...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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...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...
Words: 3114 - Pages: 13
...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...
Words: 3130 - Pages: 13
......................................................................................................... 5 3. RESEARCH DIRECTIONS ....................................................................................................................................................................... 8 3.1. ACTIVE USER PERSPECTIVES ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9 3.1.1. Important studies ..................................................................................................................................................................... 11 3.1.2. Problems with the Active User perspective ..................................................................................................................................................................... 13 3.2. ACTIVE MEDIA PERSPECTIVES ..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 3.2.1. Theoretical background of the Active Media perspective...
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...so many contributors to why child behavior has worsened over the years. Some of the contributors that will be discussed in this paper are the effects of violent video games, violent television, and poor parenting/disciplinary skills which negatively impact children’s behavior. In 1972, the Surgeon General issued the following warning on violent TV programs: "It is clear to me that the causal relationship between televised violence and antisocial behavior is sufficient to warrant appropriate and immediate remedial action. … There comes a time when the data are sufficient to justify action. That time has come."" (Steinfeld, 1972). Popular games such as Black Ops and Call of Duty are filled with violence which has an impact on children that play them causing them to become violent. Some resulted actions include physical fighting, poor word usage, or just simply being belligerent. Over time, video games become addicting which is why violence has increased in kids. Although most children and adolescents do not seem to be negatively affected by video games, research has shown that those who already have violent thoughts or behaviors are more likely to be negatively affected by exposure to video games. On the other hand, some people claim that violent video games are beneficial. Some players believe that violent video games are cathartic, allowing players to release...
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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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...2012 Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them. The functionalist perspective would emphasize the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Schaefer, 2011) A functionalist may point out the manifest functions of video games as a facilitator of social interaction among friends, or the function of educational games in younger children. The functionalist may also observe latent functions, such as improving hand-eye coordination, or even unintended educational aspect of video games not intended for children (such as police coming and arresting the player character when crimes are committed in games, mirroring the real-life consequences of one’s actions) A functionalist can also characterize video games as a dysfunction I n society, with individuals neglecting other responsibilities in favor of playing the games, or stating that the games encourage violent or antisocial behaviors. The conflict theory would focus on tensions between groups (Schaefer, 2011), so someone analyzing video games from a conflict perspective may study...
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...The Vehement Link Between Video Games and Aggression Charlotte M. Roberts Liberty University Online Author Note This research paper is a short and cited, Biblically based review, of previously documented evidence on behavioral links between video games and violence. The Vehement Link Between Video Games And Aggression Researchers from the University of Innsbruck, examined 98 studies that tested close to 37,000 participants from the start of the year 2009 (this study was published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and was a “meta-analysis.” http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2014/may/06/violent-video-games-murder-aggression-ann-maguire ). In this study, they came to the realization that video games do affect social behaviours of players of violent video games. Between prosocial outcomes and aggressive outcomes, it was evident that players who participated in games with more aggressive and violent plots and tendencies, (Call of Duty, Halo, and Ghost Recon) had a decrease in acts of kindness, care, and compassion- or altruism-, and an increase in aggressive behaviour, and where more likely to become misanthropic- disliking human-kind and avoiding human society. They also made an interesting discovery that supported the idea that games such as “Super Mario Sunshine,” (a game released by Nintendo in 2002, intended for the GameCube-http://www.mariowiki.com/Super_Mario_Sunshine)- where the objective of the game is that of a “prosocial” nature- created...
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...Juvenile Video Game Violence The Misconception of Youth Video Game Violence A teen walks into a school with loaded weapon in hand. A young boy steals a vehicle and drives recklessly causing severe harm to others. A young girl sets her house on fire with family members inside. What do these seemingly uncommon crimes have in common? Each juvenile in these examples has played violent video games. Our media that covers these violent crimes is quick to make that point known. Often times they also erroneously blame the playing of violent video games as the root cause of these crimes. Research suggests that violence in video games does not contribute to violence in today’s youth because juvenile crimes have declined as video game popularity has increased; they in fact provide an outlet to express aggression without causing physical harm, and juvenile violence has been more commonly linked to exposure of family violence. When looking at research from the FBI, crime rates involving juveniles over the past 30 years have declined. In fact, in most violent crime categories the crime rate among our youth is at an all-time low (Butts, J. 2013). At first, this information may be hard to believe. It shouldn’t however, because violence among youth commonly ends up making headline national news. For this reason, we end up being exposed to the details on many of these youth related violent crimes. This can make it difficult to put actual facts into perspective, and often...
