...| Violent Video Games | | | | Violent Video Games INTRODUCTION: Concerns over the effect of violent video games on today’s youth have been debated since the late 1970’s. School shootings, criminal behavior, bullying, and violence towards woman have all been blamed on violent video games. Electronic media plays an important role in the emotional development, social behavior and intellectual functioning of children and youth. Many video games are very helpful for children to facilitate medical treatment, increase learning, and promote pro-social behavior. However, there are also video games that include aggression, violence and sexualized violence that have a negative impact on children. After the 1993 release of Mortal Combat, Congress contemplated regulating the sale of video games. The video game industry responded by voluntarily establishing the ESRB, (Entertainment Software Rating Board) to create a ratings system. The rating system was based on the content of the video game. The controversy over violent video games resurfaced following the Columbine High School shooting in Jefferson County, Colorado on April 20, 1999 (procon.org). According to procon.org, in 2008, 298.2 million video games were sold in the US, totaling $11.7 billion in revenue. Six of the top ten best-selling video games included violence, with four of the games carrying a "mature" rating recommended for persons aged 17 and older. AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR: Video games often reward...
Words: 2095 - Pages: 9
...Violence in Video Games National American University Composition 1I Judy Lujan May 9, 2012 Abstract There is much speculation in respect to the effects of playing violent video games. This paper will describe the components of some violent video games and the possible effects they may have on game players. In addition it has been hypothesized that at least one video game, Grand Theft Auto may have been the driving force behind a triple homicide. Although extensive research has not been compiled to prove this theory is substantiated, there is supposition that for those individuals who spend countless hours playing video games will ultimately result in aggressive thoughts and behavior, anger, physical and sociological perspective. Violence in Video Games As technology evolves the interactive nature of violent video games has worsened the effect on players, especially children. Video games have potentially harmful impact on the player’s ability to separate fantasy from reality. The learned behavior from these games may impact the player’s health, social skills and possibly their outlook on life in general. Violent activities such as shooting, stabbing and burning are behaviors commonly portrayed by the villains in the game. Weapons used to perform these violent acts include a variety of firearms (hand guns, rifles, machine guns, and laser guns), knives, explosives (Molotov cocktails, bombs, hand grenades, rocket-propelled grenades), swords and even vehicles....
Words: 2145 - Pages: 9
...Mental Destruction: Video Games Video games have a detrimental effect on the minds of our youth. Individuals should limit their use of video games to ensure that they have the mental capacity to succeed in life outside of a virtual world. The effect of these visual stimulations goes further than the standard aggressive behavior due to the violent content in some of these games. Additionally it affects the mental levels that hinder a child's mind from benefitting from academic activities such as reading a novel or studying for an exam. Some say that these games offer children a safe release; a world to cause destruction where no one is being harmed. The truth is they are harming themselves severely. The gaming content is a huge factor that influences adolescents to commit violent crimes. Although violence isn’t the most common outcome, the quick satisfaction in the game play causes children to become unfocused on one subject for more than a few minutes. This is one of the more long term effects that video games have on an individual. Games such as Saints Row, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto promote themes of violence, resulting in the answers to their problems. The player must make decisions that affect the fate of the characters in the game, usually involving killing the character as an option, which, usually, is the more favorable decision within the game. For some, the decisions that players make can transcend into real life. There are numerous news reports...
Words: 2516 - Pages: 11
...Video Games and Violence Video games have attracted the attention of teens ever since arcade games where first popular. Video games have become very sophisticated, high tech, and realistic they are also becoming violent, which is becoming a problem in many homes. The amount of time that teenagers spend playing these violent video games can change their behavior; they are becoming too aggressive with others, and some are even mimicking the violence that goes on in the games. Parents that have teenagers that play these violent video games may see a change in their attitude and behavior. They may get angry over thing that are not relevant, and may begin to get angry with the game, and start slamming and breaking controllers, also they may get angry at siblings and friends that they play the games with. Video games and violence can have a detrimental effect on teens; they can be addictive, cause aggressive behavior, and have an effect on school performance. Video games started out to be a fun type of entertainment for teens, but as Norcia, M.A. (2014) noted there’s about 97% of teens who play these video games, and with this about of teens playing these games, they will have some type of effect on them, such as addiction. Teen’s that play video games on a regular basis can become addicted to them, because the graphics on video games are very appealing, they look real, so real to that they want to become part of the game. As Ridgefield (2010) noted there are studies that show because...
