...Impact of Video Games on Aggression, Pro-social Behavior, and Academic Performance Name: Institution: For the many past years, the video gaming industry has dominated in sales and use on a global scale. For instance, the annual sales of video games in the US had exceeded over $18.8 billion in 2007 (Greitemeyer, Agthe, Turner, & Gschwendtner, 2012). In addition, the research study by Greitmeyer et al., (2012) pointed out that the most prevalent age group that played video games ranged between 12 and 17 years. The frequency of video game play is high in this age group, which raises concerns on the overall impact of video game use on teenagers. According to Willoughby, Adachi, and Good (2012), a research study conducted revealed that 31% of teenagers in a survey played video games on a daily basis while 21% played two to 5 days in a week. Research studies have indicated that the continuous use of video games may lead to undesirable effects on the video game users. While opponents of this theory refute the claim citing that video games enhance personal development in terms of improving critical thinking skills, proponents have supported this claim by providing different theoretical perspectives and research findings that indicate that video games, indeed, cause negative effects such as sleep abnormalities, aggression, reduced pro-social behavior, depression, and low academic performance. This essay will try to establish the link between violent video games and...
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...Impact of Video Games on Aggression, Pro-social Behavior, and Academic Performance Name: Institution: For the many past years, the video gaming industry has dominated in sales and use on a global scale. For instance, the annual sales of video games in the US had exceeded over $18.8 billion in 2007 (Greitemeyer, Agthe, Turner, & Gschwendtner, 2012). In addition, the research study by Greitmeyer et al., (2012) pointed out that the most prevalent age group that played video games ranged between 12 and 17 years. The frequency of video game play is high in this age group, which raises concerns on the overall impact of video game use on teenagers. According to Willoughby, Adachi, and Good (2012), a research study conducted revealed that 31% of teenagers in a survey played video games on a daily basis while 21% played two to 5 days in a week. Research studies have indicated that the continuous use of video games may lead to undesirable effects on the video game users. While opponents of this theory refute the claim citing that video games enhance personal development in terms of improving critical thinking skills, proponents have supported this claim by providing different theoretical perspectives and research findings that indicate that video games, indeed, cause negative effects such as sleep abnormalities, aggression, reduced pro-social behavior, depression, and low academic performance. This essay will try to establish the link between violent video games and increased...
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...Video games and aggressive behavior have been linked by many researchers today. The gamer may become aggressive to himself and to others by the video games he plays and the violent traits he can acquire from the game. Observing this link through a psychological viewpoint, the social-cognitive perspective would best explain the link between video games and aggression. The social-cognitive theory states that behavior is shaped by environmental factors and cognitive factors. (Nevid, 9) The gaming environment of the video game and the way people react in the video game may play a role on how the gamer behaves and how his behavior may have an effect on others. The gamer may apply the rules of video games to every day life. Aggression could be accepted by the characters in the video game but in the real world, aggression is usually not accepted. If the gamer assumes that people in real life will react regarding his actions in the same way as those in the video game, he might become angry and frustrated towards others. Video games can also isolate the gamer from society and make him antisocial. If the antisocial behavior continues, the gamer may not know or may forget how to control his anger in social settings. Another example of environmental factors is the concept of rewards and punishments. (Nevid, 9) The gamer can be rewarded for an action in the video game that he would not be rewarded in real life. When the reward is not the same in real life as it would have been in the video...
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...Video Games and Youth Aggression Reuben Steele Post University Abstract Due to technology advances, video games are becoming more graphically violent these days. Maybe we ask ourselves, is this the reason our youth are becoming more violent and aggressive? Some say that it’s not the video games that cause the aggression, but more of the individual. Our youth are more susceptible to influence, and violent video games are one of the many influences that promotes aggression. Parents/guardians are allowing the youth to purchase and play the games and the distributors are selling the games to minors when there are guidelines that need to be followed. Video Games and Youth Aggression Today in age, we are facing a rising epidemic. Youth aggression (violence) is constantly on the news and radio. What is the cause of this epidemic? Some say it is the music we listen to; others say it is what we watch on TV. And movies, but lately it is something that our youth is becoming more and more active in, video games. Video game over the years has become more violent and aggressive due to the advances in technology. It has come to the point where children can become more physical with the games that are out today. What does this say about how video gaming affecting our youth’s aggression? It is saying that our youth (mainly boys ages 10- 16) are easily influenced by violent acts that are displayed in video games and that what they see is what want to imitate (Punam¨aki, R., Rimpel¨a...
