Whenever anyone opens up a news article, often we will see titles including “Why video games are violent” or “Video games cause’s children to become violent. Due to this, often, parents will refuse to buy their children video games and many shun them as if the site of one 2D graphic gun will turn their child into a killer. Gamers also live by the stereotype of being violent basement dwellers. However, according the article 91 Percent of Kids are Games, Researcher says, sixty-four million of the gamers in the United States are adolescents (between the ages of two-seventeen). Based upon personal experience, video games also create a more engaging environment. It is easier to pay attention to something that is seen fun. Despite the bad reputation, …show more content…
According to the Video Game History Timeline, video games first boomed with the Atari system in 1977, but they have been around since at least the 1940s. Other software has been made since the biggest introduction in 1977 that ranges from consoles made for specific brands, to CD-ROM games, to even mobile games. However, not every game has been created for fun. Learning video games have been around for a while, but one of the most popular is Reading Rabbit, and English learning CD-ROM used for children of different ages. Despite the idea of video games only being used for this purpose, Compass Learning and IXL Math are sites created to help children of different ages study school subjects. IXL Math is also used as an online game where students in each district can speak with each other and …show more content…
Video games have not only helped with personal reasoning’s such as Maximilian Dichtl who states “Depression lead me to my love of video games,” (qtd. in Sampson) but has also been shown to help with students who may have high anxiety from autism. A journal article written by Wijnhoven, Creemers, Engels, and Granic states anxiety is one of the reasons behind many children with autism’s “unsociable” behaviors (2). During a study, patients with autism were tested by letting the children play a game titled Mindlight. The results were stated “It is expected that children in the experimental condition will show lower levels of anxiety symptoms at 3-months follow-up, compared to children in the control condition. If Mindlight turns out to be effective, this could provide a significant contribution to the evidence-based treatment of anxiety in children with an ASD(8).” The video game had helped many of the children with autism to lower their anxiety, which in turn helps the students to focus on
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
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.
Video games have become a huge part of the culture of young people and adults alike, and many educators are finding ways to incorporate a love of games into their teaching practice, through options like “edutainment” and “gamification”. Edutainment is media that has both a high degree of educational and entertainment value. Gamification is the use of game mechanics and thinking in an educational setting, like earning points to level up or earning achievement badges for tasks completed. Both of these methods work well to engage students in learning. However, outside of edutainment and gamification, some educators are using non-educational video games, like Minecraft, to teach a wide variety of subjects and ...
Video games have gotten a lot of negative attention in the media as a scapegoat for what is wrong with children. Are video games really as bad as they are made out to be? Alice Park, writer of “Little By Little, Violent Video Games Make Us More Aggressive” published on time.com, believes that video games are making people more aggressive. But within her article there are many flaws with her arguments; it makes a poor attempt to blame video games for events like the columbine shooting, racism, and hostile behavior. Park makes poor unsupported claims about the quantity and quality of games being played by children and the effects these games are having on them.
Video games are one of the most addictive things in the world. Researchers said that more than 1.2 billion people are playing games worldwide whatever genre is. Many people buy it to have fun with friends, other people buy it for themselves, and others just buy it because they don’t have nothing to do at home. What many people concern about is whether or not kids should play video games. In my opinion, I believe that video games can make kids more violent for three main factors.
In our society we have many issues that plague our youth. Problems such as substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, and verbal bullying are just a few of the issues. There is one issue that has been on the rise for many years, and is relatively new to the world; and that is violence due to exposure to violent video games. Research done by a panel of scientists led by Professor Rowell Huesmann found “Unequivocal evidence that media violence increases the likelihood of aggressive and violent behavior in both immediate and long-term contexts” (qtd. in Anderson et al. 4). This research is very profound, but it does not state that a child will go to a school and shoot children because he played the game Call of Duty. While a child might not show major aggressive behavior because of violent video games, he will show minor increases in aggressive behavior because of the games he plays. These statistics are the same for adolescents as they are for children. Whether they realize it or not, everyone who plays a violent video game is effected in one way or another. Even though there is a rating system for games, that system is lacking in what they let younger children watch and do in these games. The question that must be asked is, “Why are these children being exposed to such violent content?”
