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.
THESIS
Engaging in first-person participation in entertainment violence negatively influences impressionable youths whom are more and vulnerable to their environment. A large population of consumers purchasing VVG are teenagers and this should be a concern for society. Advocates argue that distorted images of violence desensitizes adolescents to emotions surrounding aggressive images. Some blame the video industry for the corruption of innocent minds. Politicians and child psychologist insist VVG impact youth in detrimental ways. The video industry voluntarily uses the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a rating system established in 1994 by Entertainment Software Association (ESA E...
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Works Cited
ESA Entertainment Software Association. "ESRB Ratings Guide." Entertainment Software Rating Board. Entertainment Software Association. Web. 5 Nov 2013. .
Ferguson, Christopher. "Video Games Don’t Make Kids Violent." Time Ideas. Time Inc., 07 Dec 2011. Web. 7 Nov 2013. .
"Games: Improving the Economy." Entertainment Software Association. Entertainment Software Association. Web. 25 Oct 2013. .
McGraw, Phil Dr. "Children and Violent Video Games." Dr. Phil. drphil.com. Web. 5 Nov 2013. .
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Anderson, C. (2010, Mar/Apr). Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence, Part II. Pediatrics for Parents, 26(3/4), pp. 21-23.
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Keim, B. (2013, February 28). Do Video Games Cause Violence? — NOVA Next | PBS. Retrieved November 17, 2013, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/what-science-knows-about-video-games-and-violence/
Strasburger and Donnerstein are the author of the article, “The New Media of Violent Video Games: Yet Same Old Media Problems?” They are trying to prove that there is a negative result on children and young adults who play video games that are extremely violent, as well as watching violent television shows and violent movies. The authors also believe that children and young adults that are frequently engaged into video games that are really violent and television show as well as movies that are PG-13 or R rated are a result of the mass shooting in 1998 in Jonesboro, Arkansas and in 2012 there was also shooting in Aurora Colorado and Newtown, Connecticut. This has believed to have caused a major issue of media effects, especially violent video games on young people (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 2014).The aurthors, Strasburger and Donnerstein stated that most parents and guardians, including foster mothers in the United States of America thinks that it is a fact that because of extreme exposure to violent video games and television movies have cause children to be aggressive, hostile and having behavioral problems (Strasburger & Donnerstein, 2014). The authors also discussed issues on different major topics, for example, the devices for the confinement of hostile behaviors and attitudes in violent video games, such as hostile virtual reality and continuous violent actions.
The issue of video games and the potential aggravation of the character of youth is an ongoing argument. Video game violence has affected children and young adults both negatively and positively in recent years. Video games and their violence are often seen as responsible for desensitizing the consumers (Bartholow, Bushman, Sestir 2006), giving them a false sense of reality and incentives for aggressive and erratic behavior (Dietz, 1998). Contrarily, video and online gaming also seem to positively influence the youth using channels of release for negative energy and aggression, increasing social interaction locally and internationally and assisting in motor and perceptual skills.
The author of Harmless Fun? argues that video games causes violence in young kids. They state that in the world of violent video games, players can take their aggressions out on enemies with typically graphic results. They say that most grown-ups and young adults can tell the difference between “real violence and the virtual kind”(614) but young children are still learning good behavior. Weekly Reader claims that children are the real-life victims of video game manufacturers. They say, “I’m not saying that violent video games are the root of all aggression in the world. But I don’t see any evidence that the blood-soaked citizens of the screen world are doing anything to make the real world a better place.”(614)
“Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence” by Craig Anderson is an argumentative essay of how and why violent games and media effect the youth of the world. The essay contains two major questions: 1.Is there a significant association between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior? And 2. Is this association casual? Over 50 years of research is reviewed while trying to get to the root of the topic. Anderson is not only a highly credible source; he also develops his essay in a manner easy to follow, and presents researched facts to back up the statements being made on such a controversial issue.
Reilly, Rachel “Violent Video Games make Children Grow Up Into aggressive adults” Dailymail.com March 2014 26 March 2014
Video games have come to be such a high demand for kids that it is very common for every household to have at least one type of gaming system. In Peggy J. Parks’ book, Video Games, it is mentioned that 69 percent of American homes have some sort of gaming device. Kids as young as three years old are becoming more and more familiar in how to use these gaming systems as well. Therefore, exposure to violence is beginning to
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.
“As video games have become more violent and more sophisticated and the sales of video games has skyrocketed in the last few decades, youth violence has plummeted,” Ferguson says, citing evidence compiled by various federal agencies (Adams 3). Violence in video games is not a new issue. It has been debated and argued since the release of the first violent video game. As time has progressed, so has the evolution of violence and strong language within video games. Ratings have become more relaxed, and the lines between T (Teen) and M (Mature) rated games has gotten closer together. Violent games are becoming the normal and accepted of all games, and are being demanded by the gaming industry more heavily. Parents have always shied away from these games for their children, regardless of age. However, kids are getting these games whether they are the correct age (17+) or not. Young kids, less than ten years of age are playing horribly violent games and parents are fearing the repercussions. But video games are not to be blamed for child violence. Violence in video games does not cause children to become violent people later on in life.
It is not a well-known fact that since 1994, in the US, video game sales have increased an estimated 204%, while crime has fallen 37% (“Violent Video Games”). Video games create an outlet for an alternative reality for expressing aggression, rather than in the real world. Simulated violence that is shown to the public through video games is advantageous in numerous ways. Video games are extremely beneficial and safe because they provide kids with useful, real-world skills, they help gamers to solve scientific problems, and there are limits placed on them.
“90% of pediatricians and 67% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior among children” ("Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?”). Pediatrics and parents are aware that kids that play violent video games see a change in their behavior. Many cases they see the kids with anger problems and causing them to do violent acts. Violent video games have been around for many years where some older titles, such as ‘Mortal Kombat’ and 'Grand Theft Auto’ both are some of the most controversial ones. The video game industry has been growing and with the large amounts of violent video games being produced. “Total US sales of video game hardware and software increased 204% from 1994 to
The concerns of parents are that theses types of games are going to change their child’s life in a bad way. These ideas are true through tedious experiments that prove that violent games produce violent children. The games that cause the most fear are ones that give the players the opportunity to select their own weapon and decide what violent adventures they long to experience. A well known fact is that repetition increases the learning process. For example, when students are studying for a test they will incorporate the use of flashcards. Using the flashcards exposes the child to the information repeatedly until it is memorized. While playing these games, the player learns the patterns of games through repetition. By doing this they are unconsciously learning to act in the same way as the game. In March of 2014, the Center for Study of Violence at Iowa State participated in a study where they followed over 3,000 children over a three year period who played video games. Since the experiment was carried out over a long period of time, it was easy to spot out the effect of the games on the test subjects. The report discovered that the boys who played the hostile games had an increased amount of recorded aggressive behaviors, and although the girls in the experiment played less violent games than the boys, they still displayed violent behaviors (Gentile, 2014). The
In a society driven by technology, video games are becoming more popular each and everyday. People of all ages enjoy video games in their free time; these games allow the player to become an athlete, a soldier, or a professional fighter at the tip of their fingers. The biggest problem with these video games is that they are becoming too violent. In today’s society, children often brag about the new video game they bought, and the number of people they have managed to kill while playing these games. Video games have become realistic, causing them to intrigue a larger amount of children. Many of these violent video games encourage killing and fighting of enemies, or strangers in the game. Each year a new game system, and hundreds of video games are released, and millions of kids go out and buy them and spend hours playing. Video games have a large effect on school performance and time spent with family. Children would prefer to play their games than sit down and talk with their parents (Saleem, 2012).