Children today are exposed to more graphic violence in video games compared to any past generations. This is because the media finds that making a profit, surpasses the lives of the adolescents that play these games. However, over time two set of views formed from the violence in video games. James D. Sauer, is a graduate of the School of Phycology. In his article, “Violent Video Games: The Effects of Narrative Context and Reward Structure On In-Game and Postgame Aggression,” Sauer, describes that adolescents gain forms of aggression and violence after playing certain games. Not every video game causes post game aggression, but documented in his article, “Players who enacted in-game violence through a heroic character exhibited less postgame As a graduate of Radboud University, Isabela Granic brings to light the reasons why the youth actually benefits from playing violent video games. For example, in her article, “The Benefits of Playing Video Games,” Granic illustrates the fact that children gain social skills, highly more efficient motor skills, and the understanding of the humans as a whole. Noted by the author, “Whereas adolescents and adults often use self-disclosure and direct discussion with close friends to resolve emotional issues, children use play to work them out through pretend-based narratives enacted either alone or with others” (Granic 67). What the author means is that children use a different form of actions to get across their feelings. While both Sauer’s cause and effect approach of adolescent gaming and Granic’s physiological approach and their conclusions about the effects on children have led me to observe to a new approach to understand the complexity of the minds of the young players. However, what is the causes of violent video gaming and do they truly result in a negative or positive effect upon the In Sauer’s article “Violent Video Games: The Effects of Narrative Context and Reward Structure On In-Game and Postgame Aggression,” James, a gradate of phycology, goes in detail to why children choose violence or less violent games. Also, how the result of violent gaming affects the actions of the children shortly after the finish playing. Overviewing the work of physiological professor Helen Fisher, Sauer concludes that playing a mass variety of games can have different effects on a child. Documented by Sauer, “To the extent that this task is representative of real-world risk taking in a driving context, Fischer et al. found that racing games can have negative effects on traffic safety: increasing risk-taking behavior, risk-promoting cognitions, and positive attitudes toward reckless driving” (Sauer 206). A child does not have to shoot a gun in a game such as Call of Duty or rob a bank in GTA V, the end result is that the child would think these things are accepted in society. Most games today that children play depicted some type of violence. However, parents neglect that fact the games have warnings for violence, language, and even nudity. In my own personal experience, kids will ask for the most trending games at the time and parents will buy the game to satisfy the needs and
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.
Video games are widely popular as a form of entertainment for young children and teenagers in the United States, and many of these games contain forms of violence. Because this causes exposure to such graphic images for many children, there has been a concern that these violent forms of entertainment affect these children. Numerous studies conducted by groups of psychologists have been directed on this particular issue, leading to evidence both for and against this claim. This is an issue which parents should acknowledge, as it greatly impacts their children. Therefore, parents must become aware of the issue of violence in video games and monitor their children’s access to such games because history as well as numerous studies and statistics to have shown that they have negative effects on children, causing desensitization due to the exposure to such intense images.
Video games are almost always present in any house that is home to an adolescent child. While video games are popular among people of all ages, adolescent children are usually the most involved. An article was developed by three members of the Psychopathology department at a university in the Netherlands. While addressing the use of video games the statement was made that “Today, in the United States, 91% of children between the ages of 2 and 17 play video games”(Granic, Lobel, Engels). Children may spend countless hours sitting in from of a television screen, participating in the electronic activities. While there are many different genres of video games, perhaps among the most popular are those that contain a high level of violence and hostility. Along with the violent content and commentary, these videogames create a hostile mindset. Video games have the ability to cause negative effects in the way young people think and act socially.
“Stop it!” a mom screamed at her 13 years old son who is misbehaving with her in public. They are in a game shop trying to buy a game that her son wants as a reward for his academic achievements at school. But then why does not Mom wants to buy it? “Son, this is not for you. This game is for people who are over eighteen,” Mom explained. “But Mom, my friends always play them. When I went to Tommy’s house last weekend, I played it also. And it was fun!” Son declared. This is a typical argument I have heard between parents and their children as I used work in a game store before. The parents of our society are not conscious of the violence a game can produce. Also many parents do not pay attention to the ratings in the video games because they suppose games are made for children so why would it be inappropriate or violent (Jenkins 1). Besides, these parents are not aware of the reality that game industry can and will design any game to attract the players whether the player is an adult or kid. During a personal interview, a Psychology professor strongly claims violent video games do affect a child’s psychology, and therefore it can lead the child to be aggressive and destructive. In addition, game addiction harms the children by many factors. For instance, it can make the child to be anti-social and stubborn. And as we are moving forward with modern technology, video game addiction is increasing in the society causing it a controversial critical topic for the parents and researchers to take notice of (Wagner 1).
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.
