Premium Essay

Video Game Stereotypes

Submitted By
Words 1509
Pages 7
Shining a New Light on Video Games More often than not video games are viewed in a negative light by society. These negative views are reinforced on a regular basis by the media through news stations, television shows, and movies. They are often used as a scapegoat for being the cause of some of the violence happening in recent times such as mass shooting etc. Video games are also often blamed for other problems such as causing obesity, leading to anti-social behavior or leading to aggressive behavior. In spite of the stereotypes gamers face, there is research that shows that video games can have many positive effects such as promoting positive youth development. When watching television shows and movies, people who play video games are often stereotyped as obese kids and young adults who live off of energy drinks and potato chips and never leave their computers or consoles. One example of this stereo type can be found in the television show South Park. In the episode Make Love, Not Warcraft, the four main characters have become addicted to playing the popular …show more content…
Throughout the episode the characters are almost always referred to as having no lives, granted they did spend eight weeks doing nothing but playing World of Warcraft. However there are a few positive aspects of playing games that are shown. For example the social aspect of the games, in the beginning of the episode when one of the characters dad’s asks why he is not hanging out with his friends, he responds by saying that he is hanging out with his friends in the virtual world and he is also talking to them through a microphone. The social aspect is also portrayed by the fact that when the characters first face the problem of the high level player killing their characters they meet up with all of their friends in real life to try to work together to find a solution. The social aspect of video games is one that is often

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Stereotypes In Video Games

...about one point two billion people who play video games either leisurely or competitively, and according to Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of, Entertainment Software Association, roughly around twenty nine percent are under the age of eighteen. In This speech I will be talking to you about the reasons as to why the age to buy M-rated video games is so asinine. While reading various blogs about this subject I often found that truly intelligent people believe that the age of seventeen to buy an M-rated game is un-needed. Studies have also shown that People who play games like CSGO or Call of Duty are more likely to have better hand-eye coordination, teamwork skills, multitasking, and making decisions fast and precise. However if you come to a situation in a violent video game, you become accustomed to fight or flight and you are able to visualize how things will turn out by which decisions you made without the real world consequences. Another common theme in first person shooters and other violent video games are maps. With the use of maps in video games you remember where important positions are, and with...

Words: 491 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

The Stereotypes Of Video Games And Violence

...programmed to die. A common stereotype brought up against those who enjoy the appeal of video games are that the violent games contribute to violence in society. The stereotype is that by playing so many violent games, especially now with so many games with more realistic graphics and more blood and gore that it is influencing the many that play these games into becoming violent people, violent people such as murderers,...

Words: 595 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Gender Stereotypes in Video Games

...Rubin addressed are demonstrated in particular in today’s media, which reinforces gender inequality and objectification, through the depiction of women as hyper-sexualized, weak, and unskilled. This negative depiction of women exists especially in the gaming community, in which many have criticized the negative portrayal of women as sexist and severely problematic. Video games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption portray women in an almost exclusively violent and sexualized manner, which serves to reinforce the never-ending sexism and gender biases that society has upheld for centuries. Society as a whole can change the perception of gender and how women are perceived, but leaps towards progressive ideas need to be made first, starting with the video game industry as a whole. Throughout history, women’s roles have primarily been domestic – staying home and being responsible for the care of her husband and children. As Warnke points out (4), this is not a result of sex but, rather of gender. Society, culture, and especially economics have been the primary driver behind the reinforcement of gender stereotypes particularly for women. Joan Wallach Scot’s analysis of French garment jobs during the 1840’s serves as an example of the historical gender identities that were constructed for women. During the 19th century,...

Words: 1646 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Negative Effects Of Video Games

...Just Video Games "Man dies in Taiwan after 3-day online gaming binge" (Hunt, 2015). One of the most significant things that are constantly and rapidly evolving is technology. Technology has a direct impact on the social, economic, political, and cultural life. Nobody these days can do the daily responsibilities without using transportation or without their phone. Technology has become part of everything in the life. This rapid development has many advantages, but unfortunately it also has some disadvantages. Currently, the most important advantages is using technology in the educational process. On the other hand, technology has also some negative impacts especially on the kids. The worst disadvantage of using technology is that...

