The Consequences Of Video Game Violence In Video Games

Whether violent media content leads to real-life violence is always debatable. And in recent years, school shootings have made video games a new focus of public concern and scientific research. In public opinion, video games cause more aggression in comparison to traditional violent media contents because video games have more features of interactivity, "due to the active engagement and participation of players" (Hummer and Wang et al. 137). But more and more reports tell us that video games are not the main cause of school shooting issues; rather it is the negligence of parents, schools, and communities.

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.

As the level of violence in video games increases, so does the level of concern for those who play them. Some people are quick to blame school shootings on games just because the kid played a “violent” game. “The topic of videogames and violence can be compared to the chicken or the egg question, which came first, violent games or violent behavior”(Violence and Videogames). However most kids in mass shootings tend to have easy access to guns and are mentally unstable.

As many as 97% of US kids age 12-17 play video games, contributing to the $21.53 billion domestic video game industry. More than 50% of games have violence. (Procon.org) Video games that have violence have been blamed to have caused bullying, mass shootings, and violence towards women. (Procon.org) An estimated four out of five US households with a male child own a video game system and worldwide series of video games are predicted to reach $102.9 billion in 2017. (Procon.org) Critics argue that these games desensitize players to violence and it rewards players for simulating violence . (Procon.org)

Media has portrayed violent video games as the root cause for violence and school shootings, but is it really? Violent video games are predominate in the industry of gaming with consumers being primarily children. Furthermore, as the sales of video games increase studies have shown that violence has actually decreased in younger consumers. There are many studies performed on children to truly test these accusations made against video games and violence. Many people believe that playing video games will lead you down a path of anger and evil, but this isn’t the truth at all playing video games doesn’t have to lead you to becoming a villain to

For many years, there have been arguments over violent video games and their harmful effects. The standards for violence in today’s society are different than when video games were first introduced. A person’s personality plays into how they are effected by violence. In an article written for the American Psychological Association, Patrick Markey determined, “certain combinations of personality traits can help predict which young people will be more adversely affected by violent video games.” He also stated “those who are negatively affected have pre-existing dispositions, which make them susceptible to such violent media.” (APA).

Violence in video games, more specifically where the whole violent video game controversy came up, was a game called Death Race. This game had you running over gremlins but ended looking like “looked a lot like humans, since all that could be rendered was a blocky stick figure” (Luke Plunkett, Death Race, the World's First Scandalous Video Game, Kotaku). Death Race got a spot on 60 Minutes “looking at the psychological impacts” (Luke Plunkett, Death Race, the World's First Scandalous Video Game, Kotaku) of the game, was protested and was covered by National Enquirer and the NBC's Weekend Show and even “The National Safety Council said Death

Over the century, video games have become quite an attraction among people of all ages and culture. A statistic showed that the age bracket for video gaming ranges from eight to forty year olds (Baran, 2012). With the (moving ahead or up) of technology, video games also have (moving ahead or up) in its interest in what's lifelike and real and (types of writing or art). The technologies allowed video games to become very fancy (or smart) and realistic. This type of (moving ahead or up) had brought the Video gaming to a multi-billion dollar industry. However, with the level of interest in what's lifelike and real, there are also negative affects to society. Since the creation of violent video games or "mature" games, there have been constant arguments whether or not if these games will increase violence in the player. Although, not all video games are graphic and violent in nature, some video games may promote skills such as motor coordination, learning, and creativity. Anyway, there are researches on the effects between video games and violence.

In the article from Thom Gillespie states that Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is the latest video game to be known of demeaning our society’s youth in the U.S. He states though however, video games such as GTA are “art” and deserve protection. Moreover, those games just mirror humanity's violent instincts; they do not provoke violence, Gillespie argues. These games also offer chances for debates about ethical issues and the costs of actions. It is known from his writings that Thom Gillespie is a professor of telecommunications and a director of the Masters in Immersive Mediated Environments program at Indiana University in Bloomington. (Gillespie). He mentions in his article that:

kids and even young adults play games like Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), Call of Duty, and

Video gaming is mostly associated with consoles such as the Xbox and Playstation, however, wireless technology and handheld devices are producing more and more gaming applications making such an activity further accessible to those who may not perceive themselves as an ‘avid gamer’. Much research into video gaming has focused on aggression and violence; see (Bandura, 1977; Graybill, Strawniak, Hunter & O’Leary, 1987; Scott, 1995; Silvern & Williamson, 1987; Zillmann, 1983). Research into the effects of violence in video gaming and aggressive behaviour has suggested physiological arousal causes an ‘excitement transfer’, consequently seeing and experiencing violence causes violent and aggressive behaviour (Zillmann, 1983). Additionally, Bandura (1977) suggested that adolescents who play violent video games are mirroring the behaviour experienced through game play, therefore resulting in aggressive behaviour. Hence it is imperative to research the sway anti social content in video games has on pro-social behaviour. Aside from aggression and violence there are other negative factors that need to be fully investigated, such as sexism and violence towards women in video games.

There is much controversy on the subject of video games. One of the most controversial issues regarding video games is violence in video games, and the alleged connection with child behavior. There are many people, especially parents, who blame video games for their children’s violent and aggressive behavior. There are some who do not believe there is a connection with video games, and particular child behavioral issues. There are studies that prove one side, disprove one side, and it is very difficult to get accurate facts when a study is done on behavior. Every person is different, so it is hard to get reliable data.

Video games are a part of mostly everybody’s life, whether it be on their phone, a handheld gaming device, or on a console and tv setup. Not all of the games are made for toddlers or children under 13, so it’s safe to say that there are some that can be on the heavier side with the gore and explicit content. These games can get brutal and “Grand Theft Auto” is definitely one of those games that can get to be too much for some people. “Grand Theft Auto” has negative effects on the society because of the foul language, sexual content, exposure to violence, and drugs involved throughout the game.

Since the beginning of the video game industry, violence has been a huge factor in the entertainment aspect. Even the more subtle, friendly games like Super Mario Bros. are full of underlying violence such as having to kill small and sometimes large creatures to advance the game. The most popular games among children and teens today happen to be the more gory, dark, and killing heavy games. These games almost always have very toxic communities full of people who love to scream at other players for not getting their way. With today’s advancement of technology, video games are reaching an all-time high of realism that has become rather risky and questionable to some. All of this brings up the one of the most talked about topics among today’s

Henry Jenkins states that “the worst thing a kid can say about homework is that it is too hard. The worst thing a kid can say about a video game is that it is too easy,” meaning the harder the game, the better the experience. The Psychological group reports that more than 90% of children in the U.S. play video games. Among the kids between the ages of 12 and 17, the number rises to 97%. Eighty-five percent or more of video games on the market contain violence. CBS says that within reviewing more than 150 research papers, the task force found a consistent relationship between the games and the increase in aggressive behavior.