Essay about Violence of Video Games

The main argument of this article is that video games have a direct link to short term and long term aggression. The author presents this argument by providing studies from peer reviewed articles that all conclude that video games do cause an increase of aggression. The main point of this article is to answer the question, “Do violent video games lead to aggression.” The article is about the effects of violent video games leading to aggression. The author uses recent examples, like the Sandy Hook and Washington Navy Yard shooting. In both of these examples, the author cites that both shooters had a history with playing violent video games. The author uses a study which selected individuals to play violent video games for a certain period of time. The study would then compare the results to a group who played non-violent video games. The study concluded that violent video games cause a direct link in aggression due to humans reenacting the actions the characters within the video games perform.

“Approximately 90 percent of kids in the U.S. play video games, and more than 90 percent of those games involve mature content that includes violence.”-(Time Health). The link between violent media and aggression in video games has also created a spawn of research studies that has gone back and forth on the issue of whether

True or False: Violent videogames cause children to become more aggressive. Sorry, that was a trick question. Despite much bandying of statistics and loud talking by critics on both sides of the argument, the real answer is that there is no real answer—at least not one that’s been proved scientifically (Zipp). Video games are an appealing target for a public figure in search of a crusade. Movies and music have energetic advocates, but it’s hard to find anyone who will defend games for their artistic value, or even on the grounds of freedom of expression. Usually the strongest argument made for games is that they are harmless fun (Koffler).

Morality and human nature are important factors when considering the behavioral influences of video games, whether they are positive or negative. Violence in the real world involves much more complexity than any influence by the media. As previously stated, simple factors such as one’s home life, environment, and general human nature are ignored when video gaming’s influences are under scrutiny. In a world where millions of people are dying in real wars, it is a luxury to harbor concern for children to be excited after playing a shooting game (Gee). The moral and behavioral influences of any video game are left up to the interpretation of the player; there is no direct influence in any game that dictates bad behavior to their players. James Paul Gee provides an incredibly important point in stating, “Video games are neither good nor bad on their own, and induce neither violence nor peace.” It is important to consider the context of video games. In David Kushner’s article, he quotes The British Board of Film Classification’s conclusion from a survey: “The violence helps make the play exhilaratingly out of reach of ordinary life… Gamers seem not to lose awareness that they are playing a game and do not mistake the game for real life.” If a violent child did not play video games, then where would the blame fall?

Bloodshed and aggression is everywhere; in magazines, in the shops, on the TV, on websites like YouTube as well as in video games. Yet, why is it that those video games are assumed to be the biggest media source responsible for the violent outbursts of different individuals? Is this really the case? Every eight out of ten homes in the United Kingdom own a existing generation games console and video games have become a extraordinary source of education when helping kids to learn, such websites like educationcity.com or the VTech Learning System that teach kids literacy, numeracy and the sciences through their games. However, it seems an American politician called Joe Biden deemed that violent video games should be taxed just because some

Video games are prevalent among impressionable children and teenagers. There has been a great deal of controversy surrounding the violent themes used in video games. Teenage shootings in schools have led society to question the relationship between video violence and criminal activity. After considerable research, expert opinions, and research findings, the American Psychological Association found that there is no link between gaming and criminal behavior (Casey). With this, the pursuit of video violent games continues to grow in our society. With games that show execution style murders, blood oozing from gunshot wounds, and victims moaning from wounds, it certainly is gratifying for the indulgent player. The ongoing concern about aggression and violence has once again been proven to be non-existent (Alert). My thoughts are that this cartoon like violence is appeals to the need for violence in an artificially designed environment. In this manner, violence is contained within the boundaries of fantasy. This is unlike “The Crucible” which occurs in with real people, events, and situations. Thus, directing violence in the realm of societal dysfunction that has endured with

Technology is an important aspect of change in our world. As time goes on, we are introduced to more and more technology every year, which includes media such as video games. The increase of technology has also increased and improved the world including ways of communicating and distribution of information. More often used outlets of media are those used for entertainment purposes, like television, internet and video games. The ones who are most likely to engage in these media outlets are millennials and the most recent generation Z, because they have been introduced to these outlets from a young age. In fact, a study found that children spend around 9 hours a week playing video games (Polman, de Castro, & van Aken, 2008). It is evident that video games are progressively becoming more violent in nature, and with children spending as much time as they do playing video games, there are questions that must be asked, is the violent nature of video games effecting today’s youth? And if so in what ways?