Words: 1340 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Why Do Children Eliminate Violent Video Games Affect Children?

...When it comes to children who play video games, they think that it is a very entertaining hobby or way to pass the time. However, what the parents don’t see is that the fun, yet violent video games, are influencing their children to perpetrate acts of brutality. Youths get the experience of holding a gun and using it for the wrong occasion in certain video games. Games such as Resident Evil and Diehard, the player walks around holding a gun and shooting at their enemies. Although the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children play video games, eliminating the negative impact that they have on your child, and therefore we should eliminate violent video games from a child’s life. Games are a very quick and amusing way to be entertained. Not so long ago, games were more or less a gathering of several people agree to play a competition style activity such as Soccer, Rugby, Cricket, Tennis and Baseball. The other form of game was became narrower to simple board and table games such as Backgammon, Card Games, and Monopoly. The gaming industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry and is increasing by 50% every year, a thoughtful of the amount of time children spend in front of televisions/computer screens. As video games become more realistic graphically and physically the...

Words: 677 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Sexism in the Video Game Industry

...Forrester Discernment and Discourse 1313 5 May 2014 Sexism Sells: The Male Dominated Video Game Industry Only 4% of video game titles released in the past 10 years feature a playable female character as the leading role, and there are even fewer female protagonists on the list of the top grossing video games (ESA). This trend of male dominated storylines is evident in other forms of media as well: movies and television shows tend to be centered around men, but video games show the least diversity in protagonists and often have regressive views on women and their position in society. Women make up 20% of console video game players and 46% of computer and mobile game players in this 20 billion dollar a year industry, meaning they are contributing a large amount of profits (ESA). Despite their significant purchasing power, they are not represented equally as characters in games, and continue to be used as a plot device or sexual being to attract the male target audience. Neither are they allowed to be a compelling character with a story arc and personal growth as we see with the male protagonist. Female characters, when included, tend to be one dimensional and only valued for typically how they fit into traditional gender roles by being submissive and innocent. This narrow portrayal of women comes from the fact that the developers of video games are predominantly men. Only 11% of game designers are women and only 3% of programmers, even though it is one of the fastest growing...

Words: 4263 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Protecting Your Child from Social Media

...Introduction In recent years there has been a significant increase in video gaming among young adults. They are a unique form of entertainment that allows it's users to become interactive. According to an 2014 article entitles The Impact of Video Games, 97% of teens play video games, making the video game industry a dominant force in the lives of many adolescents (2014, Norcia). A 2010 survey hosted by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that children ages 8-18 devoted 7.5 hours daily to video gaming. Of the children surveyed, less than half stated that their parents had rules about what games they could play. By parents, video games are frowned upon as time wasters. Many experts blame video games for why some children become violent or commit extreme anti-social behavior. On the other hand, there are experts who believe that there are a large amount of benefits from children playing video games. Prevalence Although there has been a large study on violence in video gaming, there has been very little addressing the stereotypical content and its impact on its players. A stereotype is defined as a assumptions that help convey ideas or image of a particular person or thing. In gender roles, compared to female characters, males appear more frequently and engage in achieve leadership roles quicker. In games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty, there is always a male character. In a 1998 study, women in video games were perceived as sex symbols, prizes, and victims. In Grand Theft...

Words: 1686 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Social Skills

... (A)Social reputation: Exploring the relationship between online video game involvement and social competence Rachel Kowert a,⇑, Julian A. Oldmeadow b a b Institut für Kommunikationswissenschaft, University of Münster, Münster 48143, Germany Department of Psychology, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Affordable and accessible Internet has changed the way video games are played, allowing individuals to connect worldwide in shared gaming spaces. On the surface participation within these environments may seem socially beneficial, as these highly social, playful spaces allow players to connect, interact with, and learn from others. However, there is a growing concern that increased participation within online gaming environments comes with a wide variety of social consequences, contributing to numerous losses in ‘offline’ sociability. While considerable research has examined these claims, consistent relationships between social competence and online video game involvement have yet to be established. The current work (N = 515) aimed to examine the extent to which online video game involvement may support, or undermine, the development and maintenance of traditional social skills. The results indicate that there are unique relationships between social skills and video game involvement within online gaming populations. However, among online video game players, these links were not as negative or broad as hypothesized...

