Video Games And Gun Violence Essay

One of the main concerns with respect to violence in video games compared to other media is the fact that games are immersive, and interactive. They are repetitive, and based on a reward system which is a proven psychological component of classical conditioning discovered by Ivan Pavlov. This argument however has been going on since the days of the comic book in the 50's, and because of the graphic violence portrayed in them, parents blamed them for their children's bad behavior.

The article, “The Truth About Video Games and Gun Violence” by Erik Kain discusses how video games and gun violence correlates. The author opens up with someone by the name of Aaron Alexis who resorted to gun violence while playing video games that contained violence. There is a violent video game that scares parents and behavioral experts. There has been a debate on whether people who play video games later have violent behavior. Throughout the years, video games continue to show images portraying violence.

Violent video games do not cause mass shootings. There are over 150 million Americans who play video games today. There may seem like there are a lot of crimes, but compared to the amount of kids playing violent video games, the number is minuscule. From 1982 to 2016, there has been 71 major mass shootings. Out of those 71 shootings, only 10% were teenagers (“Journal of Adolescent Health”). A study from Psychiatric Quarterly found that violent video games have absolutely no impact on the tempers in people 18 and under.

In the article ‘Shooting in the Dark’, the author discussed on the effects of playing violent video games and is trying to determine if it may be linked to aggressiveness in people, mostly focusing on adolescent and kids. The author used examples such as the killers from mass shootings like Columbine High School, and the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado having something in common - that they were all video gamers. In the argument, the author gathers evidences from experts and studies to determine if playing violent video games do play a role with why people go through rampages or have the urge to want to do so.

Some people believe that violent video games could lead to a murderer. This is because violent video games have been known to lead to stress. In a violent video games, the player is targeted and that raises their breathing and heart rate. This causes stress within the person. When someone is stressed, often times they become frustrated (Hasan, et.al. 1). Therefore, people believe that aggression and killers are directly linked to violent video games. This however, is not the case. There is so much more that needs to go into a person for them to become a killer. The player has to have a genetic link, they must have an abusive or neglectful childhood, or something must have gone wrong with their brain development. Violent video games are not going to send an everyday person over the edge and make them kill someone. There are many factors that can lead to a killer and even though violent video games can contribute for a person who already had the other factors, they do not create killers out of the people that play those

On the other hand, “it seems like after every school shooting that occurs, the media are quick to blame violent video game play for the shooter’s actions. In a 2004 study, the U.S Secret Service found that only 1 in 8 school shooters had an interest in violent video games.” ( Ramirez page 15). Different sources contribute to teen’s aggressive behaviors such as action movies, books etc. Furthermore, “the U.S. military uses video games both to recruit future soldiers and to train new recruits for combat.” (Ramirez page 1). In addition, violent video games are also contributing to the

In today?s world more and more teens are playing video games. Many people think its effecting the way teens behave. There are reports that mature video games are the cause of shootings, but there is much more evidence that entails a different cause. In ?10-Country Comparisons Suggest Little Or No Link Between Video Games And Gun Murders? written by Max Fisher states ?Data suggest a slight downward shift in violence as video game consumption increases?. This suggest that video games have a positive effect on gun violence. School shootings have been blamed on violent video games but there are many other things not included, like they may have been bullied at school or a mental issue. So some of the blame is left not answered for. The amount of video game consumption in America is much like other places in the world that has significantly fewer gun deaths. (Kain, Eric Violent Video Games 2015) According to Kain and Eric,? The number of violent youth offenders in the United States fell by more than half between 1994 and 2010 while video game sales doubled

In 1979 the United States was vehemently attacked by aliens from outer space, an event that was to forever change life on our planet. The release of Space Invaders for the Atari Video Computing System became an instant hit. Kids stopped listening to music, playing sports or going to movies, choosing instead to defend the nation from alien attack, from the safety of their television sets. The success of Space Invaders launched the video game revolution as the demand for personal game consoles soared (Atari). Videogames soon became the preferred leisure activity for children, forcing parents and critics to question the possiblibility of ill effects. With the advent of new technology, parents have even more

