Video Game Violence : 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.

This article is a very useful source. Is useful because it answers the question, “Do violent video games cause an increase in aggression.” The question is answered thoroughly by the author because they cited recent studies, examples, and peer reviewed or scholarly sources that all concluded that violent video games cause an increase in aggression. The author is objective because they countered their argument by stating that

According to the article “Sandy Hook Killer Took Motive To This Grave” written in 2013 by Matt Smith, a CNN journalist, Adam Lanza killed 20 first graders and 6 adults with a semiautomatic rifle in December of 2012. Michael Casey, a CBS News journalist who wrote, “Do Violent Video Games Lead to Criminal Behavior” in 2015, stated that Adam Lanza “was obsessed with violent video games” and that these games caused him to shoot up this old school, in Connecticut. This is one very tragic and sad example of how games that showcase simulated violence manipulate people into becoming over aggressive and to develop horrible

According to CBS News, back in 2005 in a small town of Alabama, an eighteen-year-old teenager went on a rampage and killed three men, two of them being police officers. It was found out that the gunman played Grand Theft Auto day and night for months. He was simulated to murder; he was trained to “kill”. We all remember the tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, where fourteen children and six teachers were killed in December 2014. DailyMail reports that investigators discovered that the shooter, Adam Lanza, “notched up more than 83,000 'kills' on his beloved video games including 22,000 'head shots' as he trained himself for the horrific Sandy Hook massacre.” His mother recalled to a friend days before the attack that her “son had become increasingly obsessed with the military and she finding disturbing pictures of mutilated corpses and murdered children under his bed.” Studies reveal that violent games make children

After the elementary school shooting of Sandy Hook in 2012 this issue of violent video games became a hot issue calling for a connection of violence to video games. However, the final investigative report suggested that he was more a fan of nonviolent games (Ferguson, 2015). Video game violence is an issue that continues to be studied due to the inability to come to a general conclusion on whether or not the games provoke violence in connection to mass shootings. With shootings occurring and receiving mass coverage the media and public often seek a person/item to place the blame on. After the tragic events that left people dead or injured one of the topics that emerged was that of video games affects/effects on the person.

It was Christmas Day and Savanna’s nine year old brother had just received a new game that he had been wanting for his X-Box, “Grand Theft Auto.” As soon as he opened it, he began to play. Three hours later he was STILL playing. Savanna was sitting on the couch reading a new book, when she started to notice some frustration coming from her brother. As he sprung up off the floor, he let out a yell of anger, went over to the living room wall, and punched it, leaving a hole in the wall. Savanna wondered if this violent reaction was because of the violence he had been seeing in the video game. A review of almost a decade of studies found that exposure to violent video games was a “risk factor,” for increased violence in youth.(Radowitz) From

Parents and other adults have begun to become more concerned about violent video games due to the increased reality in the games. However, society may not realize how children and teens are affected by these games. In modern times, children and young adults are affected by violent games in a negative way by causing changes in their behavior. The average American child watches 28 hours of television a week and by the age of eighteen will have seen 16,000 murders and 200,000 violent acts (Gallagher). People who defend violent games like to point out that playing the games does not mean all players will go out and commit acts of violence, and that millions of people who play do not demonstrate violent behavior(Hicks). Although that is true,

The evolution of video games has taken a drastic change since the 1970’s when video games were first introduced. Since then every decade video games have become more violent in nature with strong language and realistic to suit society today. Craig Anderson states that with more violence in video games they would sell better than games with less violence (Anderson, Gentile, and Beckley pg.5). Violent video games really became popular when the first person shooter games were invented so that we could see through the eyes of the player, as if we were really experiencing it. Society wanted better graphics and games as time went on new technology was invented and society matured in electronics. This meant that for game creators would have to come up with something better selling than the last. Creators would make the games more violent and more realistic each time so that way they can keep the interest of their consumers. Each game would increase in blood or gore slowly, but what really got consumers to buy their games would be the update of graphics in the consoles or games. This is due to the drastic changing of technology and the maturing of consumers wanting better and newer violent video games. Violent video games can cause children to behave violently if not correctly supervised.

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:

Violent video games are some of the most popular games for their realistic graphics, complex storylines, and overall carnage. Children soon find themselves playing them daily to access new items, achievements, and missions unlockable in the game. However, this motivation can quickly slide into obsession and, in many cases, addiction. This kind of obsession causes lasting effects on the child’s brain. The citizens of Slaughter, Louisiana tragically experienced this in August of 2013 when “an 8-year-old boy intentionally shot and killed his elderly caregiver after

In today’s society, violence increases in the behavior of children growing into young adults more than it has in the past. Aggressiveness overwhelms the parents of those who once had innocent babies. Patterns of disrespectful social conduct is witnessed across the world. What influences this behavior in children? What can cause the negativity in a household of what used to be a loving family? Video games. One of the most popular activities for children, teens and young adults to pursue in their spare time. Hours spent staring at a television set manually making decisions towards unknown characters and objects can testify as one of the reasons behind violence growing in fans of particular video games.

Every child is born innocent; it is the way a child grows up that causes them to act violently in some situations. Every child is innocent until they are exposed to all the harmful and dangerous that everyone lives with. There are many factors that can destroy a child's life; growing up watching violent movies, playing violent games, living with a violent family, and being peer pressured are some of the many factors that are increasing the amount of violence among children.

To a lazy onlooker, violence in art has no other meaning than that of a primal nature. The use of violence in abstraction is akin to the use of color in a painting. Video games and films in particular are subject to such scrutiny as the use of violence is common in these mediums. The point of art such as these is to express ideas, provide entertainment, and persuade the audience to think. Therefore, it is absurd to think that video games and movies could invoke violent feelings onto someone.

Violence in media is not a recent development. Prior to television, citizens across the country glued themselves to the radio listening to the broadcast of popular crime dramas. Before radio, books and newsprint fulfilled society’s craving for dramatic violence. Prior to the days of technology, live stage performances served to sate man’s desire for thrills. With the recent advent of technology along with an ever-increasing human desire for blood-pumping entertainment, children now are much more exposed to media violence than ever before. Gauthier, Zuromski and Gitter write, “Media coverage of violent killings (e.g., the Columbine High School shooting in 1999) has cited the potential role of violent media exposure in fostering aggressive behavior, especially because some of the perpetrators have a history of violent media consumption” (513). Children spend hours on end watching television shows and movies filled with violence or playing video games where they can play the role of a character and act out the violence themselves. This can lead to children eventually playing out these fantasies in real life or, more likely, not reacting humanely in the face of violence. Overindulged by the violence in media and video games, children are losing the capacity for compassion and developing the capacity to harm others without feeling guilt for their actions. To help curb these harmful effects,

There is a source who believes that violent video games cause people to be more aggressive in behavior, but also adds on by saying that this behavior leads to actual real-life violence. Jean Twenge has a Ph.D. in psychology at San Diego State University, and is a strong believer in video games causing harmful real-life actions. To help support her reason,