Video Games And The Video Game Industry

Content analyses show that 89% of video games have some violent content. Half of the video games on the market have extreme violent actions toward other characters. Games, today, are allowing players to not only connect with the game physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. In essence, the player becomes the character. According to Nielson Media Research, at least 45 million households in the United States have at least one video game console (Markey & Charlotte, 2010). The average age of video game players has increased to age 34, and 60% of Americans play interactive games on a regular basis. However, researchers believe that younger children are more susceptible to the negative effects of playing violent video games compared to older teenagers and adults. Furthermore, games that include violence have raised serious concerns among

As technology as progressed, more people, especially youth, take part in playing video games. There has been an steady increase of video game usage because of the fact that video games have become more life-like and realistic. While they have become more realistic in aesthetic ways, they have also become more violent in content as well. Games like Call of Duty

Video games; a pastime for many people across the world, a form of entertainment, and, of course, a way to destress yourself from the outside world. Video games have been around since October 18, 1958 and have been evolving rapidly through the years. “ More than fifty years ago, before either arcades or home video games, visitors waited in line at Brookhaven National Laboratory to play “Tennis for Two,” an electronic tennis game that is unquestionably a forerunner of the modern video game” (“The First Video Game” 1). Since then, you can play video games at a local arcade or buy a copy of a game you like at a store like Gamestop! There are several companies and millions of titles of games to play from and, definitely, a wide variety of platforms to play on. Video games have a plethora of genres and types of games to play. For example, one could embark on a new journey in a role-playing game like Fallout 3 to playing an american football game in the Madden series. The options do not just end right there! Since video games are advancing so if there content! Specifically, in their action and shooter genre. In a modern action/ shooting games, one can see the blood and even characters get their head blown off. Some video game titles have mass murder scenes and even sexual themes. “As the level of violence in video games has increased, so has concern for the effects on those who play - especially those who play a lot” (“Video Game

A significantly large portion of the video games created within the past 5 to 10 years contain some form of violence. On top of that, some of the most popular video games out in the market today are extremely violent and warrant an “M” rating for mature. Video game developers are well aware of this trend and continue to produce more graphic, interactive, and realistic content. Therefore, there is a concern that the vast amount of violence in video games is changing how youth develop and what they perceive as normal. Many researchers believe that there is a link between video games and increased aggression in the people who play them.

In recent years there have been plenty of cases of music, people, games, etc, being used as scapegoats so authorities can jump to conclusions about violent events and blame these as the main reason for such an event to take place. To give people an answer that may not even have any supporting evidence. Nowadays violence in video games is up to the level of killing people as the norm with many popular titles having this apart of the game. In many games that is the one of the main features that add together to create the game. Some game titles that include violence and killing are ‘Call of Duty,’ ‘Halo,’ ‘Grand Theft Auto,’ ‘Mass Effect,’ ‘Battlefield,’ ‘Counterstrike: Global Offensive,’ and ‘Doom.’ All of these games main storylines include the need to attack and kill to progress forward (Mainly with guns). But does this create a bad effect on people? Is this making people more likely to be violent? Even kill in real life? This is the particular ethical issue that violence in video games is having. The argument to prove if video games are really a cause of anger and if they cause a more aggressive and again violent person just by playing. In the world there are over 1.2 billion people that play video games, which is about 44% of the online population (comScore data cited by Spil Games). With majority of games including some form of violence, ranging from being very gentle lego fights to full on gore and guts in 18+

According to several studies, women are now making up a significant portion of the gaming demographic, but the industry hasn’t done much to make them feel welcome. During the last decade, the mainstream video game industry has seemed to operate under the same apparent assumptions: girls don’t play big action games, boys like the sexualization of girls in video games and won’t play as a female character unless she is heavily sexualized, and that girls play video games for the attention of boys. These assumptions are what allows the gaming industry to continue to focus on their male players, particularly young men, despite the fact that the number of women playing games today may someday soon rival the number of men.