Video games based on learning are quickly becoming known as “the new frontier of learning.” Many children who have learning disabilities have an easier time learning basic skills from playing games rather than looking through a textbook. When learning is disguised as a fun pastime, children are more likely to welcome it. Video games can be utilized in school to influence children into becoming more comfortable with their own knowledge. In some cases, children feel incompetent to their peers because they are not as gifted in math or writing. By using video games, students are not expected to compete with their classmates, so they will become confident and outgoing which, in turn, will show their true talents. A group of researchers at the University of New York conducted an experiment with a group of students that were assigned to play video games competitively or on their own. Through performing this test, they concluded that those who chose to play competitively, or on their own both had an increased final score because they were able to play at their own leisure ("Educational Video Games Can Boost Motivation to Learn.", 2013). Observing how video games can help both gifted children, as well as the individuals who are struggling, is evidence that video games can be as useful as they are
Did you know that video games can badly effect your life? Video games have been around since November 29, 1972 (Jeff Tyson 2000). Video games are fun and entertaining, but they could also badly effect people’s lives.
Video games have been accused of contributing too many acts of violence or aggression for decades. What the media misses is that video games have many benefits we haven’t found in any other media. Society should stop being afraid of video games and instead start looking forward to how we can best use them to benefit ourselves and our children. Anyone who doesn’t understand why needs only take a quick look at our society. It is commonly known that many children in the United States play video games. Even many heads of households play video games, too. Society is changing and non-gamers are being left behind.
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.
Nowadays, technology gradually improve; humans make friends with video games when they were young.Video games are invented which is suitable for society’s development. Video games are inexpensive pastime which is easy to play. Moreover, videos games are really interesting with catchy images, vivid sounds, and attractive characters which get the youth and children’ attention. Video games are created for main purposes which are entertain and reduce stress in daily life. A lot of people show a question, which is” How do the video games affect humans life?’’. In fact, the video games bring benefits to people which are, release strain, practice mindset, and expand the relationships. On the contrary, when the youth and children spend a lot of their
Over the past 30 years, playing video games has become one of the most popular hobbies worldwide. Not only has the video game industry become a multi-billion dollar industry, but it has attracted people from all age types. While video games today are played by both kids and adults, there are many issues being raised regarding the effects of video games. More particular, is the effect that violent video games may be having on children. Some critics argue that video games are direct indicators of child aggression while video game supporters argue that there is no direct link between child aggression and violent video games. While many people have their own personal stances, this issue is unique because it is unfolding everyday. Scientists and researchers all over the world are continuously doing research regarding the effects of video games on children. Even though this remains a field of uncertainty for researchers, parents should definitely be involved in being aware of what it is that they’re children are playing when they play video games.
The author of Harmless Fun? argues that video games causes violence in young kids. They state that in the world of violent video games, players can take their aggressions out on enemies with typically graphic results. They say that most grown-ups and young adults can tell the difference between “real violence and the virtual kind”(614) but young children are still learning good behavior. Weekly Reader claims that children are the real-life victims of video game manufacturers. They say, “I’m not saying that violent video games are the root of all aggression in the world. But I don’t see any evidence that the blood-soaked citizens of the screen world are doing anything to make the real world a better place.”(614)
Pope, Alan T. and Edward H. Bogart. “Extended Attention Span Training System: Video Game Neurotherapy for Attention Deficit Disorder”, Child Study Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, pg 39-50. Retrieved: 16 August 2004,
In a society driven by technology, video games are becoming more popular each and everyday. People of all ages enjoy video games in their free time; these games allow the player to become an athlete, a soldier, or a professional fighter at the tip of their fingers. The biggest problem with these video games is that they are becoming too violent. In today’s society, children often brag about the new video game they bought, and the number of people they have managed to kill while playing these games. Video games have become realistic, causing them to intrigue a larger amount of children. Many of these violent video games encourage killing and fighting of enemies, or strangers in the game. Each year a new game system, and hundreds of video games are released, and millions of kids go out and buy them and spend hours playing. Video games have a large effect on school performance and time spent with family. Children would prefer to play their games than sit down and talk with their parents (Saleem, 2012).