Are Video Games Changing Us?

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Are video games changing us?
In 2008, 97% of twelve to seventeen year olds in America played video games, thus fueling the domestic video games by $11.7 million. Ten out of the top twenty best-selling video games contain violence. Many of these violent video games have been accused of incidents that include crime, bullying, and behavior problems. As the popularity of violent video games increase, more people become victims of behavior problems such as depression, aggressiveness, and addiction. Although video games were intentionally created for entertainment purposes, through studies and experiments it has been established that they are factors of behavior problems because of the active interaction people demonstrate while playing video games.
Gaming supporters have made claims about the benefits of video games. It has been said that video games are used for therapeutic and educational purposes (Nakaya). It has been suggested that video games require discipline, problem solving and decision making skills (Sullenthrop). These things can be achieved, yet when people play videogames they use it therapeutically to relieve stress in their lives and learn to apply violence on things that give them stress, thus, solving their problems. When a person plays a violent video game, they continue to repeat acts of violence in order to reach the goal of the game. According to psychiatrist Adolph Casal, “gamers are not only releasing aggression while playing the game, they are practicing aggression and when we practice something, we become skilled at it" (Nakaya). Gaming supporters perhaps do not realize the dangers of violent video games shown from studies by relating violent video games to aggressiveness and shootings.
There have been studi...

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...y 21, 2011. Web. 12 Nov 2013.
Hull, Jay G. , Ana M. Draghici, James D. Sargent, Dartmouth College; “A Longitudinal Study of Risk-Glorifying Video Games and Reckless Driving;”, Dartmouth Medical School, Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Vol. 1, No. 4. Web. 12 Nov 2013.
Nakaya, Andrea C. "Current Issues: Media Violence." Current Issues: Media Violence. 2008: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Nov 2013.
Piotrowski, Nancy A. "Games and mental health." Psychology and Mental Health. Ed. Nancy A. Piotrowski, 3d ed. 5 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2009. Salem Health Web. 13 Nov. 2013.
ProQuest Staff. "Violence in Mass Media Timeline." Leading Issues Timelines. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Nov 2013.
Suellentrop, Chris. "Playing with Our Minds." Wilson Quarterly Vol. XXX, No. 3. Summer 2006: 14-21. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Nov 2013.

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