Video Games: The Psychological Effects Of Video Games

Psychological Effects of Video Games Video games have been a prominent figure in modern culture so much so that it can even effect views and influence decisions on individuals, but can this be a reason to explain violent outbreaks or worse, a homicide? As someone who has been an avid gamer for over eight years this is a confusing ideology. T.V. shows and movies also portray extreme violence that can appear realistic, but are almost never considered. Przbylski’s (2014) research suggest that the people who didn’t grow up during the time of video games (the older population) are likely to associate acts of violence in adolescents to video gaming. Even those with little to no experience in gaming have often made this assumption. Are video games a logical reason to explain a change in behavior in adolescents or explain criminal acts? Video games have been around for many years now and are popular now more than ever. With a huge expansion in graphics in games (visual appearance) video games have a large realism factor and appeals to gamers of all kinds. All games, especially shooter games, will be able to use the graphical realism to entice players to play the game. However this increase in graphics and realism has caused controversy among the general populace.

This is an illogical assumption and should only be lightly considered. Until better research with more sold evidence is conducted, video games should not be a factor when evaluating motives of an individual. If we arrive at the conclusion that video games do cause violence, then it would only make sense that violent T.V. shows, movies, and even comic books can encourage violence as well. Many murders or homicides committed by adolescents or young individuals can be explained by other means, such as their mental state, social interaction at school or parental