Violent Video Games And Other Media Violence Essay

Many theories are speculated of what drove people to create such massacres and harm to innocent victims. One of the most popular is that violent video games have an influence on these attacks. However, Matt Peckham, in “Researcher Says Linking Video Games to Gun Violence is a ‘Classic Illusory Correlation’” explains there isn’t much evidence to prove that theory and researches haven’t found a reasonable link between the two. Actually, on the contrary video games seem to benefit a person mind rather than harm them according to Mary Flanagan, in her article “Don’t Demonize Video Games for Violence.” Video games don’t influence a person’s mind because there is a psychological explanation to these occurrences therefore violent video games has no contribution to violence incidents across the nation.

Since violent video games, like Mortal Kombat, were created, adolescents who play these games become more aggressive than before. To me, playing violent video games is unsafe for these people since they have the negative influence on these people. I believe that researching on that topic would help us get the sense of what problems to avoid. I wish to know what are the possible effects of violent video games on adolescents’ aggression. The independent variable is violent video games, and the dependent variable is adolescents’ aggression. My hypothesis is that adolescents who play violent video games become very aggressive than those who don’t. For this essay, I would like to present the findings from each article that will answer

There is a ratings system that applies to all video games market, designed to keep minors from obtaining games that have been deemed inappropriate. There are six different ratings, ranging from EC (early childhood) to AO (adults only). In between are, ranging in terms of least violent to more violent, E (Everyone), E10+ (Everyone 10 and older), T (Teen), and M (Mature) (Game Ratings par. 3-6). Although the intent of the game ratings system is clear, its effectiveness is usually in question. Aside from lucid guidelines, it is still difficult to get results. Who is to govern the people once the game is in their hands? For instance, take a kid who is ?of age? buying a game rated M, then passing it down to his younger friends or siblings once he is finished playing it? The ratings system seems to be ?one of those things? with the right intention that yields ineffective results. The system does, however, require retailers to check ID?s to assure proper coincidence with the ratings. It is left to the retailer to follow those rules.

The industry’s success has been plagued by many critics and sociology experts all whom criticize the library of violent video games stating that its detrimental to the overall health of its user, especially the adolescents, and that exposure to violent video games lead to real-life violence. Studies by various psychiatrists have been conducted in order to find the correlation between violent video games and real-life acts of violence and the majorities of the studies were inconclusive and are often inconsistent in their findings. According to N, Carnagey. , C, Anderson & B, Bushman (2007) “A study conducted by US Surgeon General on whether violent video games desensitizes people to real-life violence”(Para. 5). Unfortunately there has not been any published research on the topic however; many studies suggest that repeated exposure to violence in video games desensitize the individual to real violence but all the studies fail to provide solid proof. This matter is understandable, continuous exposure to violence in any type of media should have the same effect more or less not just video games.

For years there has been constant debate between the correlation between violent video games and gun violence. Many opponents believe video games should be reagulated. Video games should not be regulated because they are more beneficial than harmful. They require abstract and high level thinking, enhancing mental skills. Video games increase brain gray mater. They inprove decistion making skills. Video games increase self confidence and self esteeem.

Concerns about the effect of media violence on children extends back at least to the beginning of the mass media, with the issue raised with reference to films, radio, television, comic books, and so on. As technology brings new types of media to the fore, the issue shifts to depictions of violence in these new media. Both popular sources and scholarly address this issue, asking in effect how violent video games change children’s behavior and make them more violent, assuming that it is believed that this is the case.

