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Harmful Video Games

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Video games are a form of entertainment created around late 1960s and beginning of 1970s. The effects of violence in video games on negative behavior has been widely studied and debated. In the United States, Europe, and Japan, there are more than 130,000 gamers from elementary school to college. (Jayson 1) This controversial topic has become a serious issue after numerous senseless shootings occurred and particularly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting. It was discovered that Adam Lanza, the shooter in Newtown, Connecticut, played violent video games such as “Call of Duty.” (Guarino 2) This video game takes place in World War II where the player has to kill anyone on the opposing side. Some people believe violent video games are morally wrong and inappropriate for children. These types of video games teach children that it is perfectly acceptable to harm another person in order to advance to the next level. They don’t learn any consequences to their actions because they can reset the game at any time. The rating system for video games has many flaws as well. This shows that there is no control over the restrictions on violent video games. Others argue that kids find video games enjoyable and such activities bring them closer to their peers. Children that usually play video games are more outgoing and make friends much easier. Violence is also extensively used in children’s literature. Kids have already been exposed to violence and eventually will in the future. They must learn to manage their fears and it is easier for them to do this in the safe world of video games.
The video game industry has taken over an enormous part of the society we live in today. This industry takes in about $60 billion yearly. (Schlafly 1) There is an abundant amount of systems sold in the video game industry. The most popular models sold are Sony’s Playstation 3 and 4,

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