Virtual Morality
In the short article titled “Virtual Morality” by Andrew Tuplin, Tuplin compares both video games and movies that violate moral beliefs according to the social norm. He argues the fact that technology is and will continue to challenge moral beliefs as well as the norm for what we see as acceptable in the real world. I for one see this issue to be harmful and threatening to the way we interact with the world on a daily basis. These so called “fantasy worlds” are confusing young minds and allowing them to create their own image to what is both morally right and wrong in society. This essay will explain why I feel that children should not be allowed to participate in violent video games and movies because the violence they learn will eventually introduce itself in society in one way or another.
In Tuplin’s first paragraph, he states that Technology is increasingly testing the boundaries of both moral behavior and what we believe to be morally right (Tuplin, 2008). He states that fantasy worlds allow gamers to experience a life without rules because morality does not exist in a virtual world (Tuplin, 2008). Games that promote death, violence and sexual dominance are found to be some of the more popular choices in America and with this being said I find it fair to say that majority of Americans find these games as well as violence to be both fun and amusing. I can’t say that I agree completely with Tuplin because I feel that these games can be beneficial in both escaping from reality and relieving stress during stressful times however I feel that there needs to be an age restriction and enforcement on such violent games and movies.
In addition, Tuplin addresses that these gamers who play games like “Grand Theft Auto”...
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... with unlimited advanced technological opportunities we will continue to see problems in this area. Children are exposed to technology at ages as young as two years old. It is easier for a parent to hand their child an iPad rather than to teach them singlehandedly. So again I say that the blame is not necessarily the technology but rather the parents fault for allowing the technology to take ahold of a young child’s developing mind.
Works Cited
Boulanger, Amy. "How Video Games Can Help Children Succeed in School." Medical Daily. (2013): n. page. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
Lah, Kyung. "'RapeLay' Video Game Goes Viral Amid Outrage." www.cnn.com. CNN, 31 Mar 2010. Web. 20 Jan 2014.
Rosenstand, Nina. The Moral Of The Story. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 56, 91-92. Print.
Tuplin, Andrew. "Virtual Morality." Freedom From Want. 11 Oct 2008: n. page. Web. 20 Jan. 2014.
The authors of the article “Violent Video Games Affecting our Children,” offer a solution to this issue (Vessey and Lee 2000). Addressing parents, they suggest that they monitor the type of video games children play and how much time they spend playing (2000). As long as the parents assume responsibility on this matter, choosing which games are appropriate for their children, they decrease the chances of their children overexposing themselves to the graphic images from video games intended for older audiences
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
AsapSCIENCE. “Can Video Games Make You Smarter?” Youtube. 10 January 2014. Web. 1 May 2014.
Now a day every video game has something violent going on. Such as in 2010 the top 20 games out in the market were violent related. When a kid sees in a video game that he can beat someone else up and get away with it they think they can do that in real life. This will increase bullying and kids are being taught not to bully. Every kid plays video games even if it’s a racing game or a shooting game. In 2008, 97% of kids from the age of 12-17 played video games. Most M rated games have sexual violence and when a kid sees that in a game and then beats the girl up. The crime rate for rape will increase as it has. A study in 2009 found that it only takes a child four minutes of playing a game to make him have aggressive and violent thoughts going through his head. The critics of violent video game has that bully has increase 32% because of violent video games. Also in the study when a child sees blood when beating up or killing someone in a game he will have more aggressive thoughts than normal.
Desensitization from video games creates a biological response that leads to a lack of empathy and more aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, violence in video games is rewarded, making one more likely to repeat the behavior in real life. Finally, video games allow people to take on roles, and along with one’s inability to separate reality from fantasy, people will take on these roles in real life, leading to many of the recent mass shootings. The debate on video games and violence will carry major significance over these coming years. Although violent video games will not necessarily be banned, there might be moves to educate parents about the dangers of violent video games so that their children can be monitored in the games they choose. However, the debate will not be completely solved. Video games are a multimillion dollar industry and the companies may pay psychologists to agree with their sentiments, prolonging the debate. Although video games are some of the most popular items in the world to own, one must take caution in purchasing them, especially violent
However, varying core aspects of video games have ignited the prevailing collective interests, including the intent of lawmakers. Conversely, the core purposes of video games is perceived to instigate differing implications ranging from; formulating competent scholarly video plays to act as tutoring, as well as inspiring models in intellectual environs. As noted by Ferguson & Rueda (2010), this might also make aggressive gaming progressively more insecure when contrasted to the scary television scenes. Alternatively, the invention of modern ultraviolent film games over the 1990s, as well...
