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effects of video games on teens and children
video games and violent behavior
effects of video games on teens and children
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“The Impact of Video Games”
In the 2013 editorial The Impact of Video Games Adrea Norcia exposes the negative effects of violent video games on adolescents. Norcia writes to an audience interested in the effects of violent video games, while including both sides of the argument. The argument contains sufficient pathos creating a stir of emotions.
In this Norcia argues using logos, however uses outdated information. She recalls the “(2000)” study where, “a majority of teens admitted that their parents do not impose a time limit on the numbers of hours they are allowed to play video games”, worrying researchers because of the negative effects of prolonged time in a violent environment.(Norcia) Although using outdated information the author of this editorial sounds trustworthy because of her use of ethos.
More so, the author of this editorial achieves her goal to convince the reader violent video games have a negative effect on the youth and young adults. As well as revealing the correlation not only to aggression but rage. Norcia uses just enough information so the reader understands the concept and objective of the piece however does not feel berated by information.
“Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?”
In the 2014 editorial, “Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?”, Steven Markoff supports the claim violent video games cause violent behavior. He speaks to a curious audience of all ages. The article uses logos throughout creating a set opinion on the topic.
In the editorial “Video Games Pro Con”, author Steven Markoff gives a compelling argument and uses many ethos and logos. The information he uses helps his argument and his information is current. Using the “(2008) study Grand Theft Childhoo...
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...one of the only arguments for why video games help the youth.(Markoff) However logos is a strong part of this editorial, pathos are scarce hurting the article because the reader feels no connection to the topic.
The editorial does not accurately depict the authors argument because of the lack of ethos. The author seems untrustworthy therefore the supporting evidence is lost in the uncertainty.
Works Cited
Carey, Benedict. "Shooting in the Dark." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 27 May 2014.
Davisson, Twana. "The Unbiased Truth About Violent Video Games." RSS. N.p., 2 Mar. 2013. Web. 27 May 2014.
Markoff, Steven. "Video Games ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014.
Norcia, Andrea. "The Impact of Video Games." Doctors, Patient Care, Health Education, Medical Research. N.p., Aug. 2013. Web. 26 May 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
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.
Since the 1970 video games have become more popular than ever before. Generating 11.7 billions of dollars of sells every year or more, the video game industry is considered one of the largest industries in this century. However, video games have been a topic of controversy. With the sales of violent video games going up and the increased violence in schools and teenagers, video games are always to blame. Many people speculate that video games are the cause on why many teenagers have developed aggressive and violent behavior, are desensitize to violence, and the increase violence in schools and public places. In contradiction, video games have little or no fault in teenagers’ violent behavior and shouldn’t always be blamed.
Proceeding my perusal of articles and research, written by authors with scientific credentials or otherwise, I have concluded that video games are no more to blame for the ebullition found in today’s society than any other possible cause. However, the incessant brouhaha as well as the negative notoriety surrounding media and video games refuses to cease or let up. These claims—for or against video games—are ultimately subjective and inconclusive and very little can be confidently derived from them. Granted, the violence found in our youth is growing rapidly, and there must be external reasons for that, but using video games as a scapegoat will not rectify anything.
One of the fastest growing sectors in the United States economy, with sales over six billion dollars in 2012 is the video gaming industry ("Games: Improving the Economy’). Technical innovation has given the video industry power to create exciting realistic worlds, turning video games into the vast entertainment business that it is today. Setting sales records, Violent Video Games (VVG) are now a common staple in many households. One of the most argued topics in media studies, investigation on the impact violence has on society from mass media continues to rage on. Parents look to the media for reliable studies to confirm or distinguish the effects VVG has on children. Even more menacing than violence on television or in movie theaters, VVG have created enticing graphic worlds created to slaughter fellow players. Modern video games allow players to take an active role within the game. Enticing players to engage in realistic assault scenes that are meant to be entertaining. Worthy playing is then rewarded with: trophies, bonus points and extra lives.
This essay will present the reasons why violent video games have more negative impact on people than other media, which includes involvement, realism, motivation, desensitization, and then it will present a counter-argument that violent video games actually have positive effect on people.
