Violent Video Games

Brandon Nadeau is an anthropology student in his sophomore year at the University of Connecticut and a weekly columnist for UConn’s Daily Camus. On October 21, 2015, he wrote an article “Video Games Make Society Less Violent”. He discusses one man who is a medical malpractice lawyer, Jack Thompson, and this guy hates video games. He think that video games inspire violent behavior in people; however, all of facts are against him. Brandon Nadeau gives us a lot of examples of positive effects of video games. One example that he gives is that since video games became a mainstream industry when PlayStation came out in 1995, the violent crime rate has decreased significantly. This argument is a very important reason that video games have some positive

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 evolution of video games has taken a drastic change since the 1970’s when video games were first introduced. Since then every decade video games have become more violent in nature with strong language and realistic to suit society today. Craig Anderson states that with more violence in video games they would sell better than games with less violence (Anderson, Gentile, and Beckley pg.5). Violent video games really became popular when the first person shooter games were invented so that we could see through the eyes of the player, as if we were really experiencing it. Society wanted better graphics and games as time went on new technology was invented and society matured in electronics. This meant that for game creators would have to come up with something better selling than the last. Creators would make the games more violent and more realistic each time so that way they can keep the interest of their consumers. Each game would increase in blood or gore slowly, but what really got consumers to buy their games would be the update of graphics in the consoles or games. This is due to the drastic changing of technology and the maturing of consumers wanting better and newer violent video games. Violent video games can cause children to behave violently if not correctly supervised.

How does violence in video games affect people? Sometimes people think about video games and think oh no big deal but there is a lot that goes into them and they can have different effects on people. Violent video games have the most effect on people and most of them are negative. Educational games tend to have the best effect on people and can help them. Many people argue both sides and do not see them for what they are and think my kids won’t be affected but they will as more articles state and discuss these issues. Violent video games can lead to many different things such as, Gun violence, violence, and aggression. Gun violence is a bad thing and these games promote guns in many different ways and has different effects. Violence is

Are violent games danger to the consumer/player? The violent video game is causing the consumer/player to mental problems by doing bad things and think that is alright. Violent video games are harmful because it allows the consumer/player to actively do crime without being punished. We should increase the age of the consumer/player so they won’t be able to purchase these violent games and some of the consumer/player isn’t mentally stable and if they get shooting fighting games would mess with their mental state even more.

In my opinion I strongly agree that violent video games do not create violence in adolescents. If anything violent video games scare kids and make them not want to hurt anybody or be violent themselves in real life. In today's society juvenile violent crime is at a 30 year low and if anything it seems like today's adolescents are getting softer than they were 30 years ago. I believe that today's adults that oppose violent video games are over reacting just because this technology is new and they never had it as kids.

Video games continue to be a growing form of media. Many children spend hours upon hours playing, watching, and sharing video game content. Many researchers have spent years trying to find out the impacts video games have on youth, particularly the role they play on aggression. Video games continue to evolve and be more accessible every day. Exposure to violent video games may increase aggressive behavior among adolescents.

Media has a strong effect on our society, whether we would admit it or not. There are millions of different versions of media that shapes and molds the viewers. For example, there is television, newspapers, social media, and the list goes on and on. I will be focusing on the effects that video games have on a child and their behavior. Violent video gaming will be mostly discussed considering the alarming effects it has on children, including health issues, antisocial behavior, increased aggression, and drop in academic performance. However, not all video games are considered unhealthy for the developing children’s brain.

At its root, cognitive development is defined as “the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem-solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence to adulthood” (Rodriguez). Widespread in today’s society is the belief that fast-paced, violent video games may lead to behavioral issues amongst kids who play them. Debates about the effects these games have on kids continues to divide parents, politicians, and psychologists who specialize in the field of behavioral health. The time-honored argument that fast-paced, violent video games have negative effects on child development may be unfounded. Studies conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) suggest that fast-paced and violent games increase cognitive skills at a faster rate than those who do not play. As a result, children see substantial increases in their communication abilities, multi-tasking, and critical thinking-which ultimately results in improved cognitive skills.

I’ve had a burning passion for video games all my life for about three different generations of video game consoles. The video games I’ve played vary from family friendly games such as Super Mario Bros. to mature games such as Grand Theft Auto V. New blockbuster games are being released consistently each year, so it appears my hobby will stay with me for years to come. The only industry that rivals the videogame industry is the movie industry however arguments can be made that video games have more influence over the entertainment industry. During most years I’ve been gaming, I’ve been well aware that video games have been under fire for its violent content such as glorification of war, offensive images and languages. Tragedies over the last decade hasn’t put video games under the brightest media light, understandably so. For example, in 1999 the Columbine High School shooting was mostly blamed on video games because it was discovered that prior to the shooting Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris played DOOM. DOOM is a gory first person shooter that the shooters played on their computer.

Over the past years violent video games have become very popular in American culture, especially first-person shooting games. These first-person shooting games are mostly used by the military to help recruit soldiers. Some people may think that it is ethical for the military to use video games as a recruitment tool. However, on the other hand other people believe that it is ethical for the military to use video games as a recruitment tool. I believe that it is not ethical for the military to use first person shooting games as a recruitment tool because it doesn't show the full reality of the war and its side effects that the soldiers face.

Technology has become more advance in today’s generation. Video games have not been the exception of the evolution of technology. In today’s modern society violent video games have become one of the all-time favorites for kids and adults. Although many of the video games have an age limitation when purchasing at a store, now there are applications that can easily be downloaded from anyone’s phone. It may also depend on the type of discipline the child is taught at home. Although violent videogames are extremely popular, they may affect society in various ways.

Violent video games have been an epidemic for decades. Furthermore, the violence in video games has increased and has become more realistic. Violent games like Mortal Kombat, Dead Space, Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty have become common household games. Boys are more effected by video games; thus, video games have made males more violent because they include military techniques, reality based settings, and change people’s behaviors.

Did you know that the average amount of time an 8-18 American child spends on video games per week is 8 hours? That’s a more than a whole school day! Many kids today are spending more and more time on video games. Not only is it damaging to the brain and body, but it also can cause insanity and dementia. Many of the mass murderers of the past have been found to play violent video games. Teens should not be permitted to play violent video games to ensure that they will not become aggressive.

According to Wikipedia, video game is an interactive digital entertainment that you play via a computer, a game console (like the Xbox or PlayStation) phone, or tablet. The good video games do seem to be very low to the bad things it does. For this reason, most video games are violent. Violent video games should be banned. Examples of violent video games include dead space 2, mortal combat, medal of honor and lots more. Reason why violent video games should be banned include; it decreases brain efficiency, increases violent thinking, attitudes and affect teenager’s performance in school.