Violent Video Games 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.

In today’s world, video games have come along way since the birth of game consoles, with such games as Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and Frogger. Not only have the graphics done a complete turn but the violence has also on video games. There have been many people discussing on the topic of video games that have violence and the effect it has on kids. It brings out more aggression on kids that play those types of games than those who does not. Video games are considered harmful to society.

Video games have become a major occupation of majority of the youth these days. They spend hours on end concentrating on video games, some of which are apparently very violent, yet this is actually the whole idea. Coming from the horse's mouth is an argument in support of video games coined from a video programmer's point of view, stating that violent video games allow people to do what they can not do in reality- virtual reality. ( http://www.theroc.org/roc-mag/textarch/roc-15/roc15-08.htm ) For instance, someone said to be having a bad day could use a violent video game to release stress by shooting down a couple hundred bad men than actually taking an AK-47 and spilling down a few brains down the

“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

While anchormen and angry parents point fingers at video games for the source of all aggression in youth, studies show that the amount aggression video games cause is actually quite low. Christofer Ferguson, an associate professor at Texas A&M, studied video game violence and aggression in youth. He discovered that the effects the games had were “generally very low” and people were “overestimating the influence of violent games on aggression.” ( Jayson 3.) Instead, the main source of aggression was among peers, natural personality traits, mental disorders and, of all places, the home. Family life plays a huge part in a child’s behavior and while a violent game may add to aggression, it is not the main source and should not be to blame. For most, video games are relaxing. Eric Beaudoin, a twenty five year old graduate student in psychology says that he plays to relax and forget about his “dissertation, practicum, and clients and shoot some monsters.” (Jayson 2.) Gaming, no matter how violent, relaxes him enough so that he may deal with the people he faces everyday. However, it can be agreed upon by both sides of the argument that certain games are not healthy for certain age groups. A seven year old should

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.

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

In recent years, technological advances have introduced many new forms of entertainment, one of the most popular being video games. Since their introduction, professionals and parents have become concerned with the addictive power that video games can have on people, particularly children and adolescents. Today, concern has shifted from the addictive effects of video game playing to the possible effects that they have on players’ aggression levels. As defining aggression as any thoughts or behaviors related with the intention to cause harm. Many scholars have been researching videogames' effects on children. The most popular aspect of videogame research is whether or not games increase aggression.

In today's advanced society where technology rules the world, video games are just another type that people use as a form of entertainment or hobby. Unfortunately, there are violent video games that actually affect people's behavior considerably without most of them realizing. With all the violent act people commit and all of the evidence people have been arguing in favor of video games. Deciding to regulate or change these games will affect the future generations and is a very important and controversial issue that connects with topics like violence, and prejudice, and sexism. Although there are many critics that argue that videogames are not the true cause of unhealthy demeanor in today's society, they are indeed the real cause. And there are people that recognize that Videogames are the reason. Even if I've played some video games, I stand against violent video games and will argue that they cause disorderly behavior such as violence.

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.

Today our world is surrounded by technology and new inventions that make our lives better. Some of the most popular of hobbies among children and teenagers are video games, but what many people don’t know is that they are bad for them. Violent video games in particular have been proven to not be appropriate for the age groups that play them and to have a negative effect on school, social behavior, and increase aggression.

Halo, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, World of Warcraft, and Assassin’s Creed—these are just some of the violent video games that are commonly played by boys and girls, young and old alike in today’s society. Many experts fear that this violence in video games increases violence in people in real life, causing people to act out as if they were in the video game, increasing aggressive behavior so much that it could actually escalate to shooting, stabbing, and killing people. There have already been many cases of these extreme examples of violence in the news that share a connection with video games. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the infamous shooters in the Columbine shooting were obsessed with the game Doom. James Holmes, the shooter in the movie theater in Aurora was reported to say that he felt as if he was in a video game. Adam Lanza, had played the game Combat Arms for hundreds of hours and killed tens of thousands of people in the video game before making it a reality at Sandy Hook Elementary School, killing 20 innocent children and 6 staff members (T. McGrath, 2014). Of course, most video game players do not end up killing people in real life, but many people fear that violent video games significantly increase aggressive behavior. Some experts do not believe that playing violent video games increases aggressive behavior because they say that there is not enough evidence to prove it but mounting evidence shows that violence in video games does indeed cause people

“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.

People often abide by the more favored opinion on any issue, causing the opposing perspective to be disregarded. This is the case of violent video games, a topic which people commonly associate with a negative impact on ethical values and character. Multiple studies have been conducted to find distinct effects of violent video games, but have all established varying conclusions. Some studies reflect the conventional belief that people are negatively influenced by video games that contain violence. However, other studies reveal violent video games to be educational and beneficial (Sohn). Contrary to popular belief, it is evident that violent video games are beneficial because they provide an outlet for harbored violence and can evoke educational interests through their various worlds of entertainment.

Video Games have been a source of fun and enjoyment for many people, whether they are kids or adults. Violent video games are the most popular types of video games. Many young gamers are quite obsessed over these games. Recently violent video games (VVGs) have been accused of being the source to many mass shootings in the world, accused of corrupting the minds of young gamers. This is wrong.