As a graduate of Radboud University, Isabela Granic brings to light the reasons why the youth actually benefits from playing violent video games. For example, in her article, “The Benefits of Playing Video Games,” Granic illustrates the fact that children gain social skills, highly more efficient motor skills, and the understanding of the humans as a whole. Noted by the author, “Whereas adolescents and adults often use self-disclosure and direct discussion with close friends to resolve emotional issues, children use play to work them out through pretend-based narratives enacted either alone or with others” (Granic 67). What the author means is that children use a different form of actions to get across their feelings. While both Sauer’s cause and effect approach of adolescent gaming and Granic’s physiological approach and their conclusions about the effects on children have led me to observe to a new approach to understand the complexity of the minds of the young players. However, what is the causes of violent video gaming and do they truly result in a negative or positive effect upon the
“Stop it!” a mom screamed at her 13 years old son who is misbehaving with her in public. They are in a game shop trying to buy a game that her son wants as a reward for his academic achievements at school. But then why does not Mom wants to buy it? “Son, this is not for you. This game is for people who are over eighteen,” Mom explained. “But Mom, my friends always play them. When I went to Tommy’s house last weekend, I played it also. And it was fun!” Son declared. This is a typical argument I have heard between parents and their children as I used work in a game store before. The parents of our society are not conscious of the violence a game can produce. Also many parents do not pay attention to the ratings in the video games because they suppose games are made for children so why would it be inappropriate or violent (Jenkins 1). Besides, these parents are not aware of the reality that game industry can and will design any game to attract the players whether the player is an adult or kid. During a personal interview, a Psychology professor strongly claims violent video games do affect a child’s psychology, and therefore it can lead the child to be aggressive and destructive. In addition, game addiction harms the children by many factors. For instance, it can make the child to be anti-social and stubborn. And as we are moving forward with modern technology, video game addiction is increasing in the society causing it a controversial critical topic for the parents and researchers to take notice of (Wagner 1).
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?”
One may ask, why today’s generation is so violent? Some believe and factor in the influence of video games. The digital world of video games display brutality. It is evident, that there are very few nonviolent video games. Video games incorporate violence, sexual actions and misconduct, theft, murder, stereotypes, drug and alcohol abuse and profanity. Children learn through observations and experiences. Therefore, video games teach children these extremely inappropriate behaviors. Many parents, experts and the media blame video games for children being violent and antisocial. Since this corruption of the youth, video games should be limited to a couple hours a day or to be played only on the weekends with possible supervision. This solution may help decrease these influential actions.
Many people believe violence in video games result in violent outbreaks and unhealthy behavior in real world. Since the first Nineteen Eighties, violence in video games became a part of a political issue leading advocates to create theories that these styles of games are corrupting society. Studies have been created to seek out if there's a link between violent video games and violent behavior. Are these video games shaping today’s generation of youths to be violent? I believe that there's no correlation between violence in video games and violence in our society. I think this first of all, improves a large form of general skills, secondly, there are several alternative factors that contribute into creating society violent and finally, crime rates decrease because the quality of those forms of games increase.
...Stefan Kiesbye. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Video Game Violence." Children's Voice 15 (2006). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 2 May 2014.
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.
At this day in age we bask in the luxury of having easy access to advanced technology at our disposal. From the World Wide Web, to cell phones, music, movies and video games the human race has thought of any and everything to keep us entertained. Over the years studies have shown reasonable concerns regarding the long-term effects of video games. These games can desensitize gamers to real life violence, which is usually seen in the younger crowd. The studies especially hit on the games containing player-on-player violence. Though these games are extremely entertaining and can get kids to settle down for a while, if not properly supervised, they can produce adverse effects. Other studies have shown that video games can be used as way to yield positive outcomes such as, good problem solving skills, cooperation in a group and the ability to flow. Although there has been psychological research on children learning through the actions of others some believe that children are automatically able to distinguish between what is just a game and what is reality. The longer they are allowed on their game system the more they become convinced that their games are real. Some researchers believe violent video games can channel the aggression of the child but the parents are to blame for what happens to the child after playing an excessive amount over a period of time. Children can become preoccupied with these violent video games which have been proven to be the cause of poor social skills, uncontrollable aggression and a false reality.
Video Games have been accused of making youth violent and aggressive, making people isolate themselves from society, and for lowering the attention span and the ability to concentrate in youth. These claims have yet to be supported by several well organized studies and have never been more than a correlation to any of these claims, and in fact have been disproven on several occasions. Adam Eichenbaum (2014), author contributing to the American Journal of Play, concluded a discussion on the research on video games say that “Today’s video games are much more than entertainment. They are also weapons in the fight against declining mental capacities in old age. They promote job-related skills. And they are a model of how to teach children complex and difficult tasks and abilities. As with any technology, video games are neither intrinsically good nor intrinsically bad.” (pg. 67) Video games are not the waste of time that they are accused of being, nor are they damping the development of today’s youth. If anything is to be said about video games is that in them lays a great potential for good; that video games serve as tools for people who want to make a change in society, whether the changes are positive or negative lie in the hands of those that choose to use video games as tools. These are not unrealistic or histrionic claims; video games, after all, are more than just