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...Effects of Video Game Aggression on Adolescence Aggression Adrienne Nichole Abercrombie Research Methods PSY: 326 Prof. Jennifer Madsen January 7, 2013 The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of video game violence on adolescence aggression. Over the years, the gaming industry has become more advanced and influential. Video games in the past years have advanced with better graphics and more capabilities than ever before. The increasing growth of video game industry has left many of its customers questioning most of the contents of the games that are being purchased. The main concern of many of these customers is the violence that is associated with the games. There have been several studies that have examined the effects that violent video games have on aggression. Huesmann, (2010) conducted a study on violent video games. The studies from this meta-analysis found that violent video games stimulated aggression in the players in the short run and increased the risk for aggressive behaviors by the players later in life. The effects occur for both males and females and for children growing up in Eastern and Western cultures. Konijn, Nije, and Bushman, (2007) conducted a study to examine if violent video games increased aggression if the player identified with the violent game characters. The authors concluded that the most aggressive participants were those who played a violent game and wished they were like a violent character in the game. These results...
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...Violent Video Games: The Cause for Aggression – Yes or No? Kimberly Fitzgerald-Amend PSYC3520-Introduction to Social Psychology u10a1-Opposing Viewpoints in Social Psychology Capella University March 2013 Abstract Everyone, at one point or another, may display aggressive behavior. Where did this behavior come from? This paper will discuss opposing viewpoints on the role of media violence and video games in the development of aggressive behavior. Included herein will be a brief overview of Albert Bandura’s “Social Learning Theory”; a discussion of media violence and violent video games and their possible roles in the development of aggression; and the ethical viewpoints on violence in the media. This paper will conclude with an overview of all presented information. Media Violence and Violent Video Games: The Cause for Aggression – Yes or No? It is a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon and spending a few hours at the park seems like a great way to enjoy it. However, only a few minutes into it, Tommy pushes Sara off the swing and now going to the park does not seem to have been the best choice. Why did Tommy do this? What causes children to act aggressively? Is it because shortly before coming to the park Tommy played a violent video game; or maybe on his way out he passed through the room where his father was watching a breaking news story about a murder victim? The role the media and/or violent video games play in the development of aggression has been...
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...between two factors: video game violence and aggression in those who play these video games. Parents all over the country are starting to see the effects that these games may have on their children and what they could influence their children to do. Many have argued that video game violence does not create brutality among children and that they provide a safe escape for children to release aggressive behavior in a safe way, but there is evidence that says otherwise. Violent video games have been around since the early years of video game production. Games like “Death Race” and “Mortal Kombat” were among the first controversial games due to their grisly and disturbing images. “Cluster’s Revenge (1983) is a game in which the player would portray the character of General Custer. It allows you to do quite horrible and inhumane things like raping and abusing a Native American woman to gain points. These were the kind of games which started off a wave of violence among young teens such as Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. These young men were the ones who engaged in the killing of 13 people in Columbine high before killing themselves. Columbine high school went through a tremendous amount of terror when these adolescents took the lives of innocent kids. The Columbine school shooting was an...
