Eng 101

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

As social media continues to expand and change, the unswerving usage of video games in children and adolescents has also augmented. These video games permits its youth to explore a new form of entertainment and communication in a way to expand their knowledge over certain interests, trend or insights. As the consistency of these video games develop, growing concerns of prospective issues such as behavior, academic performance, and their physical functioning may reflect negatively among children and adolescents (Cesarone, 2013). As the expansion of these video games occurs, and more violence is reflected upon them, many numerous disastrous results can be developed over the years that reflect the negative effects of these violent video games.

“Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked” by Henry Jenkins is an recommended read for anyone looking into the correlation between video games and antisocial behavior. The central message of the text can be concluded as violent and antisocial behavior amounts from media raising children rather than the parents. Having been a gamer just approximately my entire life, I am a sympathetic audience member. Where I grew up had very little for the locals and my parents did not make enough to cater to the tourist prices for the recreational activities. This lead to video games being my siblings’ and my entertainment – to which none of us have a violent record and being labeled potentially dangerous is a bit extreme. It is obvious Henry’s

Since the 1950s, the effects of videogames have been debated on whether it is harmful to kids.(Carey) During the years, various videogames have developed more gruesome content and have been blamed for crimes such as school shootings. But in recent searches people have found that studies connecting videogames and violence are frequently flawed. Additionally, people have stated that it influences kids into immoral behaviors but, it actually can improve their behavior. It is also scientifically proven that videogames are beneficial in various ways.

Video Games have come a long way since their first introduction into the main stream. With video games becoming more sophisticated and using advanced technology, it seems as if video games are closing in on the gap between games and reality. However, as video games become ever so life-like it brings up the question of if the violence associated with video games is having a negative consequence. There have been many accusations over the years over the harm video games are causing children and teenagers. Experiments have been conducted trying to associate a link between video games and aggressive behavior. Even the media has been known to point fingers at video games for the cause of children

The topic of violence in video games has been a highly controversial conversation for many years. According to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study, 10 hours and 45 minutes on average are spent per day using technology among all 8- to 18-year-olds, which is over a 2 hour increase over the past five years (Rideout et al, 2010, 2). Exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and delinquency and decreases in prosocial and helping behavior (Anderson, 2004, 118), consistent with the General Affective Aggression Model. This model predicts the short and long term effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior. Many experiments have proven this, though there are some researchers who think that the results may be flawed and that the research needs to be corrected.

The topic of violence in video games has been a highly controversial conversation for many years. According to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study, 10 hours and 45 minutes on average are spent per day using technology among all 8- to 18-year-olds, which is over a 2 hour increase over the past five years (Rideout et al, 2010, 2). Exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and delinquency and decreases in prosocial and helping behavior (Anderson, 2004, 118), consistent with the General Affective Aggression Model. This model predicts the short and long term effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior. Many experiments have proven this, though there are some researchers who think that the results may be flawed and that the research needs to be corrected.

The first reason why violent video games are bad is because it can become addicted. Addictions involve unhealthy attractions that keep up with regular daily responsibilities such as forgetting to do school work, homework, and chores around the house. Another bad thing that addiction causes is that children and young teens interact less with others. They rather be antisocial and hang out less with friends, in order to play a video game on the Xbox, PS3, or computer. Teens who are obsessed with video games and play for long periods of time can often go an entire day without leaving their room to eat, use the restroom or to bathe. The study found that “88 percent of the nation 's children ages 8 to 18 play video games. With 45 million children of that age in the country, the study would suggest that more than 3 million are addicted "or at least have problems of the magnitude" that call for help, Gentile said” (George). The effects of this behavior can be serious danger to their overall health.

Since the rise of video games in the last decade younger kids are spending a lot of their time on games. One problem with children having access to video games is the bloody and gory violence some games contain. With children growing up playing these violent games it raises a question that most parents wonder, do violent video games make children more aggressive towards others? There are results from studies and incidents in real life that prove violence in video games does influence certain children. Violent video games do increase aggression in children who are already aggressive in nature but do not have a negative effect on most children.

Media has a strong effect on our society, whether we would admit it or not. There are millions of different versions of media that shapes and molds the viewers. For example, there is television, newspapers, social media, and the list goes on and on. I will be focusing on the effects that video games have on a child and their behavior. Violent video gaming will be mostly discussed considering the alarming effects it has on children, including health issues, antisocial behavior, increased aggression, and drop in academic performance. However, not all video games are considered unhealthy for the developing children’s brain.

Many studies have taken place to determine the effects of violent video games on children for example, “Irwin and Gross (1995) assessed physical aggression (e.g., hitting, shoving, pinching, pulling at clothes or hair, kicking) between boys who had just played either a violent or a nonviolent video game. Those who had played the violent video game were more physically aggressive toward peers” (Anderson, 2003). This study done by Irwin and Gross proves that children lose basic social skills after participating in playing violent games.

By their nature, video games require the participant to actively engage in the game. This can become very dangerous when playing violent video games. It is inevitable that children develop according to their surroundings and when a child is playing as a character in a violent video game, it is common for them to begin to act as if they are their character. “A 2004 study by Gentile, Lynch, Linder & Walsh found that teens who play violent video games for extended periods of time tend to be more aggressive, are more prone to confrontation with their parents and may engage in fights with their peers” (Palo Alto Medical Foundation, 2015). Not only can violence in video games cause a change in adolescent's mental state but they can also lead to negative changes in their actions and violent actions within the games are rewarded. When a child commits an action of violence within the game they are playing they are rewarded with points or some other type of reward. At young ages, children begin learning what is socially acceptable and what is not and if their learning process is interrupted by violent video games they will learn that violence is acceptable and will be rewarded. The rapid increase in the production of violent video games may ultimately lead to a world of aggression and violence.

As video games become both more complex and realistic, more children turn to video games as a way to blow off stress or anger. Yet, these games both have positive and negative effects on children. Video games have been blamed for increases in violence and anti-social behavior among adolescents, but also have been proven to improve hand-eye coordination and multitasking. Therefore, the argument whether limitations should be put on games has constantly been debated by researchers. Although video games should be allowed to be played by adolescents due to their positive effects, violence in games must be limited in order to ensure that children do not believe that violence is an acceptable way to deal with conflicts in the real world.

In today’s modern world children of all ages rely a lot on video games and technology to entertain themselves, but the ones who play violent games is a totally different story.  They are more likely to be aggressive and have violent thoughts and feelings.  According to scientific studies, children who play violent games often became immune to it and are less sympathetic and less likely to behave empathetically.  The effect of violent games on kids is worsened all the time.

Spending time playing video games improves the behavior of children. Similar to any other hobby playing video games leaves gamers with fewer free time. Usually, a teenager will spend several hours a day playing their favorite games. The fact that playing video games takes away from a child’s free time is convenient. Video games allow for children to stay occupied, in addition, this helps them stay away from harmful influences, participating in illicit activities and inappropriate behavior in general as they are constantly occupied. Although video games keep adolescents occupied, there is a concern that violent video games lead to aggressive behavior. However, multiple studies have proven the opposite. Video games in reality help children “who are not into football or other aggressive sports, and who use video games as a release of pent-up aggression and frustration” (Weber). Even if they are infamous, “Young adults, who play violent video games long-term handle stress better than non-playing adults and become less depressed and less hostile following a stressful task, according to a study by Texas A&M International University”( Ferguson). Video games also benefit children in terms of listening to their parents or teachers. While playing video games, children learn the key component of being successful in the game, which requires them to listen and follow directions. Children then, take this method and apply it to their real life where they listen and obey their parents,