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...Video Games and Sociological Theory July 22, 2012 Video games have become as pervasive an aspect of our society as television, with many people spending more time playing video games than watching television. There are many perspectives with which to gauge videos games’ effect on society, from a functionalist, conflict or interactionist perspective. (Schaefer, 2011) Each of these sociological theories can provide a different view of video games, how they affect society and the subcultures that develop around them. The functionalist perspective would emphasize the way in which the parts of a society are structured to maintain its stability. (Schaefer, 2011) A functionalist may point out the manifest functions of video games as a facilitator of social interaction among friends, or the function of educational games in younger children. The functionalist may also observe latent functions, such as improving hand-eye coordination, or even unintended educational aspect of video games not intended for children (such as police coming and arresting the player character when crimes are committed in games, mirroring the real-life consequences of one’s actions) A functionalist can also characterize video games as a dysfunction I n society, with individuals neglecting other responsibilities in favor of playing the games, or stating that the games encourage violent or antisocial behaviors. The conflict theory would focus on tensions between groups (Schaefer, 2011), so someone analyzing...
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...Do Violent Video Games Lead to Real World Violence? ABSTRACT As our society becomes more reliant on technology and the mass media, the notion that the media may have a profound influence on people has become more prevalent. Research into Media Violence and its effects on values, beliefs and behaviour has been well documented over the past 50 years. This systematic review, looking at both research reports and other relevant literature relating to the topic explores whether or not violent video games lead to real world violence. This topic has been selected due to the unique participatory nature of this type of media. The review demonstrates the inconclusive nature of the research on this topic. It focuses on the short term and long term effects possible while also investigating the need to consider alternate explanations to violent behaviour in children and youth. The review concludes with suggestions for further research. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW Children spend an increasing amount of time playing video games with the majority of them violent in nature (Huesmann, 2007). Players participate in and create the violence, often receiving reward for their violent behaviors rather than negative consequences (Funk, Baldacci, Pasold & Baumgardner, 2004). The area of violent video games in regards to Media Violence is relatively new with somewhat limited research as video games have only been available to the general population since the 1980s. It is however in...
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...essay (1,265) Internet is a fast developing technology and the popularity of video gaming had been growing in recent years as well. Many people or institutions therefore investigate the negative impacts of video gaming. Since video games often include violence or aggressive language, people often think that video games lead to violent crime such as robbing, bullying and so on. However, Video games do not have direct impact on teenagers’ criminal behaviour because it is not proven that it leads to any criminal activities. This essay will examine the relationship between video games and teenagers’ aggressive behaviour and argue that video games do not assist to any criminal activities. Furthermore, video games also influence teenagers in a positive way. In recent years, many researchers found that teenagers tent to be more violent in behaviour after playing video games which might lead to crime for instance. Bösche (2010) states that video games lead to both aggressive behaviours and positive cognitions simultaneously. One of the positive effects of video games is securing players' attention and it can be implemented in education. Ferguson (2010) suggests that the violence and excitement of video games can draw players' attention easily, therefore video games can be used as a medium for spreading positive information. For example, educational tasks can be included in a first-person shooter game which appears to be a life saving mission. Besides conveying the importance of life...
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..."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...
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...“When life imitates video” by John Leo, I have chosen this article due to the fact it explains how video games have a negative impact that cause violence. Especially how video games have an impact on children. The writer induce the peruses to acknowledge his thoughts of how computer games have a negative effect towards kids. He gives great cases of how a young person are brought on by computer games. Leo correlation between high schooler savagery and computer games The Littleton slaughter, a genuine bloodbath brought about by two young understudies who shot and executed kindred schoolmates and an instructor, furthermore ending their lives shooting themselves in the head. Another example that pertain in the article was him introduces David Grossman a retired army officer who makes a...
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...inside all day, are obese and have no social interaction what so ever. But not all gamers are like this some of us are sophisticated and have lives rather than not talking to anyone. What people say about the gaming industry and about gamers are wrong most of the time. Some of these are just plain wrong. Gamers and violence: Ever since a violent game has been around there have been people who are trying to put them down and cause controversy over the amount of violence in the video games. The papers have blamed many accidents caused by children or teenagers on them being able to play violent games. Many of these include, anger from call of duty competitiveness as well as more dangerous ones like shooting and robbing shops due to some effects of gta (grand theft auto) .These are of course due to speculation the papers have no proof that this is the case they say that games are the problem when they are not the problem it is mostly due to the fact that the children have access to a gun in the first place or their parents our bringing them up in a rough way or getting peer pressured into doing theses certain acts. This is a prime example of the papers speculating: The study is called “violent video games do not cause teens to become aggressive” ‘An 8-year-old in Louisiana shot and killed his grandmother. The incident has sparked new flames in the ongoing U.S. gun control debate, but the familiar scapegoat of violence in video games is also being connected to the murder...
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