Words: 670 - Pages: 3
...Video Game Violence The objective of the study described in the article was to measure how much video game violence could influence aggressive behavior. In the first Pilot Study, a violent and nonviolent video game were selected and compared on their level of competitiveness, difficulty, and pace of action. Participants played the games and the effect of each game on aggressive behavior was then compared using another sub-experiment in which they were then asked to make some hot sauce for someone who isn’t fond of spicy things. In the second Pilot Study, competitiveness was isolated categorized based on the difficulty and pace of gameplay, and then strategically controlling for violence. The effect of video game competition on aggressive behavior was then examined in the same sub-experiment as the first Pilot Study. The article addresses that perhaps competitiveness is the real reason and characteristic that has an effect on aggression when researching the correlations between video games and real violence. This is according to recent research by the APA. Research has been found to support that video game violence alone did not increase the aggressive behavior. The experiments featured video games that were categorized by competitiveness, the pace of action, and difficulty of the game. What was significant about these experiments was that the more competitive the game was, the more aggressive the behavior. It didn’t matter the level of violence that was in the game...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...UNV - 104 August 11, 2013 Video Games and Violence Video games and violence have different effects on children according to the type of video games that is being watched It is important to understand the world of video games. All video games do not prevent violence in children. Parents should take into consideration in monitoring their child while choosing video games. Depending on the video game that is chosen, does not mean the child will result in violent behavior later on in life. There are many types of video games that may promote either positive or negative effects in children. As there are many types of video games that are being played by children for different pleasures. To name a few, there are adventure, puzzle, platform, educational, and so on. When choosing the right video game for your child, or anyone’s child. Keep in mind the reason and purpose of that video game. What do you want the child to gain from playing the game? For this reason parents should research video game tips for parents. As a parent of three children, I have experienced myself purchasing video games for my seven year old. I would stick to the educational games. Parents should take control of their child’s video game use. Parents should always supervise how long their child plays a game and when to take a break. Negative effects on children with video games can be the most harmful on any child. Due to the child becoming aggressive, confusing, not knowing reality from...
Words: 680 - Pages: 3
...Violence in Video Games: Examining Violence and Competitiveness as Predictors of Verbal Aggressiveness Sean D. Badeer, Kathrine L. Lukes, Sarah A. Oltjenbruns, & Sergio D. Orozco Wayne State College Wayne, NE April 11, 2013 Abstract Violence in video games is the topic of much debate and controversy in the public arena. For this reason, it has been a heavily researched topic in areas of psychology and communication (Jeong, Biocca & Bohil, 2012). Much of the research on the topic examines the relationship between the violence in video games and aggression. However, despite the large community of research on the topic, researchers in communication have yet to examine the relationship between video game competitiveness and verbal aggression. Competiveness is a factor that must be considered if there is to be an accurate depiction of the impact of video games on aggressiveness (Adachi and Willoughby, 2011). The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of competitiveness and violence in video games on verbal aggressiveness. Furthermore, this study examines the relationship between verbal aggressiveness and attitudes toward violence. In the results of the study, the correlation between competitiveness and verbal aggressiveness was found to be significant. The correlation between video game violence and verbal aggressiveness was not significant. Furthermore, no significant correlation was...
Words: 2633 - Pages: 11
...Video Game Violence In Youth Kevin Roshanaie Prof Sills March 12, 2012 Video Game Violence in Youth This Paper will discuss how violent video games do not cause any acts of violence among the youth in this country. A larger gap is shown between the public’s perception of Video games and what research shows. Some people assume that the availability of video games has led to a pandemic in youth violence. According to federal crime statistics “the rate of juvenile violent crimes in the United States is at a 30 year low”. (Henry Jenkins ) “Researchers have discovered that people who are serving time for violent crimes typically consume less media before committing their crime than the average person in the general population”. (Henry Jenkins ) One thing that is true, Young offenders who have committed school shooting’s here in America have been avid video game players. Young people are the ones who are gamers over the adults. “Statistics show that 90 percent of boys and 40 percent of girls play video games”. (Theesa.com) The overwhelming majority of the youth who play video games do not commit any anti –social acts. According to a report by the U.S Surgeon General that was released in 2001. The report “states that the strongest risk factors for schools shootings are centered on mental stability of that youth offender and it’s also based on the quality of their home life not exposure to video games”.( Henry Jenkins) The panic over video games causing violence is doubly...