Words: 7724 - Pages: 31

Free Essay

Do Violent Video Games Make a Person Violent?

...Do Violent Video Games Make A Person Violent? Violent video games have been evolving for years. The first violent video game to ever be released was Death Race made in 1976 (Suddath). This game brought a controversy that would follow all video games for years to come. Although many people say that violent video games cause a person to become violent, many people will argue that violent video games do not cause a person to be violent. Both sides of the “violent-video-game” argument, examples to both points being made, and who should not play violent video games will be analyzed or examined in order to determine the effects of gaming. First, many people believe that violent video games do not cause violence. People believe that violence in video games is the cause of violence, but most video games depict and reflect the real world (Rynne). The world is full of violence, and it was full of violence long before video games started to make their way to popularity. People will counter this point and say that violent video games bring stabbing, shooting, running people over, drugs, alcohol, theft, etc… into people’s lives, but if a person turns the television to a news station, he/she will see all of the same things. War games depict wars in other countries, Grand Theft Auto reflects how people in bad neighborhoods can act, and medieval games give people and understanding about the past. People will say that because of these games mass murders will evolve; for example, Sandy...

Words: 2650 - Pages: 11

Free Essay

Gaming Survey by Esa

...SurSaleS, Demographic, anD USage Data 2014 eSSential FactS aboUt the compUter anD ViDeo game inDUStry [i] “our industry has a remarkable upward trajectory. computer and video games are a form of entertainment enjoyed by a diverse, worldwide consumer base that demonstrates immense energy and enthusiasm for games. With an exciting new generation of hardware, outstanding software, and unmatched creativity, technology, and content, our industry will continue to thrive in the years ahead.” —michael D. gallagher, president and ceo, entertainment Software association [ ii ] What’S inSiDe Who iS playing 2 4 Who plays computer and Video games? Who buys computer and Video games? at play 5 5 6 7 7 9 What type of online and mobile games are played most often? how many gamers play on a phone or Wireless Device? how many gamers play games With others? parents and games parents control What their Kids play top reasons parents play With their Kids the bottom line 10 11 12 13 What Were the top-Selling game genres in 2013? What Were the top-Selling games of 2013? Sales information: 2003–2013 total consumer Spend on Video game industry in 2013 Who We are 14 14 about eSa eSa members other reSoUrceS 16 eSa partners the 2014 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry was released by the entertainment Software association (eSa) in april 2014. the annual research was conducted by ipsos mediact for eSa. the study is the most in-depth and targeted...

Words: 3045 - Pages: 13

Premium Essay

Scscscsc

...How does Online/Video Gaming affect its Players and Society? North Carolina State University. “Online gaming augments players’ social lives, study shows.” ScienceDaily. 27 Mar 2014. Web. 21 Jul 2014. The new research shows that online social behavior is not replacing offline social behavior in the gaming community. Instead, online gaming is expanding players’ social lives. This article shows several tracking results to prove this point. “Gamers are not the antisocial basement-dwellers we see in pop culture stereotypes, they’re highly social people,” says Dr. Nick Taylor, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and lead author of a paper on the study. “This won't be a surprise to the gaming community, but it’s worth telling everyone else. Loners are the outliers in gaming, not the norm.” Indeed, in recent years, a lot of players of massively multiplayer role-player games such as War of Warcraft (WOW) took an in-depth survey about their offline social lives. At the same time, researchers tracked the offline behavior of these players. The result showed that most of these players had high social skills both online and offline. It means online gaming do not affect players’ offline social behaviors, however, online gaming can even improve players’ social ability. As a WOW player, I do absolutely understand reasons of this situation. First, massively multiplayer role-player games almost create real social environments to let players talk, drink and chat online....

