The Effects Of Video Games On Children

It is debated around the world that videogames have a great influence on violence in the youth, more specifically in adolescents. It is a controversial topic because of the fact that in the past five years there have been many severe acts of violence with an adolescent in the middle of it. Although this true, I disagree with this statement. There may be a correlation between the two, but I do not think that video games make kids violent. In this essay I will voice my opinion on the worldwide debate of whether or not video games are the direct cause of violence in young adults.

Over the past few centuries,video games have become a great leisure and hobby among kids of all ages and cultures. With the advancement of technology, video games have advanced highly in its realism and genres. This high type of advancement brought the video game industry to a multi-billion dollar industry. However, with realism, comes negative effects as well. Ever since the creation of violent or “mature” video games, there has been a constant debate on whether it will increase violence in the player. Although, not all video games are violent, and just increase skills in a player such as hand-eye coordination. Nevertheless, there is research going on for the link between violent video games and youth violence. The question is which event happens first in the sequence, do violent video games aggravate a person’s violent behavior, or does a person get rid of their anger through playing violent video games? Either way, violent video games are not beneficial to our society.

There are indicators that links playing violent video games to increasing aggression in young people. Teenagers who are expose to violent games are more supposable to increase the likelihood of experiencing aggressive thoughts, in which turns into the likelihood of engaging in physical aggression against another person. Furthermore, violent video games produce an emotional desensitization to aggression and violence to the youth (Anderson). Based on the observation teenagers are exposed to when they are playing violent video games, they will reenact almost immediately in real life if the situational contact is sufficiently similar to the ones in the games. Therefore, consumption of violent video games produces negative behaviors that are controlled by negative

Technology is advancing and with that comes advancements in video games. Most video games such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Assassins Creed, etc. focus their attention on violence and killing enemies. More and more techniques are introduced by video game companies to make this certain entertainment interesting for young children. This brings up the question, “Do video games cause violent behavior in children?” Children that spend a lot of time on these games will hurt their behavior patterns as they grow up.

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.

Some people argue that videogames and violence have no link to each other. Although a recent study was able to prove that the actions made by people have become more violent after playing videogames. This is also true with the number of violent videogames played by kids and adults alike. Also, many students have caused more shootings and bombings after playing violent videogames than before they played any videogames whatsoever. The amount of violence, even inside of schools, has increased dramatically. Most of the people that have either caused a shooting or a bombing were addicted to violent videogames as well. Many people, without a doubt, believe that violent videogames should not be allowed in anyway possible. Many parents won’t even buy violent videogames for their children. In the year 1998, a kid saw at least 180,000 actions of violent doings through youtube and other videogames. These actions affected how the kid saw the world around him.

In today’s society and in the past, children like and liked to play video games. They enjoy playing them, but does anyone know the damage that playing these games can cause? Not all of the effects of playing video games can be damaging to the child. Some of the effects of video games can be beneficial to the child in many ways. There are both positive and negative effects to children playing video games. To limit the child, parents can control the amount of time and decide on what the child can and can not play on the game system.

Video games are a controversial issue among both parents and children across the world. Many parents are concerned that playing video games for excessive amounts of time can damage their children’s brains and increase their violent tendencies. Many scientists have conducted studies on this issue and depending on the area of the brain that is being studied, the results can vary greatly.

For several decades, the idea of violence in the popular media influencing a young generation to violence has been hotly debated. Since the introduction of violent video games in the 1970’s, for example, the shooting games Empire and Maze War from 1973, people have noticed that violent video games induce violent behavior in players, especially in teenage males. Despite people seeing the negative influence of violent media earlier as well, only in the last two decades has video game violence come to the forefront as video game popularity has increased. With the growing influence of digital technology, people began to notice increasingly aggressive displays on the part of adolescent players. Moreover, the computer and game consoles became the most cherished adolescent toys, and violent video games their favorite pastime. Meanwhile, parents started to worry about their children’s activity, and whether violent video games lead juveniles to infractions of the law and to negative changes in their behavior.

This paper explores violent video games and their affects on people’s behavior and emotions. An experimental study was done by Smith, Lachlan, and Tamborini and is investigated further. The researchers wanted to examine people’s behavior after playing violent video games as well as nonviolent video games and compare the differences of the two. The study observes boys and girls as well as a range of ages and ethnicity for a nonbiased experiment. We also study the results and possible solutions of this experiment. Beliefs of violent video games negatively affecting young children and teens are explored. This paper mostly focuses on the relation between violent video games and aggressive behavior and what positive and negative affects it holds. The articles that I reviewed all suggest that violent video games can be good if played at the right time and for the right amount of time. This statement raises awareness for parents and what they should be doing specifically for their children.

Each generation grows up with something the previous generation did not. Music genres, television, and now video games. Video games have been a chief medium since they entered households in the late 70s and early 80s with such consoles as the Atari (1980). They have been a staple of the entertainment industry since and have shaped the generations that grew up with these consoles. Video games do, however, bring some controversy, despite their significance. The issue of violent video games and their effect on those who play them is a heated topic that has not yet been proven one way or another. Do video games cause people to inflict violent acts on those around them or not?

“many parents and teachers complain about the short attention spans of their kids; but those same kids seem to have more than adequate attention spans when it comes to gaming” (249). This is one common method of encouraging children to learn and to also stay focused while they learn. However, in essence, online gaming is still filled with many distractions, which can significantly alter the brains of the users, causing them to think more fragmented and non-linearly. As mentioned by Carr before, similarly to surfing the Web, while playing video games “we focus intensively on the medium itself, on the flickering screen, but we’re distracted by the medium’s rapid-fire delivery of competing messages and stimuli” (Carr 118). Therefore, while video games do captivate the user’s attention and they can also help and improve certain cognitive and brain functions, they necessarily do not improve attention spans, in fact, they actually harm them.

Some people want to play video games which causes many negative side effects on children, but video games can also be good for developing cognitive, physical, and many more hidden skills. Furthermore, they can also be cheaper than television. Although there are the negative side effects of video games, I have found evidence of many positive effects games have on children. Video games are looked down upon by parents as time waster, and worse, some education experts think that these games corrupt the brain. Violent video games are readily blamed by the media and some experts as the reason why some youth become violent or commit extreme anti social behavior. However, many scientists and psychologists find that video games can actually have many benefits, the main one being making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skill that they will need in the future.

Controversy about video games continue to escalate between parents and gamers, regarding the psychological effect of simulated, realistic, and 3D violence on the minds of young children and growing teenagers. Yet, research shows that video games contribute very little to today’s everyday violence, despite complaints and concerns that games influence a child’s normal behavior. Technology is a way of life in today’s world, computers are used by toddlers, adolescents, and adults alike. No matter what career path a person chooses, the computer plays an essential role in the job. The more our technology progresses and as our industry grows stronger, computers and electronic entertainment will grow to be found everywhere around the world. This includes videogames.

Modern technology is a worldwide sensation that is captivating more and more people each day. With the accessibility to media applications, there are so many opportunities to learn and reach out to people from all over the world. With media outlets streaming on your mobile phone in a coffee shop or ringing up an order on a tablet, it seems like nothing is truly impossible. One of the biggest media applications of technology are video games. While this is a phenomenal humankind progression, this is also transforming the perception of normality to children. While limiting the recommended amount of time a child is attached to a video game, one can begin to understand how this form can further develop our children. From confidence building to creativity, video games can be brought on as educational as well as just for fun and relaxation.