Video Game Content Appropriate For The Everyday Teenager

Video Game Violence has been a big controversial topic for many years, going back to the most simple classic video games like Ms. Pac-Man, Centipede and Space Invaders,which eventually turned into more modern games like Destiny and Grand theft Auto. This research expands and analyzes the idea of how video game violence is always accused and put to blame for aggressive events and how the research of this is faulty . The way most people look at video games and how people try to connect them to violence could needs to be corrected. Within this research we will be looking very closely at how these studies and tests were done on violent video

“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!

When you think of the average gamer who comes to mind? On television you probably see some over-weight and unemployed guy who is living in the basement of his parents’ house. The visual discourse in this is that only males are gaming “nerds” and that there is no place in the field for women. The group called The Fine Young Capitalists (TFYC) try to change that narrative with a contest of their own allowing women to create their own ideas for games. Some disturbing contradictions came out of their mission, and it was criticized by game developer Zoë Quinn.

Throughout the years, society has become more accepting of diverse topics and ideas. As society continues to evolve, numerous entertainments have turned to displaying a greater amount of minority groups. Although movies and television shows are rapidly progressing towards this trend, video games seem to be cautiously starting to accept these ideas. Most of the advertising in video games are promoted towards the male population. Despite the fact men have previously been the dominant demographic in this type of entertainment, women have increasingly become a major part of the video game audience. In creating video games in which portray the opposite gender in a realistic way is beneficial to not only the female players but also to the male. It is important to promote the creation of gender-appropriate video games due to it decreasing the amount of sexualization and violence against women which assists in women’s self-confidence and men’s treatment towards women.

Video games have become very prevalent in modern society, being regarded as a major form of entertainment. The video game industry is indeed one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. While the video game industry have become more socially acceptable since its inception in the 1970's, it had received much controversy and debate, especially in regards to video games considered too violent and/or sexist. Many people believe the influences in these sorts of videogames can affect the views and behaviors of the people who play these games (i.e. gamers). As a result of this link, gamers, for the most time of recent history, had been subjected to ridicule and condemnation. Gamers had been considered deviants.

In today’s fast paced environment in which we live, it is wise to maintain proper health through exercise, diet, and sleep. Often time that is easier said than done. A healthy heart is paramount to our existence, as it is the organ that pumps blood through the body via the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes. Personally, I take great interest in the health of my heart because it needs regular monitoring on a weekly basis. I am prescribed medications by my physician for a variety of reasons, and these medications must be in balance with my height, weight, and heart rate. In fact, I must meet with my physician monthly.

“None of it will come as a surprise to anyone who’s remotely familiar with video games. For decades, players have been rewarded with flesh, sex and innuendo for progress in games spanning the original “Metroid” to the most recent “Grand Theft Auto.”” (Beres) The stereotype “gamer” used to be a nerdy, white, young male, and in fact that image has been changing over the past couple years. Females nowadays are starting to play video games more and more frequently, but the video game industry is putting out an image of females that is just unrealistic, their bodies and or looks, their personalities, and actions. Young girls could be playing the games like “Grand Theft Auto” and begin to watch the female characters and start to think and or

Video games have long been known as a male dominated media, when it comes to the market audience, player base, and character representation in game. Research concerning gender representation in video games often focuses on a few key points of how men and women are viewed differently, things like physical abilities, role in the game, and physical attributes are just a few to point out (Zorrilla, 2011). Something that is used a lot in video games is the sexualized depiction of female characters, the overwhelming masculinity of the implied game player, and the recurring structure of male heroes or characters

Should teens be allowed to play violent video games if not why should they be allowed to watch violent movies. Censorship is at play we are trying to censor ourselves these days as both movies and video games have a rating system for parents to decide what their kids should play or watch. Teens should be allowed to play violent video game or should we ban violent video games.

Over the years, videos have changed because more women and diverse race characters exist in games. In the past, videos games leading roles were predominantly white male characters and supporting roles for women. In fact, most of women characters’ roles were less important because women characteristics were based on stereotypes. Because of this, the exposure of video games and I will discuss about how video games such as Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider exert a media influence over the ages of 9 to 18 years affects their gender role.

A fact that contributes to the objectification and stereotyping of women is that as of 2011, 56% of video game players are male, and the other 44% are female (“Essential Facts” 4). This discrepancy caused video game industries to create games that will sell to the majority-- the male players. However, the 44% of female players are still considered a large consumer group (Shanley 11). Despite the 12% discrepancy between male and female players, industries that have chosen to focus solely on their male consumers can be seen as patriarchal. This patriarchy has caused video game industries to create games that would appeal to male gamers only (“Gender

As the gaming industry continues to progress, and become a bigger part of society, more people begin to become interested in games. However, game developers must decide how the games are constructed and who their target consumer is. Most games in circulation today are based on the interests of the male demographic. This raises the question, “What causes different preferences in games among gender?” There will always be distinctive characteristics that stand out between males and females, but pertaining to the gaming, there are major attributes that affect preference such as, exposure, goals, and values.

Since video games are a relatively new medium of artistic expression and entertainment, not much is known about the effects of continual exposure to them, especially at a young age. The effects of violent media on the psyche of kids and adolescents has been a pressing concern for many years now, as stated in a study conducted by Tortolero et al. (2014), where it is observed that most other studies done on the subject of video games were mainly focused on aggression (p.609). In the current attempt to identify a relationship between video games and the attitudes of youths, the researchers have decided to instead focus on levels of depressive symptoms and the amount of time spent playing video games through a cross-sectional analysis (Tortolero et al., p.609). The researchers have focused on the branch of psychology focused on mental health, clinical psychology (King, 2014, p.16), and the psychological problems associated with prolonged exposure to violent video games, specifically in preadolescents. The study was meant to observe the levels of depressive symptoms in children who played violent video games using the Major Depressive Disorder Scale of the DISC Predictive Scales to identify these symptoms which included lack of pleasure, lack of interest in activities, concentration difficulties, low energy, low self-worth, and suicidal ideation (Tortelo et al., 2014, p.610-611).

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.

Video Games. Video Gaming has been a popular form of entertainment in modern pop culture since the early 1980’s. From the early beginnings of software producers such as Nintendo, they have been creating games that have become favorable classics in only a few decades. With the most popular classic video games including Super Mario Bros. (1985), Donkey Kong (1981), Pac-Man (1980), and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), we can quickly note some patterns. One of the patterns that we can note is all of the main playable protagonists within these games are male. The second pattern that we can note is the majority of the games listed above have a storyline written about rescuing a princess — one of the only notable female characters within the game. Along with this, the female characters are only story-advancing non-playable characters (NPC’s). When the online gaming community was first introduced and popularized in the early 2000’s, females in the gaming community quickly faced another obstacle; sexism.