Video Game Violence Essay

In today’s world, video games have come along way since the birth of game consoles, with such games as Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Frogger. Not only have the graphics done a complete turn but the violence has also on video games. There have been many people discussing on the topic of video games that have violence and the effect it has on kids. It brings out more aggression on kids that play those types of games than those who does not. Video games are considered harmful to society.

Originally, the purpose of violent video games is to entertain. However, its content encourages violence and invites to enjoy cruelty. When playing video games, kids are required to kill a human being to get a perfect score. If kids are left to spend plenty of time playing violent video games, they will be obsessed with brutality. As a result they will have difficulty to tell apart fantasy from reality and start dreaming about killing and scoring in real life. As it can be addictive, it also isolates them from human contact, which leads to lack of sympathy. That’s why most school shooters are great video gamers. I will support my thesis with evidences and quotes from expertise.

With the video game industry making billions of dollars each year, we see article after article coming out on the news attacking them. They have been said to rot your brain, make you fat, and turn you into serial killer, incapable of feeling emotion or empathy for your fellow man.

Video game violence has been a wildly debated topic since the beginnings of the industry. The topic evolved from the debate on media violence or violence in print media. However, the video game debate brings a new angle. Video games, because of their immersive nature, are said to have more impact on children. The proponents and opponents of video game censorship do not really fall into traditional political boundaries. The proponents of censorship tend to be some parents and doctors. Those opposed to censorship tend to be those who play the video games themselves. There is a center faction, however. The center faction consists of those doctors and psychologists who evaluate media violence on a

In recent years, we have seen many video games criticized and bashed in the public eye for their disputable content. However, the game industry has been subjected to controversy since the creation of its first adult themed games such as Death Race 1976 or Custer 's Revenge 1982. These two graphics limited games have introduced video game violence to the public and since then debate about morals and ethics of video games evolved over the years together with the game experience thanks to modern technologies. Violence is one aspect of many that can cause great controversy that’s why it is important to create a suitable ethical, cultural and legal context as it can determine its failure or its success. In this paper, I will present an example

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.

There weren’t any problems seen with games or gamer behaviour until 1976 when the company Exidy released the game Death Race, due to the gremlins human-like appearance, the context of its inspiration Death Race 2000 (1975), and the game’s working title being Pedestrian. The uproar around the game actually promoted sales and sparked the release of its sequel Super Death Race in 1977, and Atari’s release of the 2600 home console. In the following years there was great success with games that weren’t thought to be particularly violent like Pac- man and Space Invaders, however rising concerns came with public success. In 1982 the combination of a warning from C. Everett Koop-- the U.S. general surgeon at the time-- that video games contributed to family violence and the release of Custer’s Revenge (1982) by Mystique created astigmatism against games made and marketed for adults. There was a short break before the Mortal Kombat (1992) series reopened the discussion on violent video games with it’s gory and brutal “Fatality” scenes that included: decapitation, ripping the organs or skeletal structure, and incinerating or freezing your opponent. At the same time the less popular Night

Video games, the great new type of home entertainment of the twenty first century. However, with anything new in our society, there are always opinions. Whether it is positive or negative. It is the individual’s choice on what to say on the subject. Besides that, in the case of video games. It always come under fire by many news media when a new popular video game release for sale. Examples of such news media are Huffington Post and Forbes, along with many others, with headline such as “Do Games Like ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Cause Real- World Violence?” by Forbes. Having such headlines, it seem like a very black and white question fishing for a black and white answer. On the contrary, many of everyday issues have a large grey area. It is not simply

In recent years, the debate of whether violent video games has any relation on violent behaviors has been gaining momentum. Studies have indicated a link between violent video games and higher levels of aggression but there is not enough evidence to support the risk of criminal or violent behavior. Often the video game is not the brute of the blame but the manufacturer. Video game manufacturers get a rating based upon their content. These ratings leave the choice up to the consumer (or the parents) on the level of violent (adult) content and are as

In the 90's two of the probably most influential video games of the decade were introduced. Doom, and Quake they were first person shooters in which you went level by level slaughtering your opponents. With the onset of the internet, the companies who made Doom, Quake and others made their games available for anyone to download trial versions via the internet. Along with downloading the video games, gamers where allowed to play other players across the world. Another huge game that had plenty of violence and gore in it was the arcade smash Mortal Kombat. The public finally realized how violent video games were when this game was released in 1994 for home consoles. The publics concerns led to congressional hearings in order to set up a rating system for video games similar to the rating system used in movies and television. ( 375) After the hearings a definant rating system was set on all games in order to prevent young children from viewing the bloody violence seen in games. The rating systems ranged from; "E" for everyone, "T" for teens and "M" for mature. Today violence is apparent in thousands of video games. The question now is, where does the American public stand on this issue?

Everyone in the world has a hobby, no matter how big or small. For some, it is writing, reading, or building objects. It just depends on what interests that person. Since video games were created, they have fascinated people. They provide another form of entertainment. This is especially prominent in the United States today. Due to video games, America has begun to see certain trends arise. Among these is the claim that they cause violent behaviors and other negative consequences. Violent video games are acceptable for many age groups in America today for several reasons.

In the year 1972, something happened that would forever change the world of home entertainment and personal enjoyment. The first video game to break through the confines of reality, was a game called Pong. From Pong, to Call of Duty, people come a long way in the world of video games. However, some games have struck up controversy with their gratuitous violence and their questionable motives. It has become so controversial, that it has been taken up and noticed by our own government. So, what’s the problem with violent video games, and how can the next generation be protected, so that they will not get influenced by these games in real life?

I believe that the dilemma of what is appropriate for a game is one that will go on for a long time. There will always be people who disapprove of something and

In the 90’s there was even enough media attention to video game violence that the United States Congress had a hearing on issuing age appropriate labels, much like in movies, to video games to warn parents of the contents of a game. Each of these matters have only helped further tarnish the reputation of video games, and draw worse misconceptions about them.

Playing video games does not cause violent behavior. Don’t get me wrong, some video games show horrific acts of violence. “A recent survey found that 92 percent of U.S. kids--ages 2 to 17--play video games, and their parents bought 225 million of them last year to the tune of $6.4 billion.” (Sider 79).What’s here to argue is that violent video games do not cause violence among children, but the blame for violence should be on the individual and people who should have taught the individual better. If kids are not able to see the difference between reality and fantasy, then they really can’t be blamed for committing acts they see in a game and then imitating, not fully understanding the consequences of doing it in the real world.