchers claim that Lego’s latest offerings are a far cry from the first weapons they ever produced: some swords and axes for a castle playset in 1978. “Lego products are no longer as innocent as they once were,” the head researcher, Christoph Bartneck, told TV2. “The violence in Lego products now seems to go beyond just enhancing the playing experience.” The researchers determined that weapons and war-like scenarios now show up in over 30 percent of the Lego sets. Even the company’s catalogue contains more violence, the researchers say. “Nearly 40 percent of all the pages in the catalogue these days show some form of violence,” said Bartneck. READ MORE: Lego reveals new figure in a wheelchair However, the researchers, who studied Lego catalogues from 1973 until 2015, point out that Lego is simply following trends seen in all children’s toys.

“In order to capture their customer’s attention, toy manufacturers have been caught in a metaphorical ‘arms race’ to come out with new and exciting products,” wrote the researchers.Child’s play is becoming increasingly brutal with higher proportion of weapons and war-like scenarios featuring in Lego sets The study found that weapons had steadily become more commonplace and were now included in 30% of Lego kits. Lego products are becoming increasingly violent as toymakers engage in an “arms race” to retain children’s attention in the digital age, New Zealand researchers have said. The University of Canterbury team said child’s play was becoming brutal, with a higher proportion of weapons appearing among Lego’s building blocks and war-like scenarios featuring in its themed kit sets. “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.”

In a peer-reviewed study published by the online journal PLOS ONE, the researchers concluded that Lego “showed significant exponential increases of violence over time”. While Denmark-based Lego has been making building blocks since 1949, the study found its first weapons were issued in 1978 when a castle kit included swords, axes and lances. An analysis found that weapons had steadily become more commonplace and were now included in 30% of Lego kits. Superheroes in the Lego Flagship Store at Shanghai Disney. In addition, the research examined Lego catalogues from 1973 to 2015 and found the scenarios depicted in the company’s kits had become more violent. “Currently, around 40% of all pages contain some type of violence – in particular, scenarios involving shooting and threatening behaviour have increased over the years,” it found. “The atmosphere of the violent acts is predominantly perceived as exciting.” The study said Lego was simply reflecting a broader trend in children’s entertainment.

“To catch the attention of their customers, toy manufacturers are similarly locked in a metaphorical arms race for exciting new products,” it said. Lego spokesman Troy Taylor said the company’ 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 said.buy lego show tickets “We always try and use humour where possible as it helps tone down the level of conflict.”cheap lego molds“I love the little dioramas that line the way (at kids' eye level) of scenes from NYC (central park, taxis, new years' eve).”buy lego friends jungle rescue base

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