Literature Review On Violent Video Games

A huge controversy in today’s society is violent video games and their behavioral effect on the children and adults who play them. Violent video games have been blamed for bullying, school shootings, and even violence towards women. Many have fought that violent video games desensitize players to real-life violence, and that they are teaching the youth that violence is an acceptable conflict-solving strategy. Other sources have stated otherwise. The 2004 Secret Service has stated that only one-eighth of attackers have exhibited interests in video games. Violent Video games do not cause violent behavior or behavior problems because it has not been proven that there is a link between violent video games and behavioral issues, playing video games provide a safe outlet for aggressive and angry feelings and reduces violence in young children, and violent juvenile crime has actually gone down since the violent video game popularity has increased.

“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!

Violent video games do not cause mass shootings. There are over 150 million Americans who play video games today. There may seem like there are a lot of crimes, but compared to the amount of kids playing violent video games, the number is minuscule. From 1982 to 2016, there has been 71 major mass shootings. Out of those 71 shootings, only 10% were teenagers (“Journal of Adolescent Health”). A study from Psychiatric Quarterly found that violent video games have absolutely no impact on the tempers in people 18 and under.

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

Through citing to logical studies and past occasions, Ferguson releases the cases that violence in computer games causes rough and forceful behavior. Ferguson uses results distributed from The Journal of Youth and Adolescence and results from past destructive examinations with a specific end goal to clear up issues encompassing one of the associated causes with the Sandy Hooks Elementary Shooting, violence in media. Ferguson basically broke down the cases against computer games and clarified why they were off base or misdirecting. Ferguson's thinking on the Sandy Hooks Elementary Shooting is gone for those who really want to know about the reasons for the disaster in Connecticut. He tries to wants to remove what people are claiming on what happened while regarding more probable reasons for the shooting, for example, careless firearm control and emotional and mental

Others may argue the fact that videogames don’t harm anyone outside the game. Considering the facts of murders and school shootings with the potential cause by video game playing, the stakes are high that video games are truly a danger to others. Just as in the article “High-Jinks: Shootout” this school is contributing to make this simulation as realistic as they can. The school has students contributing to fight to the death, by ‘killing’ other classmates for a earnings of money. Not only is this provoking students to act out, also a reward earned for such violence creates a harmful outcome in the students minds. Though this game only consist of fake weapons and or water guns, this game can also be very dangerous. The game takes place in the environment including others who don’t participate in the games. At one point a student gets to the point of chasing down a student to the airport, and as there overall motive to ‘kill’ the student there were after. These students are now using bath toys, later they can be overcome with the idea that violence is just a game, continuing in some kind of upgrade to a real weapon. Surely with this idea harm can come to others. Let alone the environment is too realistic. By being under that influence that the violence is game, this can be harmful to those teens. The issue is especially relevant today, because the games are more realistic and bloodier than ever, and because most american boys play them at some point. A psychologist at Brock University in Ontario found that longer periods of violent game playing among high school students predicted a slightly higher numbers of such incidents (schoolyard fights with peers) over time. This can show the impact that can be made on others in the same environment as the violent video game

From a young age some of us begin to play video games. Violent video games can share the bad and the good. Yet, their problems outweigh the benefits such as being influenced, having nightmares , and becoming addicting.

After conducting several review of video game and their influence, Gael Four and Nidal Nanbhan Abou mentioned “Although it has been suggested that several mass murders were influence by violent video games, scientific data do not support any causal link between exposure to video game violence and school shooting.” Kain Eric also hold the similar opinion “Moreover, determining why somebody carries out a violent act like a school shooting can be very complex; underlying mental-health issues are almost always present.” To commit homicide is not a causal task for ordinary people; hurting others for no reason can be equally difficult. Individual with heathy mental health won’t go outside and start to kill everyone, after playing violent games. Video games may raise people’s aggression, but thought is different from action. We bear consequences for our actions. Rather than trying to prove video games violence are dangerous which fitting public’s taste, researchers should try to find out the real reason behind those terrible

Whenever there is a mass shooting in the United States, it doesn 't take long before society suggests violent video games might be to blame. Video games have been culprits of crime today to many eyes in America. Just about anyone in most modernized countries has heard the claim before, placing the blame on a video game, music or television for the violent acts seen in their youth today. There is no link to violence on video games. Typically, these trends seem to pop up when we are referencing school shootings, gang related crime and other domestic terrorist acts done by our youth. It is too easy to quickly blame something like a violent video game for their behavior.

Jerkin states that video games open up new aesthetic experience and transforms the computer screen into a realm of experimental. But what happens when the violence transforms from the TV and computer screens to real life behaviors? Sternhemier discussed three school shootings in Kentucky, Oregon and Colorado and how in all three cases the shooters loved playing shooting video games. This made it appear that the critic’s predictions about video games were coming true that they were they cause of violent behaviors.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used a video game to study how a disease could spread and how people would react. In addition, doctors who play video games have better results in surgery. Video games can be beneficial in many different ways that is usually not considered. With moderate use, video games can even be beneficial to one’s health. It is something that a wide age range group of people can enjoy and benefit from its use. There are also many different genres to satisfy different types of enjoyment. Scientists have conducted many studies about video games to determine whether or not they are healthy. Video games have their positives and negatives similar to most things. Gaming can help with mental problems, recovery of injuries, and help with being physically active.

Ever since the Columbine Massacre occurred, people seemed to concern themselves with the violent nature of video games. So many people argue that because video games played a part in the lives of the two teenagers who planned and executed the event, video games are to be blamed as their motive. Although video games have often glamorize graphic violence, people should not cast blame upon them for an increase in violent behavior in those who play them (especially teens) because those who make these accusations do so only to demonize what they do not and try not to understand.

Initially the purpose of violent media is to entertain people. However, its content encourages violence and teaches how to enjoy cruelty. When playing video games, players must kill another human being to score. The more time they spent on it, the more they familiarize themselves to brutality. As it can be addictive, it also detaches players from human contact, which leads to lack of empathy. As a result, players will have difficulty to differentiate fantasy from reality and start dreaming about killing and scoring in real life. That’s why most school shooters are great video gamers. I will support my thesis with evidences and quotes from expertise.

A numerous amount of individuals trust that violent video games should be banned by stating that video games can affect someone in a negative way. A few even claim that the violence within the game can make individuals carry out violent acts. People should come to an understanding that video games take place in an alternate universe, meaning that it's not real. In addition to that, the gamers comprehend that it's just a game and nothing else. However, there are precautions that go with violent video games, for example age requirements, and the control of the parent. Violent video games do not cause behavior problems and should not be banned.

David G. Myers mentioned that the cause of violent video game became an issue for public debate after teenagers in more than a dozen places seemed mimic the carnage in the shooter games they had so often played (Anderson, 2004, 2013). Based on the studies done for violent video games correspond with individuals having violent acts. On the journal article “An update on the effects of playing violent video games," Craig A. Anderson stated that violence video games first emerged with school shootings by avid players of such games which is in contrast to the Meyer’s Social Psychology article that a didn’t mention the connection or the issue with school shooting. Anderson took a more critical and specific approach in his research by mentioning the effects towards school shootings.