Do Violent Video Games Really Cause Violence?

“According to data recently released by The NPD Group, in 2012, U.S. video game software sales reached $6.7 billion (174.8 million units) and computer game sales were $380 million (13.2 million units)” (Improving Economy). To many, the violent video game industry has turned all adolescents into mass murderers. However, they’re absolutely wrong. Very seldom do adolescents who play violent video games commit acts of violence, and the ones who do usually have a mental disorder. Instead of blaming the tragedies that occur on violent video games, the news media should explain to people that a large percentage of young males play violent video games, indicating that the two are uncorrelated. They should alternatively research other possible solutions to the crisis. In lieu of negatively affecting people’s lives, video games could potentially improve their lives!

Prolonged scenes of massive violence, graphic sexual content, and animated blood are examples of statements that the Entertainment Software Rating Board uses to depict the content in over fifty- five percent of the video games rated yearly. The debate of whether the aggressive nature of these video games influences youth violence in our country has been heatedly battled for decades. Since the mid 1980’s, it has been suggested that high profile cases of violence are due to an aggressor’s excessive video game use. However, much like a cold case the type of connection between video game use and youth violence remains without a definite answer. Most believe that video game use negatively influences child aggression acts in our country. Others firmly declare that video games provide a realm of opportunity for child development. Ultimately, it is impossible to say that video game use affects every child the same way. New studies suggest that video games do not affect every child that plays a game. Although violent video games are innocuous for the majority of adolescents between the ages of twelve and eighteen, the effects of these games are aggravated in those with pre- existing antisocial or depressive traits.

People have always been looking for a reason why horrible things happen. The media is quick to blame video games as the target and cause of many shootings that have occurred, ever since Columbine and Quake. People have been blaming video games for violence for years now, ever since violent video games have been made. News reports blame video games more and more for each shooting, telling the public how this person played video games for x amount of hours a day, and that video games caused him or her to shoot people, and how video games encourage and reward violence. Anti-video game lobbyists have been campaigning to have violence removed from video games, citing resources that they themselves have created as reasons for

While anchormen and angry parents point fingers at video games for the source of all aggression in youth, studies show that the amount aggression video games cause is actually quite low. Christofer Ferguson, an associate professor at Texas A&M, studied video game violence and aggression in youth. He discovered that the effects the games had were “generally very low” and people were “overestimating the influence of violent games on aggression.” ( Jayson 3.) Instead, the main source of aggression was among peers, natural personality traits, mental disorders and, of all places, the home. Family life plays a huge part in a child’s behavior and while a violent game may add to aggression, it is not the main source and should not be to blame. For most, video games are relaxing. Eric Beaudoin, a twenty five year old graduate student in psychology says that he plays to relax and forget about his “dissertation, practicum, and clients and shoot some monsters.” (Jayson 2.) Gaming, no matter how violent, relaxes him enough so that he may deal with the people he faces everyday. However, it can be agreed upon by both sides of the argument that certain games are not healthy for certain age groups. A seven year old should

Kids under the age of 16 should not be allowed to play video games Rated M. They could do the bad things the people on the video games do like drugs or other things that could ruin their lives. They could also lose respect like people older than them. Kids mostly get these things from the video games and sometimes they don't but most of the stuff they learn this from is from bad parenting and then the parents blame the video games they buy for them that shouldn't be bought for them. The kids may not learn these bad things and still be the good kids they are and they may never do drugs or disrespect anyone at

Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a

Lately, it seems that there has been an abundance of horrible mass shootings and brutal violence in our world. In today’s seemingly dangerous world, parents are yearning to protect their children from getting involved in these savage crimes. Now, a great deal of people, especially parents, accuse violent video games as the cause of this growing epidemic. The controversy of video game induced violence has a long history, but it didn’t appear in the spotlight until the disturbing Columbine shooting in 1999, when the gunmen were said to have been addicted to violent video games. Since 1999, there have been more mass shootings and vicious crimes that have been accursed on video games. While siding with the belief that video games create violence

In this study, people meticulously studied other articles based on criteria they created for the research question, and conducted a trial themselves to come to a conclusion. “The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions, and aggressive affect and decreases in prosocial behavior, empathy, and sensitivity to aggression.” They deemed that violent video game usage has a direct and constant relationship with all behavioral activities related to

Ratings do affect what children are allowed to watch and what they're not allowed to watch. If it is not rated "R", you are allowed to get in the movies at the theater without a parent. Having too much violence or something else that is wrong can affect a person watching it in a bad way. Parents rely on ratings to help them understand if it is okay for their kid of a certain age should watch and if it would be okay for them to watch. Ratings when it comes to violence, sex, and language should be more strict because teenagers are allowed to get into it if it is under a certain rating. There is a quote that says "you are what you repeatedly do" so if someone continuously watches something violent or plays a game that is violent they are more

