Video Games: A Scapegoat for Youth Violence

This issue has long been argued with reference to television in particular, with some seeing violence in society as in part caused by violence on television, while others see a minimal effect if they see any at all. Video games are assumed by many to have a greater effect because playing the game requires direct participation and involvement on the part of the young player, a situation which is more likely to affect behavior outside the game itself by desensitizing the player, by accustoming the player to certain responses, and in effect by training the player to be violent. One of the reasons for the concern is the popularity of video games, as is noted by Gale (2003), who cites both the widespread dissemination of violent video games and research showing that violent video games contribute to violent behavior. He states first that video games have become “one of the most popular and profitable types o... ... middle of paper ... ...11, 88–96. Funk, J.B. et al.

Web. 3 Dec. 2013. Mundell, E.J. "Violent Video Games Spur Aggression in Kids." HealthDay Consumer News Service 19 Aug. 2005: Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOhost.

Luckily, he comes out of the school safely and you wrap him in your arms while other families are devastated by the results of the school shooting. The shooter’s motive was a result of playing violent video games. Popular video games today are loaded with sexual themes, profanity, and killing. These games are sold to the public and, when in the wrong hands, can become dangerous. They say things change for better or worse, and violence in video games is definitely a change for the worse.

Do you think kids get more and more violent after playing video games? I think that kids do get more violent and learn more negative things from video games. Such as when kids play games like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Call of Duty they want to shot and kill people. Games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto are rated M for a reason. An M rated game means mature, so you have to be 17 or older to purchase.

21-23. Ferguson, C. J. (2008, Jan-Jun). The School Shooting/Violent Video Game Link: Casual Relationship or Moral Panic? Journal of Investigative Psycology & Offender Profiling, 5(1/2), 25-37.

It seems like everything coming out about video games is bad. A student tried to kill his fellow classmates, and he was an avid Call of Duty player. A study has been released that proves that playing video games will turn you into a criminal. The many benefits of games and gaming, such as their possible applications to education and their ability to tell more complex stories than other forms of media, are almost universally ignored. I know better, though.

The main contributing factor for all of this violence was originally thought to be violent video games, and the vivid scenarios played out in them. ( Grossman, DeGaetano 1999) After further investigation, that factor in itself has been proven to be untrue. Contrary to the popularly accepted belief, violent video games do not increase the tendencies for violence in healthy, normal adolescents and children. There have been many rumors circulating as to possible contributing factors for increased violent incidents at schools, work and public places by youth. There have been bills in Congress, political platforms and even bans on some games trying to prevent these tragedies.

If parents are worried about what their children are learning from this, then they should be under adult supervision during these activities or banned from them. It is the responsibility of the parents and not the law to make sure that their sweet children don’t grow up to be aggressive serial killers. Video game violence has received a great deal of attention nationwide. In some individuals gaming seems to have replaced music, movies, television, and outdoor activities. Violent video games are extremely popular among teens and adults.

Even though games do cause some aggression in laboratory studies, it is the same aggression that comes with any other competition, such as sports (Jayson). Whether the game in question is a frustrating Mario level or a difficult Grand Theft Auto mission, the aggression is not caused by the content. This is also a case of causation vs. correlation – do violent games cause violent people, or do violent people just choose violent games? Certainly, it’s the latter. If an individual is already obsessed with, say, rape, he or she will pursue media on that subject.

There is an ongoing debate about whether video games are corrupting our society and our children. Video games are not corrupting our society and this can be proven by analyzing the facts. People claim that video games contain obscene content, cause mental and physical health problems, and lead to violence. The first reason video games are an issue is that many video games made today possess content that many people would consider to be obscene. The term obscene covers violence, profanity, and sexual images (obviously).