After conducting several review of video game and their influence, Gael Four and Nidal Nanbhan Abou mentioned “Although it has been suggested that several mass murders were influence by violent video games, scientific data do not support any causal link between exposure to video game violence and school shooting.” Kain Eric also hold the similar opinion “Moreover, determining why somebody carries out a violent act like a school shooting can be very complex; underlying mental-health issues are almost always present.” To commit homicide is not a causal task for ordinary people; hurting others for no reason can be equally difficult. Individual with heathy mental health won’t go outside and start to kill everyone, after playing violent games. Video games may raise people’s aggression, but thought is different from action. We bear consequences for our actions. Rather than trying to prove video games violence are dangerous which fitting public’s taste, researchers should try to find out the real reason behind those terrible

There is much persistent debate throughout culture these days concerning video games. Common questions asked are things like ?Where should the lines be drawn in terms of content? and What audience, if any, is this appropriate for? As lawyers fight, bizarre crimes are blamed on video games, constant studies take place, and technology continues to evolve, the video game world continues to thrive and be extremely profitable. While there is near-constant focus on the supposed ?negatives? of games like simulated killing, drug use, or sex, most people, especially those completely outside of gaming circles, fail to acknowledge that gaming of any kind can possibly have positive effects on players. While increased hand-eye

Approximately 90% of American kids ages 8 to 16 play video games for about 13 hours a week (Harding). There are many different kinds of video games but the particular genre that is becoming more and more popular among kids is violent video games. Games like “Grand Theft Auto”, “Call of Duty”, “Hitman” and “Mortal Kombat”. Each year these games become more realistic and more violent, leading some people to believe that there is actually a link between video game violence and real life violence. For decades research has been done on this topic to see if violence in video games can cause more aggressive behaviors in players, especially younger players. There are a lot of factors to consider on this issue like the research that has been

Many believe that the video game revolution of recent years has caused violence to occur much like that of the Columbine Massacre. Video games are often connected to violence, as many games encourage players to take part in virtual violent acts. A study conducted at Iowa State University, was looking to link violent video game with desensitization. The conclusion of the experiment was that:

Violent video games (VVG) cause’s people to be violent, have a desensitizing effect towards the young children, and can be the blame for mass shootings. The video games are violent and should be banned. Many people aren’t sure how violent video games cause people to be violent, but perhaps they’re sure there can be a connection. People are arguing that the first-person shooting games are truly promoting violence which making it more likely to become. First-person shooter games are when the player experiences the action through the eyes of the hero. Some scientist has said that “in an experiment that some of the violent games do increase people anger and bodily arousal” (Anderson and Bushman). But also some researchers are saying there isn’t enough science to prove that these violent games are causing the children to be violent.

Blood and gore, intense violence, strong sexual content, use of drugs. These are just a few of the phrases that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) uses to describe the content of several games. The future of entertainment revolves around technology. Along with the evolvement of technology, video games are also changing. More ways of playing violent video games are created each year, but most of us have this question in mind; do violent video games influence people to act aggressively?

This article focuses on the relation between video games and violence. The young men who opened fire at the theater in Aurora, the Columbine High School and in other massacres had one thing in common. All of them were video gamers who acted out their violent digital fantasies. The author is of the point of view that although all the culprits in the above cited instances were video gamers they were mentally imbalanced. Video games do have an effect on gamers but it’s a very short term effect. A video gamer can be aggressive for a couple of minutes but he cannot sustain the aggression for a longer duration of time. Violent video games help the gamers in venting out their frustration in a harmless way. According to Craig Anderson, a psychologist at Iowa State University, acts of extreme violence like school shootings cannot be attributed to a single factor. Other factors like being bullied or being socially isolate can have bad effects too. He is of the