In our society we have many issues that plague our youth. Problems such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and verbal bullying are just a few of the issues. There is one issue that has been on the rise for many years, and is relatively new to the world; and that is violence due to exposure to violent video games. Research done by a panel of scientists led by Professor Rowell Huesmann found “Unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts” (qtd. in Anderson et al. 4). This research is very profound, but it does not state that a child will go to a school and shoot children because he played the game Call of Duty. While a child might not show major aggressive behavior because of violent video games, he will show minor increases in aggressive behavior because of the games he plays. These statistics are the same for adolescents as they are for children. Whether they realize it or not, everyone who plays a violent video game is effected in one way or another. Even though there is a rating system for games, that system is lacking in what they let younger children watch and do in these games. The question that must be asked is, “Why are these children being exposed to such violent content?”
video games often warp their sense of reality. The kids think that if they shoot a person in a game and nothing really happens then nothing will really happen if they shoot a person in real life. When video games first became popular, people may not have seen this as much of a problem because games were not very realistic. With the advancement of technology, however, video games are becoming more and more realistic. If video games become more realistic, children will forget what is real and what is simulated; a child seeing somebody violently murder another human being in a video game will have the same effects as seeing somebody murder another human being in real life. Witnessing these brutal acts of violence either will traumatize or desensitize them to violence. However, this is contradictory to the “Play is labile” theory (Schroeder 4), which will be discussed, in further detail.
One article points out that video games have a big impact on children’s lives and that many of the games played are violent. Researchers have found that “nearly all children spend time playing video games” and studies have found that “8th graders spent an average of 17 hours per week playing video games” (Tamborini 336). Moreover, 68% of the most popular video games contain violence (Tamborini 336). So it is clear that many children have access to violent video games and they have a big impact on their lives simply because of the amount of time spent playing them.
“On Tuesday, November 2, while the rest of the country was voting, the Supreme Court of the United States heard oral arguments in Schwarzenegger v. EMA, the landmark case in which the state of California is petitioning for the re-instatement of a California law banning the sale of deviant or morbid violent video games to minors” (Macris). This case is a current example of the opponents of video games trying to prove video games are a bad influence on children and teenagers. Violent video game opponents have always tried to disprove the positive effects of video games. They also have been known to make up and mislead with tales of terrible side effects. This essay will prove to the reader that many of these various statements against video games and their creators are false. Contrary to opposition arguments, video games actually present benefits to gamers by reducing stress, providing entertainment, and helping to develop motivation that could not otherwise be achieved through conventional means.
"Monkey see, Monkey do." Everyone has heard this phrase sometime in his or her life. This phrase is simple, yet very applicable to today's debate. When a child sees someone or something doing something. They will of course follow suit and imitate the action being performed. Children do not know any better. Therefore they are innocent and deserve to be respected. It is for these following reasons that we argue for the censorship of harmful materials that could influence a child or children into violent acts, expressions, and other dangerous actions. Through television, video games, and movies, children and teens view countless acts of violence, brutality, and terror as part of entertainment. They become conditioned to associating violence with entertainment. First-person shooter video games develop our children's skills in operating weapons. The games reward marksmanship, and further reinforce the association of killing with entertainment. In the past, the heroes of movie and television shows were usually people who strictly followed the law. Now, heroes are often people who take the law into their own hands, who see an injustice or evil and seek to rectify it personally, sometimes brutally, regardless of the consequences. Such portrayals signal, to a child, society's approval of that behavior.
Norcia, Andrea. "The Impact of Video Games on Children." Palo Alto Medical Foundation Apr 2007 20 Mar 2008 .
Technology is so easy for the youth to access and there are many things that affect children through the use of technology. Children can misuse technology by accessing inappropriate materials, most kids today have smart phones and are able to access this so easily. Another reason children are affected by technology is that they are never taught how to properly use it, so they begin to think what they are doing is okay, when it is not, at a young age. My generation is more prone to the misuse of technology because they have grown up with it and it has been apart of their childhood. As technology becomes more developed it will be more vibrant in children’s lives and as they grow up it will become more of a part of their childhood. The more it is in a child’s life the more it will become more known. I did not receive a phone until I was 14 and it was not even an IPhone, but today there are children who have IPhones at the age of 8. This affects children because they are becoming more dependant on technology as a young child and they think that it is alright to depend on technology. They are given technology and they do not know how to use it properly nor do they know that it is not okay for them to depend on technology and that they need to depend on their minds to do things not just technology. The more technology comes involved in children’s lives the more it will affect them throughout their
Video games and violence may seem surreal to have a connection but few adolescents cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality, and as a result, real life crimes have been committed. From robbing a car to killing children, many perpetrators have been influenced by video
Are video games a negative or positive influence on children’s behavior and actions? Several studies have been pointing out that exposure to violence on television, movies, video games, cell phones and the Internet increases the risk of violent behavior in the viewer, like to grow in an environment filled with real violence increases the risk of violent behavior. Plentiful of the research on current media have focused on the violence spread by TV for experts in developmental psychology and John Murray of Kansas State University, United States, it is difficult to conclude otherwise than that violence on television has increased levels of violence and aggression in the society, and that video games have an effect even more powerful. Violent video games are more distress, than the films of the same sign and that the images of violence shown on television because they are interactive, because they use a technology environment that allows the user total immersion in the situation, while producing new objects cultural. The reason is that video games are not limited to violence to show a passive spectator, but require the person to connect with the character and act for him, while violence in film and television images whose exposure is limited only to visual perception. The video game violence has long-term real effects. Children exposed to high levels of violent entertainment can become more aggressive and develop a tremendous face the suffering of others, also increases the likelihood they interact and respond to violence in their social environment. In violent video games as success is clearly defined as killing or take, and failure as die or loses the good and evil as the wicked: they, different from us, it is just revenged, I mate,...