The issue of video games and the potential aggravation of the character of youth is an ongoing argument. Video game violence has affected children and young adults both negatively and positively in recent years. Video games and their violence are often seen as responsible for desensitizing the consumers (Bartholow, Bushman, Sestir 2006), giving them a false sense of reality and incentives for aggressive and erratic behavior (Dietz, 1998). Contrarily, video and online gaming also seem to positively influence the youth using channels of release for negative energy and aggression, increasing social interaction locally and internationally and assisting in motor and perceptual skills.
video games often warp their sense of reality. The kids think that if they shoot a person in a game and nothing really happens then nothing will really happen if they shoot a person in real life. When video games first became popular, people may not have seen this as much of a problem because games were not very realistic. With the advancement of technology, however, video games are becoming more and more realistic. If video games become more realistic, children will forget what is real and what is simulated; a child seeing somebody violently murder another human being in a video game will have the same effects as seeing somebody murder another human being in real life. Witnessing these brutal acts of violence either will traumatize or desensitize them to violence. However, this is contradictory to the “Play is labile” theory (Schroeder 4), which will be discussed, in further detail.
The more kills, wounds, hit & runs or attacks the player accomplishes in the game the higher the score and more reward. This action is consistent in most games with a high violent content. Research studies have shown that the exposure of violence in video games does not “turn off” because the game is turned off, but rather the violent behavior displayed in the video game then reenacts and manifests itself in the behavior of the child (Anderson & Dill, 2000; Ballad & West, 1996; Bushman & Anderson, 2002). In study presented by Professor Jeanne Funk in 2004 review 150 fourth and fifth graders and how violent video games lowered the amounts of empathy, a person’s ability to understand another’s feelings, in the player.
Most of the time violence is considered as the worst when it comes to the bad effects of video games. A scientific survey (Anderson & Bushman, 2001) has found a connection between aggressive behaviors and playing violent games where more the children play violent games, more tend be aggressive in behavior. Not only that but also they are more likely to have aggressive feelings and thoughts plus diminished aiding. It is said that the impact of playing violent games in children is compounded by the intuitive/interactive nature of the games. Children are remunerated for being more vicious or violent, most of the time in many games. The demonstration of violence is carried out over and again and the player is in control of the violence who encounters the brutality such as killing/stabbing in his own eyes. This first-hand experience in violence, being rewarded for it and the iteration of this process are compelling conditions for learning and developing violent behavior.
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.
On April 20, 1999, two adolescent boys walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, and shot 12 of their classmates and a teacher. Then, they killed themselves. When authorities investigated, they found that the boys had played thousands of hours of a video game that had been set to occur in their high school. They used yearbook pictures to create the game's virtual victims. The event that took place at Columbine High School is only one of many tragedies that have taken place due to the influence of video games. Violent video games should not be played by children and teens because they gain early exposure to extreme violence, mature themes, and explicit language.
In today’s society, children are exposed to technology early on in their lives. Many young children engage in video games as early as 5 years old. This exposure to technology has been blaming for leaving impressions in individuals, causing them to develop behaviors that aren’t norms in certain communities. In an age where every common person has either a laptop, a smart phone, or a tablet, the ability to gain access to video games has been made much easier. Video games have become a much more common occurrence in today’s youths. Does this increase in usage of video games necessarily have an effect on behaviors of individuals? Possibly, but not enough to warrant labeling video games as the sole cause of violence in people. In this paper, I will be looking at questions regarding video games and their violence-depicting nature. Do video games specifically influence behavioral development, like violence, in people? Why is the demographic of violent outbursts caused by video games predominantly focused on male, teenage Caucasians? Why are video games being portrayed in a more negative light when compared to other media mediums? These are all questions that I will be looking to answer in the paper.
Throughout history many things in general have been improved upon. Four major improvement areas are: warfare, medicine, education of society, and technology. All of these improvements have brought with them positive effects. Warfare has allowed oppressed people to rule themselves; medicine has saved countless lives with vaccines and treatment programs; education of societies has allowed people to make their dreams come true; and, advancements in technology have made the previous three possible. With these positive effects also come negative effects, which are seen on a grand scale. Advancement in warfare has caused numerous deaths, medicine has advanced to the point where ethical questions arise because of cloning and stem cell research, the education of society in addition with the advancement in technology have allowed these negative advancements to be achieved.
Video games that include violence have become recognized by numerous people and have been linked to the violence that occurs in the real world. Some people believe this statement to be true, but others find a lack of evidence to support these accusations. Not only has video games affected our outlook on violence, but also affected the way children behave. Researchers believe that the increase in aggressive behavior in children has to do with the violent games they play. While some researchers have this ideology that is backed up with their research, others believe it does the opposite. Scientists have become aware that if gamers play action games, their cognitive skills improve. With having more than half of the American population playing video games, multiple movies have become based off video games as a way to attract this audience and increase the popularity of movie industries. Thus, society will continue to be influenced by video games because it has become part of our lifestyle and with the advancement in technology, the influence will only become