Video game violence has been a long going controversy. Video games have not been around all that long, “first introduced in the 1970s” (Cesarone, Feb. ‘95), and started out as being centered towards the Children. Well anybody that has grown up with games are now older and more mature and demand more from their gaming experience, and so the creation of new types and styles of games have evolved to suit them. I have grown up with games, and am at the age where ‘kids games’ just don’t do it for me anymore. The games that I thought were enjoyable when I was a kid are now very boring. I need a more complex game with many variables to consider, and I am mature enough to handle violence, and what is more complex

From Math Games for kids to blood and gore video games have a lot of different sides to them. Video games are decided on by the player. Saying that games cause violent behavior in kids is inaccurate. We as people decide who we are and what we will do with our lives. A digital screen and a controller can’t make us any more violent than we already are. Blaming violence on a simple sixty dollar piece of plastic is unfair. Games are rated early childhood to Adult only. This means that what we play is up to us and we are in control of what we choose to have around us. This also means that if you are a parent and you buy a rated M game for your seven years old it is your fault. Video games do not influence violent behavior in kids because there are multiple positive facts about video games that are proven while most negative data on video games aren’t proven and are just speculation, it reduces stress and the chances of the player bullying others.

Media violence has been tremendously growing and attaining the hazardous extents. Two-thirds of TV shows contain some kind of violence. Most self-involving video games contain some violent matter in it. For example, if you manufacture guns, you do not need to give any advertisement, because it is done by the amusement industry. Aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, hallucinations, and fear of being mishandled were caused by the media violence, was explained in a 2009 Policy Statement on Media Violence, by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The increase in aggressive behavior happens by watching violent video shows on TV, and by playing violent video games.

On December 1, 1997, fourteen-year-old Michael Carneal entered school property in West Paducah, Kentucky and began shooting a pistol at a group of students participating in a youth prayer group, killing three students and injuring five others. On March 24, 1998, Mitchell Johnson (13) and Andrew Golden (11) opened fire on students at a high school in Craighead County, Arkansas as they exited the building for a fire alarm set off by the pair, killing five and wounding ten others. On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris (18) and Dylan Klebold (17) entered Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado and began a shooting rampage that left 13 dead and 21 others wounded. On April 16, 2007, Seung-Hui Cho (23) began a siege on the

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.

The overconsumption of things that we assume are not harmful to us can result in death or very close to it, such as Vitamin b, codeine, alcohol, and water. What do all of these have in common? All of these can either kill you, or become very harmful to your well being if you consume too much of it. We could certainly compare the “overconsumption” of video games with violence to the above with added danger. The fact that video games are addictive as can be seen by anyone with experience of playing or the people in our lives who fell under the spell of video games. Obviously, they get absorbed and obsessed over the virtual world and sometimes forget their responsibilities and obligations. The virtual world stealing peoples’ lives in that

“Life is a video game. No matter how good you get, you are always zapped in the end” (“Video Game Quotes” 1). Over time researchers, psychiatrists, and parents have often wondered how damaging violent video games can be to the youth in society. This is an important matter to people with children in their personal lives or work environment. These games have become a large risk factor for aggressive behavior in children. Researchers have been saying that video games do affect adults as well; however, they have even more effect on younger brains in early development. Video games have negative effects on childrens’ behavior. Some effects that video games have are reduced academic performance, aggression, obesity, and emotional disorder.

Violent video games make gamers of all ages more aggressive, and should not be sold to minors without a parent’s consent. Many video games these days are extremely violent in nature and may in fact have some effect on the brain that would cause a child, teenager or even an adult to act out on aggression. I can say for myself that I have become very aggressive at times in certain games. I can remember not too long ago; I was playing a game called Destiny. There was this mountain that you had to jump to the top of to collect a fragment needed to forge a weapon. I’ve never been more frustrated in my life than the moment I attempted to reach the top. This was no easy climb, I literally spent 5 hours trying to time the jumps and land on the right spots to continue. Watched countless YouTube videos on people taking no less than ten minutes to complete this mountain climb, and it was all for not. Not only did I fail to reach the top, I nearly broke my controller and probably said every curse word in the book. Not to mention my wife told me to stop playing cause “you’re going to have an aneurism.” Amidst all my frustrations do I ever act out and take any of this aggression to the next level? The answer is an emphatic NO. I honestly feel as a person I am just not programmed that way, is it possible, I guess, but I could never see myself hurting someone or stealing from someone based off my experiences with games I have played.

Considering stores are the primary source of obtaining video games, this law is very effective. Another step has been taken by researchers to prevent the children from getting these games.