Words: 1303 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

I See

...Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games 1 Daria J. Kuss, M.Sc., M.A., Jorik Louws, M.Sc.,2 and Reinout W. Wiers, Ph.D. 3 Abstract Recently, there have been growing concerns about excessive online gaming. Playing Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) appears to be particularly problematic, because these games require a high degree of commitment and time investment from the players to the detriment of occupational, social, and other recreational activities and relations. A number of gaming motives have been linked to excessive online gaming in adolescents and young adults. We assessed 175 current MMORPG players and 90 nonplayers using a Web-based questionnaire regarding their gaming behavior, problems as consequences of gaming, and game motivations and tested their statistical associations. Results indicated that (a) MMORPG players are significantly more likely to experience gaming-related problems relative to nonplayers, and that (b) the gaming motivations escapism and mechanics significantly predicted excessive gaming and appeared as stronger predictors than time investment in game. The findings support the necessity of using measures that distinguish between different types of online games. In addition, this study proves useful regarding the current discussion on establishing (online) gaming addiction as a diagnosis in future categorizations of psychopathology. Introduction M assively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) have become increasingly...

Words: 4647 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Inference Essa

...brings over and over that the persons should not play video games, for diverse reasons, already because they can damage the sight as well as isolate the people of the real world and saying to come to a point where the only thing that people only want to play video games. Moreover, the opinions or inferences from the video games, the purpose of the essay is a linked topic to videogames, the group of interest especially I belong, Girl Gamers, the situation to be a woman and gamer, continues nowadays being something controversial. However the gender nature of gaming is not a stereotype itself, although it may contribute to females’ gamers to be seen in a wrong perspectives and beliefs towards playing video games. Body Gaming has been consider more able or adaptable for men/boys rather than women/girls. Nowadays there are more female gamers in the industry; around 44% of gamers are female and 55% are male (Entertainment Software Association, 2015). The world in general has done to itself, different perceptions or inferences, to certain, extent badly groundless due to the fact or even, the possibility of seeing women or girls to play video games. It is true that nowadays not only this question as this one, but in any other area, the tastes or the hobbies already do not qualify as anything for woman or anything for man, but with the time and the conscience of other persons inside a society, returns to these "stereotypes" something from the past, giving welcome to a more opened...

Words: 1247 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Do Video Games Keep Criminals Off The Street

...Many are quick to judge people who play video games as “violent”. When actually no study has ever shown that these games result in direct violence. It also is not true because video games keep criminals off the street, is an escape for people from the real world, and it actually makes society less violent. Role playing games with simulated violence are diverting for kids. This is why. These video games keep criminals busy when they would usually be breaking the law. Overall crime rate in the US has sharply decreased as video games soar. Criminals will be too busy to go out and commit crimes. A Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker says, “We are actually living in the safest period in the history of history.” Many gamers are using these games...

Words: 300 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Whatever

...Title | Exploring the Influence and Controversy of Modern Electronic Games | Assessment B, Part 1 - Exploring the Influence and Controversy of Modern Electronic Games | What are some of the most controversial issues you've discovered? | That video games causes most of the people obesity rate and that violent video games make viewers my aggressive and more likely to act out their fantasy they find in video games | | How can I explain the industry's response to concerns that gaming perpetuates obesity? | Not all games causes you to sit down and play in fact console are being made to where you are the controller and is getting you fit like dance, dance revolution and Wii fitness. Also some people sit at desk all day without getting any exercise at all this can be a cause. | | Will we ever be able to completely eliminate concerns about sex and violence in video games? Why or why not? | No because some games will always have sex and violence in them. The only thing you can do is tone it down in games and make it harder for minors to buy. Also game maker should make more games that’s more appealing that also do not lose out traditional players | | What are some positive aspects of video games? | Not all video games are about sex and violence. They can teach you to be greener; it can stimulate your mind and teach you new things. Also some video games can get you in shape. Also most video games get you more sociable and interactive | | Assessment B, Part...

Words: 677 - Pages: 3