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.

A violent video game is defined as a video game where the range of options available to a player includes killing, maiming, dismembering, or sexually assaulting an image of a human being (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2010). For many years there has been increasing concern by the general public, policy makers and social scientists as to whether or not violent video games have a negative influence on the behaviour of youth. With the popularity of the gaming culture growing dramatically amongst children and adolescences; the marketing of violent video games to youth has become increasingly successful, allowing such games to become more easily obtainable regardless of age (Anderson et al 2007). Consequently, the increase has raised the question of exactly what impact exposure to these highly graphic games has on the younger generation; resulting in a range of research and studies to continue to take place on the subject. It has become the norm in most modern societies to associate violent video games as a considerable cause to the violent and aggressive outbursts of youth (Ferguson 2010). Some even go as far as connecting some crimes committed by young people as a result of their exposure to violent video games. While others claim there is no link between violent video games and negative youth behaviour; some suggesting that violent video games have a positive impact on the behaviour of youth.

The arrival of violent video games and the media covering recent mass killings, an emotional debate has developed about the impact of video games on aggressive, violent, and criminal behavior. Findings from certain research are contradictory: some studies show an increase in aggressiveness, while others suggest a decrease in criminality. The increase in the diversity of game platforms makes playing violent video games easier to play, which is a source of concern. Video games are not solidly anchored in the popular culture, while in the past an eccentric pastime no longer exists (Fournis 1). In 1971, the First Amendment was adopted to primarily protect speech critical to the government; in contrast to the English seditious libel laws, which allowed punishment for true speech derogatory. The Supreme Court decided that violent video games cause aggression in children solely based on the First Amendment instead of scientific evidence (Bushman 306). Both sides of violent video games have valid points, but they are missing the one key and most important point, which is the psychology within the household.

In today’s society the entertainment industry is being attacked from many angles. Television is being criticized by showing images of violence and aggression, music is being ridiculed for explicit lyrics, and within the last decade the issue of videogame violence and children has come to the attention of the mass media. The media, politicians, and many parents are blaming videogames for violent acts among children and those less than 18 years of age. But could videogames be the sole cause of violent crimes among children? In the fall of 2005 I took a course here at Coker called Videogames – Analysis and Research. The most popular topic discussed in our class was Violence and Aggression as a result of Violent Videogames. We studied

In today’s generation, electronics have become a popular tool for entertainment. In particular, playing video games has become an increasingly popular pastime for adolescents. According to the American Psychological Association, 97% of American adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 play video games (Scutti). However, there are many controversies surrounding the idea of playing video games. In today’s market, video games often contain violent themes, such as killing or stealing. This would include many shooting games, strategic games, and role-playing games. Many individuals argue that these violent themes are a bad influence on adolescents and will encourage violence. With an increasing number of adolescents spending hours a day gaming, many parents may believe that it is best to forbid their children from playing video games altogether. On the contrary, despite the bad reputation of violent video games, playing these games do not negatively affect adolescents and may even benefit them instead.

As technology advances, new and creative forms of entertainment immerge from these advancements. One form that has grown immensely in popularity over the past dozen years has been video games. Taking form nearly four decades ago, video games have been one of the major embodiments of the growth of entertainment technology. Today, video games have taken many shapes, from the general PC and console games to special applications that can be found on social networks and even millions of cell phones around the world.

Attention Getter: Can violence in video games lead to violent outbreaks and bad behaviour in real life, many people believe so. Are these violent video games moulding and fuelling today’s generation of young minds to a more violent side, forgetting the idea that these games are solely for entertainment purposes. Many studies have taken place surrounding this idea, giving valid points to both sides of the topic.

Each generation grows up with something the previous generation did not. Music genres, television, and now video games. Video games have been a chief medium since they entered households in the late 70s and early 80s with such consoles as the Atari (1980). They have been a staple of the entertainment industry since and have shaped the generations that grew up with these consoles. Video games do, however, bring some controversy, despite their significance. The issue of violent video games and their effect on those who play them is a heated topic that has not yet been proven one way or another. Do video games cause people to inflict violent acts on those around them or not?