Promoting Violence: Video Games vs. Social Environment

In the last two decades, video games have become popular, especially violent video games such as Call of Duty, Unreal Tournament, and Grand Theft Auto, among others. According to Anderson and Bushman, “[a]bout 10% of children aged 2 to 18 play console and computer video games more than 1 hour per day; among 8- to 13-year-old boys, the average is more than 7.5 hours per week” (354). Due to their explicit violent content, violent video games have been seen as a negative influence in society by promoting aggression in the real world, thus increasing violence in society. Most people assume that playing violent video games has negative effects on players because violent video games create aggressive behaviors on the people who play them. However, studies show that violent video games bring some benefits, and people who normally choose to play violent video games are the ones that have been raised or have been exposed to a violent environment.

Playing violent video games is considered to have negative effects on the players. Violent video games create an aggressive behavior in the people who play them. Experimental, correlation, and longitudinal studies have supported the idea of an increased aggressive behavior due to playing violent video games. Based on experimental studies, “. . . individuals in laboratory environments have demonstrated short-term increased levels of physiological arousal, hostile feelings, hostile attitudes and aggressive behavior following sessions of playing violent video games compared to non-violent video games.” In addition, correlation studies “. . . have demonstrated a significant relationship between exposure to violent video games, trait hostility, and aggressive or antisocial behavior,” which support...

... middle of paper ...

... Violent Video Games." Psychiatric Quarterly. 78.4 (2007): 309-316. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Inderscience Publishers. "Could Violent Video Games Reduce rather than Increase Violence?." ScienceDaily, 15 May 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Porter, Guy, and Vladan Starcevic. "Are Violent Video Games Harmful?." Australasian Psychiatry. 15.5 (2007): 422-426. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Oct. 2013.

Salonius-Pasternak Dorothy E., and Holly S. Gelfond. “The Next Level of Research on Electronic Play: Potential Benefits and Contextual Influences for Children and Adolescents.” Harvard Medical School 1.1 (2005): 5-22. Center for Mental Health and Media Human Technology. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Trip, Gabriel; Joseph Goldstein, and Michael S. Schmidt. “Suspect’s Past Fell just Short of Raising Alarm.” New York Times. New York Times, 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.