Are Violent Video Games a Cause of the Bad Behavior in Children?

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Many People have put their attention directly on the influence violent video games have on the bad behavior of children. People believe videogames intensify aggression in children, while others say it can be a safe getaway for a child to express his aggression. Many opinions on this issue are stated still today, and they remain divided amongst the people who claim videogames to be a cause of aggression and those who claim otherwise. A child’s behavior can not be determined by violent video games, but instead is caused by a variety of environmental and domestic factors. It is easy to blame video games on violence, instead of looking at factors such as economic status, familial issues, and exposure to other entities such as television and media. This paper will bring forward the opinions of those who believe in no relationship between violent video games and bad behavior with one counter argument expressing the opinion of those who believe there is a relationship.
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.
Much research makes a claim that there i...

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Hunter, Congressma D. "Congressman Duncan Hunter: Target Bad Parenting, Not Video Games." GamePolitics News. Game Politics.com, 15 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Makuch, Eddie. "Entertainment Merchants Association." Schwarzenegger v. EMA. N.p., 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.
Parks, Allison, Hele Sweeting, Danil Wight, and Et Al. "Do Television and Electronic Games Predict Children's Psychosocial Adjustment? Longitudinal Research Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study." Do Television and Electronic Games Predict Children's Psychosocial Adjustment? Longitudinal Research Using the UK Millennium Cohort Study. N.p., 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

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