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Do violent video games contribute to youth violence
Do violent video games contribute to youth violence
Effect of violent video games on teens
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The Violence of Video Games and the Effect It Have On Society In today world video games have come along way since the birth of game consoles, with such games as Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Frogger. Not only have the graphics done a complete three hundred and sixty degrees turn but the violence has also on video games. There have been many people discussing on the topic of video games that have violence and the effect it has on kids. It brings out more aggression on kids that play those types of games than those who does not. Although some video games are considered harmful to society, we must find the necessary steps to improve on what we allow our children to play to fix this controversial conversation. In a recent research study teens played two different types of games for thirty minutes each. The one who played the violence games showed a higher level of amygdala which is involved in emotional arousal than the teen that did not. A research group at Indiana University Medical Center took a group of forty - four kids and split them up into two groups. While they randomly chose the kids to play Need For Speed and also Medal of Honor for thirty minute a piece. An MRI was given and it shows that the emotion of the adolescent whom played Medal of Honor was higher than the one who played Need for Speed. The only difference in the game was the content of the violence. The principal investigator of the study was hesitant to say. But said that “the parents should look more closely to the type of games their kids are playing” (Vince Mathews) (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/) Although it not a proven fact, but some believe that the student from Virginia Tech, Cho Seung Hui who went on a killing spree, may have been... ... middle of paper ... ...ou will hear your fellow comrade being slaughtered by the monster. Then you will come up on their lifeless body only to find out you were too late. This game may have been the starting point to all the violent game we see in today world. (http://compactiongames.about.com/od/firstpersongamesbytitle/fr/doom3_rev.htm) The violence of video games may not have an effect on today’s society. Although studies show that it may affect some adolescent, it does not affect everyone that does play them. It is more the person that is playing the games, then the game that is being played. There will always be controversy over the violence of video games. We as an American society must do a better job in playing a part of what our children are playing. The video games will be continued to be made no matter what. It is our jobs to take control of what our children play.
At this day in age we bask in the luxury of having easy access to advanced technology at our disposal. From the World Wide Web, to cell phones, music, movies and video games the human race has thought of any and everything to keep us entertained. Over the years studies have shown reasonable concerns regarding the long-term effects of video games. These games can desensitize gamers to real life violence, which is usually seen in the younger crowd. The studies especially hit on the games containing player-on-player violence. Though these games are extremely entertaining and can get kids to settle down for a while, if not properly supervised, they can produce adverse effects. Other studies have shown that video games can be used as way to yield positive outcomes such as, good problem solving skills, cooperation in a group and the ability to flow. Although there has been psychological research on children learning through the actions of others some believe that children are automatically able to distinguish between what is just a game and what is reality. The longer they are allowed on their game system the more they become convinced that their games are real. Some researchers believe violent video games can channel the aggression of the child but the parents are to blame for what happens to the child after playing an excessive amount over a period of time. Children can become preoccupied with these violent video games which have been proven to be the cause of poor social skills, uncontrollable aggression and a false reality.
Now a day every video game has something violent going on. Such as in 2010 the top 20 games out in the market were violent related. When a kid sees in a video game that he can beat someone else up and get away with it they think they can do that in real life. This will increase bullying and kids are being taught not to bully. Every kid plays video games even if it’s a racing game or a shooting game. In 2008, 97% of kids from the age of 12-17 played video games. Most M rated games have sexual violence and when a kid sees that in a game and then beats the girl up. The crime rate for rape will increase as it has. A study in 2009 found that it only takes a child four minutes of playing a game to make him have aggressive and violent thoughts going through his head. The critics of violent video game has that bully has increase 32% because of violent video games. Also in the study when a child sees blood when beating up or killing someone in a game he will have more aggressive thoughts than normal.
People have always been looking for a reason why horrible things happen. The media is quick to blame video games as the target and cause of many shootings that have occurred, ever since Columbine and Quake. People have been blaming video games for violence for years now, ever since violent video games have been made. News reports blame video games more and more for each shooting, telling the public how this person played video games for x amount of hours a day, and that video games caused him or her to shoot people, and how video games encourage and reward violence. Anti-video game lobbyists have been campaigning to have violence removed from video games, citing resources that they themselves have created as reasons for such, poorly done studies where they confirm that kids are more aggressive through how much hot sauce they put on someone’s fries. While unbiased studies of video games and their links to violence are hard to come by, recent research has shown that video games do not in fact have a casual link to violence, and may even have the opposite effect. Violent video games have nearly no link to violence in teens or adults.