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...Violent Video Games and Young People. (2010). Harvard Mental Health Letter, 27(4), 1-3. With the number of video games out there, I am finding that the majority of them have some level of violence within the game playing. Some concerns about the violent video games are that the child becomes fully engrossed in the game and its characters. The child is the one making the decisions to inflict violent or aggressive behavior. An opposing view is the popularity of these types of violent video games versus the actual crime rates. The popularity of the games is increasing whereas the violent crime rate is decreasing. If the games caused aggressive behavior, wouldn’t the crime rate be going up as well? Edwards, S. (2010). Game Plan. On The Brain, 16(3). 3-4. Retrieved from http://hms.harvard.edu/public/news/2011/013111_bickham_olson/index .html Controversy over violent video games dates back even further than most people are aware of and it seems that we still have the same questions. First, if I let my child be exposed to or even play violent video games, will they start showing signs of aggression? Second, are video games beneficial because they teach cognitive learning skills? While a child plays any video game they are using and improving their hand-eye coordination in addition to planning skills that will help with childhood development. Finally, does the duration of playing violent video games make an overall difference? Hastings, E. C., Karas, T. L., Winsler, A., Way, E...
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...Video Games and Juvenile Delinquency The connection between video games and increased youth delinquency is debatable (“Violent video,” 2013). Social science has definitively settled some of the questions. Cumulative evidence gathered from numerous academic studies makes one side of the argument persuasive (Regoli, Hewitt, &DeLisi, 2011). The relation between increased violence and video games is an example of contested academic terrain. Recent research demonstrates the existence of a strong link between video games and youth violence (KimHun-Soo& KimHyun-Sil, 2008). The connection between video games and the real world violence is obvious. Apparently, the media seems to furnish new evidence relating to the same issue. For example, the perpetrator of Norway’s masskillings confessed to having watched a shooting game before committing the crime (Regoli et al., 2011). Playing video games has a direct link to aggressive and violent acts among young adults. Extensive literature in psychology shows increased propensity to violent acts after playing video games (“Violent video,” 2013). The findings relate to an increase in delinquency and violence among the youths. Indeed, exposure to violent video games is directly proportional to aggression and antisocial behaviour. Domain-specific theories on aggression and delinquency explain the relationship between video games and antisocial behaviour (Regoli et al., 2011). General Aggression Model, a comprehensive meta-theory...
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...bs_bs_banner Journal of Applied Social Psychology 2013, 43, pp. 1862–1868 The changing face of aggression: the effect of personalized avatars in a violent video game on levels of aggressive behavior Jack Hollingdale1, Tobias Greitemeyer2 1 2 University of Sussex, UK University of Innsbruck, Austria Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jack Hollingdale, University of Sussex, Pevensey Building, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK. E-mail: j.hollingdale@sussex.ac.uk doi: 10.1111/jasp.12148 Abstract Video game developments allow players to design their own personalized avatars. Previous research has shown that this capability increases levels of aggression within socially acceptable forms of violence. Using the general aggression model (GAM), the current study examined the effect of avatar personalization on behavioral aggression within a violent video game. Participants who played a violent video game and designed their own avatars were significantly more aggressive than those who played the same violent video game with a generic avatar, and were also more aggressive than those who played the nonviolent video game, regardless of whether or not they designed their own personalized characters. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Games present opportunities to behave in ways that are exhilaratingly wicked and dangerous—out of reach in real life. Freedom from consequences, and hence a feeling of escaping, is...
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...Do Violent Video Games Influence Youth Violence Noel Averruz EN1420 ITT-Technical Institute Ever Since Violent Video Games were invented People have been trying to prove that they influence Violence in Juveniles. Although many prospective studies have been done on video game violence and the affect they have on the youth, none have been able to completely validate the claim that violent video games do influence the youth to become violent in their everyday lives. Out of the many studies that have been done to examined video game violence and the influences it has on player aggression none of the results necessarily tap well into serious aggression or violence. One of these studies was performed by Dr. Ferguson who recruited 302 mainly Hispanic youth between the ages of 10 and 14 years. Dr. Ferguson recruited these youth from some of the most at risk areas for these youth which included places that had neighborhood problems like gangs and rebellion against authority figures. The youth were interviewed twice, once at the beginning of the study and the second time 1 year later. Dr. Ferguson took many variables into consideration like exposure to violence through violent video games and violent TV shows and movies. He also took into consideration the effects of negative life events, negative relationships with adults, negative or delinquent peers. Dr. Ferguson also looked at the youth’s life at home. He took into account how the youth’s communicated with their parents and...