Words: 2002 - Pages: 9
...Research Paper Violent Video Games: Where Violence Comes From Whether or not violent video games cause violence among people is a highly debated top-ic in society today. Do video games, such as “Grand Theft Auto”, “Saints Row”, “Call of Duty”, “Doom”, and many others, cause violence in society today? Yes, violent video games that are being freely released to just about everyone in the public are one main cause for violence in the world. Violent video games are causing people to commit violent crimes, have hostile behaviors, the games are showing people how to kill and get away with it, and lowers chances of people taking a nonviolent solution to a problem. Many people are addicted to video games in general; many people use video games as an escape from the “real world”. Social scientists have been studying and debating the effects of media violence on behavior since the 1950s, and video games in particular since the 1980s. (Carey Benedict) One wide spread occurrence is people who have committed violent crimes often have been found to have played in the past or are playing violent video games now. In Adam Lanza’s basement, he’s the person in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, law enforcement re-portedly discovered a “trove” of violent video games. (Ryan Jaslow) Apparently the 20 year old spent hours alone, playing with the windows blacked out, honing his computer skills. (Ryan Jaslow) Many researchers have found that, after a violent crime, these criminals and murders...
Words: 1547 - Pages: 7
...tangible, you’re just a single kill away from winning it all. The sweet rush of victory! This small satisfaction video gamers crave is often portrayed as dangerous to the safety of a community. The joy video gamers feel as they kill one victim after another is often thought to manifest into actual acts of violence. It’s commonly believed that violent video game exposure can lead to aggressive thinking, and a decrease in social behavior, as well as actual displays of violent behavior such as shootings. However, there is no substantial evidence confirming this theory. Violent video games are often portrayed as having the ability to brainwash young players, turning them into vicious wrongdoers. The media seems to include possible video game violence as a root of aggressive behavior anytime there is a serious crime committed, whether it is a shooting rampage or a case of domestic violence. People looking for someone or something to blame for any intolerable act of cruelty will often point to the aggressive nature of some of the video games currently on the market. It appears that blaming video games for violent acts has become second nature to many. This tendency has overshadowed the core issues of poor impulse control, bad judgment, and mental illness. Video games can be a positive pastime. Not only do players grasp that they are, in fact, playing a virtual game where no one is actually harmed, but it provides a way for individuals to get harmful and suppressed emotions out...
Words: 790 - Pages: 4
...Steele Video Games and Violence The video game industry has become a very lucrative industry since their humble start thirty plus years ago. Today a large amount of people are devoting countless amounts of time playing video games with violent storylines. Research shows that spending vast amounts of time playing video games that contain a large quantity of violence intensifies aggressive behavior, attitudes, thoughts and affects. Video game violence correlates directly to aggressive attitudes and behaviors of the people who are exposed to violent stimuli, whether meditated or not. 1972 was the introduction to what we know as the multi-million dollar video game industry. The history of the video games spans over three eras (1977-1985) the Atari Era, (1985-1995) the Nintendo Era, and (1995-present) the Play Station Era. Video games during the Atari era contained little violence and that violence was quite intangible. With the advancement of computers it enabled development of more complex and violent video games during the Nintendo era, resulting in the popular game Mortal Kombat that was the first fight game that involved player interaction. We are currently in the third era the Play Station era and it has been significantly enriched by the advancement in computer technology and the switch from game cartridges to CD-ROM. Video games substance has radically changed since the Atari era. According to Carnagey & Anderson (2004) “content analyses of video games show...