It's ridiculous to punish a game rating company for the lack of attention being paid by the customer. It's clear that ESRB is doing their job when employees at gaming stores are stopping customers from buying games when asking how old they are. Parents want a different company to rate games, but not only will they not be as effective as ESRB, but one can almost guarantee that the new company would run into the same problems ESRB does. Providing quick glances at rating symbols and giving detailed lists, ESRB has given customers every opportunity to know what game they're

Video games have a rating system and so do other types of media. what parents allow their kid to watch or play is ultimately up to them and should not require censorship. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the non-profit, self-regulatory body that assigns ratings for video games and apps so parents can make informed choices (ESRB). It shows that videogames have a rating system and there is no reason for banning violent video games. What parent let their kids play is ultimately up to them and with this rating system in place shows that consumers have all the info they need to make a decision on what they buy. The ESRB rating system encompasses guidance about age-appropriateness, content, and interactive elements (ESRB). To empower consumers, especially parents, with guidance that allows them to make informed decisions about the age-appropriateness and suitability of video games and apps while holding the video game industry accountable for responsible marketing practices (ESRB). The rating system is based on age and help parents decide if their child should be allowed to play that game. California overturned the ban on violent video games as they were defended by the first amendment (Vedantam). The ESRB rating system was devised after consulting a wide range of child development and academic experts, analyzing other rating systems and, most importantly, listening to parents (ESRB). There was no reason for the ban as there is a rating system.

I chose this population because most of the boys I know start playing video games around the age of 6 and at 13 years old boys are going through puberty, where a lot their important perceptions and opinions are being formed and solidified. The rating for mature games is for people ages 17 and older, but I have seen first hand that parents will buy their children mature rated games, no matter what age they are because their kids tell them “it’s only rated mature because of violence.” Those games are rated M for a reason, and it’s not just because of violence. According to the Entertainment Software Rating Board, the definition of an M rated game is a game in which “content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. May contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language” ("ESRB Ratings Guide," n.d.) I think most people would agree that 6-13 year-old boys should not be exposed to sexual content, as they are young and impressionable. Another reason I chose my population is because according to statistics from Pew Research Center, who are known for informing the public on current issues by conducting polls on public opinion and conducting content analysis along with demographic research, “Boys are significantly more likely to play games daily than girls, with 39% of boys reporting daily game play and 22% of girls reporting the same. Boys are also more likely than girls to play games on any

Blood, gore, explicit content, use of drugs, intense violence, some might think this describes some drug war in a third world country but these are actual phrases the the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) uses to describe the Grand Theft Auto Series ("Harvard Mental Health Letter" ). In 2008, the Pew Research center stated that ninety-seven percent of youths ages twelve to seventeen played some type of video game, over half of which played video games with violent content. A separate study found that close to half of the video games out there rated by ESRB (See Figure 1 for an example of a rating)were considered violent and close to ninety percent of those games were rated for ten year olds and above ("Harvard Mental Health Letter" ). Given how popular these games are its no wonder that mental health experts find themselves being asked by parents what effect do these games have on their children.

(Raymond Chris) This system, which is responsible for rating every video game and matching them with the corresponding gaming age, is effective and prevents phycological problems if the parents can keep track of what there kids are playing. The categories for video game ratings go as followed: E for everyone, T for teen, and M for mature (which is 17+). There are also ratings that fit in-between. eC for early childhood, E for everyone 10+, and Adults only 18+ (which is made from excessive nudity, or just unsuitable for people under the age of 18). Now do parents really control what their kids play? 73% of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game consoles are useful. Also parents control time usage on video games more than any other entertainment industry out there. 94% of the time, parents are present at the time games are purchased or rented, and 88% of the time parents report always, or sometimes monitoring the games their children play.

Over the years, the popularity of computer and video games has grown. Specifically violent video games make up more than 50 % of the top selling games. These games include violent themes that involve guns, crime, blood, and gore. There is an ongoing belief that these types of games are to blame for the many acts of violence in society and have encouraged America’s youth to act out in aggression. Several organizations, such as the PTC (Parents Television Council) have moved to discourage the development of violent games while also pushing for stronger regulations when purchasing such games. There is also debate among parents and concerns on how games can negatively influence their children. So is there a direct link between video games and violence? The truth is video games do not encourage violence in society based on several factors which include scientific studies, statistics on crime, and prevention measures adopted by game publishers.