Violent Video Games Don't Lead to Increases In Violent Behavior

A young, blonde woman stands with her fists raised. She shifts her weight back and forth, staying in constant motion. Her jaw is set and her blue eyes dangerous. She faces her opponent with no fear. Her fellow combatant is a skilled warrior and a member of a Shirai Ryu clan. He’s spent years mastering his own special style of martial arts. The woman observes him carefully. He’s muscular and, no doubt, fast. She cannot see most of his face, as a gold and black mask obscures it, but she can see his eyes. They’re merciless. She eyes the harpoon at his hip. He’ll probably go for that first and try to stun her with it. The cue is given and, sure enough, he grabbed his harpoon and aimed it at her, snarling, “Get over here!” She’d anticipated his moves well and she sidestepped his harpoon. He figured out that she knew his obvious attacks, he began to use more quick attacks, moving quickly in the shadows, confusing her. He soon overpowers her. Dazed and dizzy, she is at his mercy. Unfortunately, mercy is a quality he lacks. He wraps his harpoon around her neck and opens a portal. She’s pulled into it and he holds onto his chain tightly. Another portal opens above and her body dangles from it, strung up by his chain. The announcer’s voice lets out in a deep grumbling voice, “Fatality”. Meanwhile, in a living room, the gruesome scene fades to black and two friends laugh at each other for the graphic execution and go on playing the newest release of the Mortal Kombat series.

While today’s games are ridiculously violent, can one honestly believe they can open a portal to hang their enemies? Do video games really warp the mind and cause players to be aggressive? Recent studies say no. It is not the game’s fault for a player to react viol...

... middle of paper ...

...While there are violent games out there, children could, with the help of their parents, play cleaner games such as The Legend of Zelda or any game in the Mario series, and in the end, be benefited from it. Whether their stress is relieved, their brains stronger, or their connections with their families made unbreakable, video games can truly be a good thing for kids.

Works Cited

Hanna, Patrick. “Players. Not Games, Cause video game violence.” New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Herald, 27 July 2010. Web. 24 October 2011.

Jayson, Sharon. “Study the Player, Not the Game.” USA Today. USA Today, 15 September 2011. Web. 24 October 2011.

Jayson, Sharon. “Video Games Tied to Aggression.” USA Today. USA Today, 1 March 2010. Web. 24 October 2011.

Paulson, Ken. “How obscene is video game violence?” USA Today. USA Today, 2 November 2010. Web. 24 October 2011.