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...of Video Game Violence and Profanity in Children and Young Adults Monika Woods Anderson Introduction This paper will discuss research findings on the potential effects of violence and profanity in video games on the children and young adults that play them. I will discuss various research findings, both positive and negative; as well as what conclusions can be drawn from these findings and whether or not additional research could prove to be beneficial in the future. The issue of violent content in video games has become a growing concern over the years to parents as well as scholars and medical professionals. Since the first computer-based video game made was created in 1958; the computer and video game industry has grown tremendously and sales have grossed billions of dollars worldwide. According to our textbook, as many as 67 percent of American heads of households play video games. Technological advancement has changed these games quite a lot in terms of realism and content variety. As games look more and more realistic and present players with real-life situations; People are becoming more worried about whether or not there is any real link between violent content and/or profanity in games and an increase in aggression and/or violent actions in the individuals that play video games. The majority of research examined for this paper concern video game violence in general; but there are also limited studies that explore the prevalence of profanity in video games...
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...Violent Video Games In the article Violent Video Games Increase Aggression Long After the Game is Turned Off (Sep. 20, 2010) it states that (Playing a violent video game can increase aggression, and when a player keeps thinking about the game, the potential for aggression can last for as long as 24 hours, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science.) So playing a violent video game and then continuing to think about it, i.e. Thinking of ways to improve your game play or the way the animation looked an so forth, can lead to stronger aggression as long as a day even after you have shut the game off. (Sep 2010) The article also states that violent video game playing has long been known to increase aggression. This study, conducted by Brad Bushman of the Ohio State University and Bryan Gibson of Central Michigan University, shows that at least for men, ruminating about the game can increase the potency of the games tendency to lead to aggression long after the game has been turned off. The researchers randomly assigned college students to play one of six different video games for 20 minutes. Half of the games were violent and half were not. To test if ruminating about the game would extend the games affect, half of the players were told over “the next 24 hours, think about your play of the game, and try to identify ways your game play could improve when you play again.” (B.J Bushman, B. Gibson, Sep. 2010) According to this study it seems...
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...Watching Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior Richie McGinnis Front Range Community College (Psychology 101-004) Required Research Paper Abstract: Ever since video games were created there was a concern about the effects it would have on developing children, there is a fear that the violence contained within these games would cause violent behaviors and increased aggression in children. The experimental study conducted by the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, investigated the claim that there is a difference in aggressive behaviors when children play violent video games versus when they watch violent video games. Fifty-seven children that ranged in age from 10-13 played a violent video game, watched a violent video game, or played a non violent video game. The children were allowed a free play time with the other children after playing the video games to measure any increase in aggressiveness. The results showed only a small increase in aggressiveness with boys who played the violent video games, compared to the boys who did not play. The results showed no significance between video games and aggression in girls. Study of Different Effects of Playing vs. Watching Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior When video games were created, arguments started about what effects they would have on children. Some people suggest video games have no effects on children, and others question how it could not have some sort of a consequence. Video games were created in...
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...Video Games Negative or Positive? Do video games have a direct correlation with the aggression and violence in the people who play them? This is the controversy discussed in the following articles. Jack Hollingdale of the University of Sussex, UK and Tobias Greitemeyer of the University of Innsbruck, Austria have collaborated in writing The changing face of aggression: the effect of personalized avatars in a violent video game on levels of aggressive behaviors. Hollingdale and Greitemeyer argue that “Studies have found that exposure to violent video games correlates negatively with helping behaviors in the real world and, as a result, exposure to violent video games poses a public health threat to children and youth” (Hollingdale and Greitemeyer 1). However, Christopher J Ferguson from Texas A&M International University, the department of behavioral applied science and criminal justice, sees the more positive side of the violent video games. In his article Blazing Angels or Resident Evil? Can Violent Video Games Be a Force for Good he disputes that “the negative effects of violent games have been exaggerated by some elements of the scientific community, fitting with past cycles of media-forced moral panics” (Ferguson 1). Both articles use statistics and specific examples to prove their thesis. Ferguson uses the claim of value more than claims of fact which seem to discredit his argument. Hollingdale and Greitmeyer support their thesis with psychological studies...
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