In today’s society, video games have played a huge part in the children and teen demographic. Revolutionizing the future, popular titles have implemented realistic values and experiences to players all around the world. As the quality of graphics improve and the plot thickens, so does the violence, gore, and bloodshed. Individuals who devote countless hours staring at the television screen trying to triumph the top high score and levels do not realize the amount damage and violent acts they are causing whether it is secluded in a virtual world or to their brains. Simulating unarmed fist fights, gun shootings, and war could lead to aggression and actual real-life violent conduct. Violent actions and behaviors in these titles could also desensitize
What the author means is that children use a different form of action to get across their feelings. While both Sauer’s cause and effect approach to adolescent gaming and Granic’s physiological approach and their conclusions about the effects on children have led me to observe a new approach to understanding the complexity of the minds of the young players. However, what are the causes of violent video gaming and do they truly result in a negative or positive effect upon the youth? In Sauer’s article “Violent Video Games: The Effects of Narrative Context and Reward Structure on In-Game and Postgame Aggression,” James, a graduate of psychology, goes in detail to why children choose violent or less violent games.
After a long school day, most students find themselves mentally exhausted by an intensive curriculum. Rightfully so, most developing teenagers make an attempt to find an activity to release some stress, and veer away from the rigorous, mental activity of the school day. Hence, most of these children turn to video games. With the recent increase of technological sources, video games has acted as yet another option for after school activity. With admiration for brutal, destructive, and harsh forms of entertainment, it can be seen how violent games can affect the behaviors of young men and women who are constantly exposed.
Since the 1970 video games have become more popular than ever before. Generating 11.7 billions of dollars of sells every year or more, the video game industry is considered one of the largest industries in this century. However, video games have been a topic of controversy. With the sales of violent video games going up and the increased violence in schools and teenagers, video games are always to blame. Many people speculate that video games are the cause on why many teenagers have developed aggressive and violent behavior, are desensitize to violence, and the increase violence in schools and public places. In contradiction, video games have little or no fault in teenagers’ violent behavior and shouldn’t always be blamed.
In recent years, technology has developed very rapidly. This has led to many arguably both positive and negative changes in our everyday lives. One such change was the increased accessibility of personal computers and gaming consoles as well as the introduction of numerous video games. Due to their entertainment value, these games gained popularity among children and teenagers. Although many concerns have been voiced related to playing video games, especially those that are violent, [e.g., increases in aggressive behavior in children (Anderson & Bushman, 2001)], this paper will argue that certain video games also have beneficial effects. They should thus be played by children, teenagers and adults alike albeit with caution.
By far the largest concern of technology today is video games. There have been so many experiments and studies to try and figure out if video games have a negative or positive effect on our children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitive, attitudes and behaviors (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Video games can obviously be dangerous for our children causing aggression, bad performances in school and obesity. Although we cant blame all of these problems on the use of video game...
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 also know that video games do contain violence. Mike Snider?s piece, ?Violent Video Games With in Kids Reach,? shows researchers to find that 70% of 150 games studied did contain high levels of violence. Violence is put into games in different forms; punching, biting, kicking, and shooting with various weapons. Although it may not be the main objective to do these violent acts in all games it is awarded in many with points. Even sport games, which were fairly free of violence in early video game days, have found a way to make violence part of the games. Gary Baum?s piece ?Virtual Morality? emphasizes that 27% of games show violence upon females. Death and killing are all parts of video games today. When vi...
Video games first appeared in the early 1970's. It all started with a simple white ball bouncing back and fourth on the screen. In 1986, Nintendo introduced its first line of home video game consoles. With the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) on the market, the home video gaming industry surged and immediately became popular among children. Since then, not only have video games increased in popularity, but there have been vast improvements in graphics, game play, and forms of gaming. Today, video games have become the preferred choice of entertainment among children and teenagers. Research done in 1998 has shown that kids who own video games spend an average of 90 minutes a day playing them. Clearly the video gaming industry is a profitable one. With the increasing competition between gaming companies, the advancement of technology and content of games began to change. One of the most significant and concerning changes in gaming is graphics. With the improvements in graphics the content of the game became more and more detailed and realistic. Visually violent actions can now be displayed on the screen. Images of blood, flying body parts, and gore have been integrated into every aspect of today's video games. Violence has always been a common factor in many games, but with the improvements in graphics and capabilities of gaming consoles, a growing number of people are becoming concerned about the effects on our children and society.
Violent video games help the players in their way of thinking. In many researches these games can be used to train soldiers and surgeons because they train the brain to make quick decisions, also they help with managing resources that are limited and deciding the best use of these resources, like in shooting games the player must coordinate brain’s interpretation and reaction with the movement in his hands and fingertips, which requires a great deal of eye-hand coordination. However, violent video games change brain function in young men whereas there is plenty of evidence to prove that these games have a prolonged negative neurological effects, which may translate into behavioral changes over long periods of game play. For example, if a person listens to classical music all day, at some point, he will start to sing the melodies, the same way as if a person plays violent video game all day, he will start to believe that violence is normal. In addition, according to many researches those who play the violent video games h...
Violent video games are special games, which negatively influences to the attitude and behavior. These video games are popular between children and teenagers. Since 1980-s years violent games are in political discussion. Because when teenagers usually play violent video games, they are becoming aggressive and then they face with psychological problems. For this, some people claim that violent games are harmful for society and they affect to behavior and health.