From the late 1970s until the present day, the video game industry has been growing in popularity and profit at an amazing rate, with profits exceeding $10 billion in 1999 (Senate Commitee on the Judiciary, 1999). As time has progressed, the content of these games has become more and more realistic, and the violence in them has become more realistic. Concerns about this violence, from the relatively tame Pac-Man of the early 1980s to the near photo-realistic bestsellers of today, have been around since video games first enter the public consciousness. Video game violence appears in nearly all genres of game, from fantasy, to action, to sports and children of both genders have indicated a preference for video games containing violent content (Funk J. , 1993).

When shooting games first came on the scene, a pixel person looked more like a Lego than a human. There was no blood, guts, or any real depiction of the violence. But this is not the case anymore. Many video games could almost be confused for real life movies. The blood, gore, and killing is much more real and creates a lot less imagination to conjure. “But new psychological studies are finding that as violent games become more realistic, constantly playing them can lead to a desensitization toward real violence” (Bilton). Some would argue that the realistic graphics of the games sold don’t really matter because the actual number of people who commit violent acts is so far and few in-between. “Of those millions of players, few commit an act of violence, certainly not enough to say that statistically, video games is a principle cause- or even a significant cause- if the real world violent behavior” (Bezio). But its shouldn’t matter have frequent or how much damage is done, all that matters is that it is being done and innocent lives are being lost for reasons that could very well be

The video game industry has grown into a colossus of today’s business world over the past forty-three years. Constantly adapting to the changing market, in order to make a profit off of a popular form of entertainment, the video game industry is continually expanding. But, two very important questions, about the industry, exist: Why has the industry become so popular, and where will that popularity lead? By the trend that the industry has shown video game popularity is due in part to the industry’s humble origins and from that popularity video games will become the next art form.

For this purpose of this study violent video games will be anything that allows the users to experience violence through the use of guns, the use of weapons/objects that are used to injury/murder characters in that game, the display of blood and/or dismembering, physical combat in which the only way to win is to injury/eliminate opponents.

Video Games have come a long way since their first introduction into the main stream. With video games becoming more sophisticated and using advanced technology, it seems as if video games are closing in on the gap between games and reality. However, as video games become ever so life-like it brings up the question of if the violence associated with video games is having a negative consequence. There have been many accusations over the years over the harm video games are causing children and teenagers. Experiments have been conducted trying to associate a link between video games and aggressive behavior. Even the media has been known to point fingers at video games for the cause of children

The long-standing controversial issue of the correlation between aggressive videogames and violence committed by adolescents has been debated and researched since the early 1980’s. The video gaming business has become a multi-billion dollar business which has great influence on our society. Due to the financial gains and the technological advances, video games have become more realistic over time. some popular video games today are so realistic that many perceive them as simulations, these video games are just games nothing more.. Many argue that there are positive benefits as well as negative effects of aggressive video games available to play.

Many studies have shown how harmful the effects of media violence can be for over 60 years, and some recent studies have shown that there may even be a direct correlation between a one’s emotions and their exposure to the highly concentrated violence in video games. It is also known that over 85% of video games today have at the very least some type of minor violence, and about half of video games contain serious violent actions (Carnagey, 2007). This is the reason why video game violence research and literature is growing so rapidly and new studies are being reported nearly every month (Krahé, 2011). This fascinating research as well as literature explains the need for further studies on what the effects of violent video games are. This research is especially useful for new video games and the age restrictions for them. Parents will benefit a great deal from this research, helping them to better understand how violent video games may affect their children’s emotions.

Videogame console developers have gone too by of requiring their systems to be connected to the Internet and then charging an annual fee to use their online service. This has caused me to stop playing games and look for alternative forms of entertainment. I have found that a gaming computer instead of a gaming console is the practical alternative. I persuade gamers to stop pouring their money into these gaming consoles, instead purchase or build a gaming computer. I will discuss how a gaming computer is a better purchase than a gaming console because of improved graphics, financial gain, upgrade compatibility, versatile controller options, game selections, learning opportunities, and alternative capabilities.

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.