Do Video Games really Cause Violence?

“No one is suggesting that [violent video games are] the only reason they went out and committed those horrific acts, but was it a tipping point? Was it something that pushed them over the edge? Was it a factor in that? Perhaps. That’s a really big deal,” This is a really controversial subject amongst gamers and parents, on whether violent video games cause real-life violence. Lots of people think they do, while lots of people think they don’t. There is research that points both ways in the subject, although I believe that the evidence points to it not causing violence.

The violent video games we play today could be causing violence around the world, some evidence points towards violent games being a culprit in the Sandy Hook school shooting. Some people say that early childhood is the worst time to expose a person to violence in their life. “The U.S. surgeon general is poised to declare graphically violent television programming and video games harmful to children, marking a potential watershed in the debate over government regulation of entertainment” (Leeds A1). Another way video games can cause violence is from having little social life outside of video games, this can lead to not knowing how to deal with things in society that can cause anger or stress. People need to learn how to take care of anger and not let it turn into something dangerous. “(The games are) training for aggression, you can actually grow neural pathways called dendrites that enable you to perform more easily the physical acts of violence. Plus, from a psychological perspective, to act out of virtual violence, in a virtual setting, is more damaging than just viewing it. You enter into the violence, you become the protagonist.” (Worthy A1) That was a quote ...

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