Words: 767 - Pages: 4
..."Life is like a video game. Everybody has got to die sometime" said Devin Moore after his capture and killing spree that resulted in the death of 3 policemen (Leung). This statement caused many people to think that video games were the cause of not only Moore’s case, but many others too. But the real question is do video games cause bad effects such as antisocial behavior, obsession/addiction, and murder? Many people would say yes but I say that video games not only don’t cause these things, but are actually good for you. Many people say that video games cause anti social behavior, but I say that is not true. In fact, with the advent of Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), Video games actually encourage social interactions. According to research done by the Civic Engagement Research Group at Mills College: “Our findings conflict with a commonly held perspective that youth who play video games are socially isolated and often antisocial. We also found no evidence to support scholars’ concerns that young people involved in the Internet (in this case by playing video games) are less civically engaged” (Evans, Kahne, Middaugh). That research studied the ordinary youth that plays video games and those that don’t and found that result. That search was done by survey and certain flaws can be seen in that type of research but then a study done by Nick Yee, a research scientist at the Palo Alto research center found that “About 1/5 of respondents agreed or strongly...
Words: 1042 - Pages: 5
...Daniyar Sarzhanov Lacie Meier ENC 1102 5 April 2015 Are Violent Video Games Killing Children? It is a misconception that video games make people violent. One might not usually think of the positive sides of playing video games. However, many examples prove that video games can be beneficial. A lot of people are led to believe that video games make people violent and cause crimes. Even though millions of people are playing violent video games, mass killings are still a statistical anomaly. Politicians and the media utilize the controversy of violent video games for their own interests rather than those of the public. Video games are a form of creative expression and should not be demonized or used as a scapegoat for our population’s deeper mental traumas. Video games have positive effects. A study conducted by Shawn Green & Daphne Bavelier from Center Visual Science, University of Rochester, show that people who play a lot of action video games benefit from improved “hand-eye coordination and visuo-motor skills, such as resistance to distraction, sensitivity to information in the peripheral vision and ability to count briefly presented objects, than non-players” (“Action video game modifies visual selective attention”). Video games that incorporate advanced motion detection, such as Microsoft’s Kinect or Sony’s PlayStation Move, provide both physical and mental exercise. Furthermore, a study conducted by Doctor Cheryl K. Olson, co-director of the Center for Mental Health...
Words: 1167 - Pages: 5
...“Violence in Video Games” Video Games are something that are on the rise in today’s world. They are increasing economically and politically. Video games are something that can be enjoyed by all ages. They are a fun, fantasy TV station you get to create for yourself. Even though they are for everybody, they are targeted more towards teens. The most popular games out today are shooting and fighting games, which incorporate violence. The definition of violence is behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. People may say that these video games incorporate this term called “violence”. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. Violence is visible in Video Games, but may not fuel teens to be violent in reality. First, Violence is something that has been in this world a long time. It is something that, no matter what, will continue to happen in this world we live in. Like before, violence is a behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. There have been a lot of instances of violence in history. Not just any kind of violence, but violence that people could not imagine happening. The Columbine Shooting is a great example of this so-called “violence”. This horrific event involved two young teens that had previously been bullied in school. The bullying they went through caused a built up anger that they eventually had to release. These two teens unleashed their built up frustration...
Words: 1111 - Pages: 5
... ENG 101-001 04-09-2014 Violent Video Games and Their Alleged Effect Douglas A. Gentile writes that there are positive and negative aspects of video games. If you take video games that do not involve violence, but education instead, you find a positive outcome. Video games could very well be the new form of education to a certain degree. Things like coordination skills, memorization, and even learning a foreign language could be possible outcomes. Violent games on the other hand are a different story in and of themselves. Violent video games are defined as, any game where players can self- inflict harm on something (or someone) in the game. Time is also a huge factor. Putting a school aged kid in front of a violent video game, and allowing him to play for hours a day, will most likely decrease their ability to fulfill academic goals. The answer to this problem is to just limit the amount of time in front of a screen to one or two hours a day (non-academic). Also, limit the amount of violent games and encourage the more educational ones. “The conclusion I draw from the accumulated research is that the question of whether video games are “good” or “bad” for children is oversimplified” (Gentile). The discussion on whether video game play affects sociable behavior could be a matter of dialogue. Several argue that aggression and violence are plagued by video game play, whereas this stance is debatable by others...
Words: 1492 - Pages: 6
