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Ban video games with violence
Violent video games cause aggression in children and should be regulated
Negative effect of violent video games
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Should Violent Video Games Be Banned?
In 2008, the computer and video game industry has made $1.7 billion in revenue. Of this, 16% was made through the sale of violent video games (FYI: Video Game Statistics by the Entertainment Software Association | Critical Gaming Project). Many parents are concerned about these violent games because of how they can affect their children. Many think that these games are dangerous and should be banned. Others believe that the sale of these games should go unregulated. Whereas still others believe that there is a middle ground between these in restricting the sale or rental to minors.
Many parents are concerned about violent games being played by their kids because they have no idea what the games are like. But how does one know whether or not a game is filled with violence if they have not played it? One way to tell the content of a game is with the ESRB. According to the ESRB website,
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a non-profit, self-regulatory body established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA). ESRB assigns computer and video game content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible online privacy practices for the interactive entertainment software industry (About ESRB).
They use ratings such as E (Everyone), T (Teen), and M (Mature) to help consumers know what games are age appropriate. They also use content descriptors such as Intense Violence, Strong Language, and Drug Reference to point out some possible areas of concern (ESRB Ratings Guide and Definitions). The ESRB was formed in response to many violent games such as Doom, Mortal Kombat, and Wolfenstein 3-D (Update: Video Games and Violence). Of th...
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... solutions. However, it is not without its own imperfections. A child may be able to talk a parent into getting these games for them, while not informing them about the rating system. Minors could also get older friends or sibling to get the games for them. There is also the issue of legality due to First Amendment rights. But despite these flaws, this is still the best solution as it offers the best of both extremes.
In conclusion, despite improvements, violence in video games is still a problem. While not proven, they may have the potential to make a generation of callous, uncaring, violent, and unstable people. They may cause more travesties such as Columbine and the issue needs to be addressed. While some retailers have taken action into their own hands, the government needs to step in and help out. If this problem is not quickly solved, it may be too late.
Most games today that children play depict some type of violence. However, parents neglect that the games have warnings for violence, language, and even nudity. In my own personal experience, kids will ask for the most trending games at the time and parents will buy the game to satisfy the needs and wants of the children.
...t that a 9 or 10 year old can have easy access to games such as Grand Theft Auto is just scary. I found option number 3 to be too extreme. Regulations are necessary, but option 3 would leave companies very restricted in terms of creativity and set a sense of fear in the game developers. Also, option 3 will impede one’s right to purchase the game one wants, without the eyes of big brother watching. Overall, option 2 is the most balanced, it deals with the weakest part of the rating system, and that is the enforcement of the ratings. Most retails now do not enforce the ESRB’s rating system; almost anyone can buy whatever game they want without fail. With option 2, the retailers are now more responsible than before in watching what their customers buy. This way, we can keep Mature games out of the hands of young children, yet adults can buy them if they wish to.
While unbiased studies of video games and their links to violence are hard to come by, recent research has shown that video games do not in fact have a casual link to violence, and may even have the opposite effect. Violent video games have nearly no link to violence in teens or adults. The ESRB rating system was created in 1994 in response to violent video games like Doom, Mortal Kombat, and Night Trap. The ESRB rating system is meant to protect those under the age of each rating, eC (Early Childhood) through A (Adult, 18+). While it is not illegal to sell adult or even mature games to minors, most retailers like Gamestop and Target refuse to sell them to those under 18.
Video games have been around since 1958, and ever since then video games have developed more. With video games becoming a bigger industry, there have been more people purchasing and buying more and more video games. For examples, up to 2001, “roughly 79 percent of America's youth played video games, many of them for at least eight hours a week” (Layton). Furthermore, in 2008, “97% of 12-17 year olds in the US played video games” (“Video Games”). With a growing industry, there has been more competition between video game companies. The companies that make these video games try to make a huge profit by appealing to people’s likes. In 2008, “10 of the top 20 best-selling video games in the US contained violence” (“Video Games”)
The first reason video games are an issue is that many video games made today possess content that many people would consider to be obscene. The term obscene covers violence, profanity, and sexual images (obviously). Such videogames are usually branded with the M (mature audiences only) rating on the front of the videogame cover. This means that only players seventeen or older should be playing such games. However, many children around the ages of twelve and under are acquiring these video games as gifts or are purchasing the games themselves. Therefore, it can be assumed that the parents are purchasing M-rated games for their children, and that stores are willingly selling these young children M-rated games. As Paul Keegan says, parents are not following these ratings and stores are not enforcing them, thus allowing young children to view content that is considered obscene (6). Thus, if parents understand and follow the various video game rating labels, and if stores enforce the videogame rating system, then young children will not be as easily able to view mature material.
Just like movies and TV shows, video games have the same rating system based on age.
Violent video games are becoming more popular among children and adolescents of all ages since its debut approximately 30 years ago. This growing popularity is generating an increasing concern that these sometimes very graphic videos and life like characters can have a negative influence on the younger generation. Although never proven, there has been speculation that some of the high school shootings across the country were committed by students who were habitual players of violent video games. Due to these concerns, a non-profit, self-regulatory organization was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to appropriately rate all video games from EC (early childhood), E (everyone), E10+ (everyone 10 and over), T (teen), M (mature), and AO (adults only). While assessing the efficacy of violent video game ratings, it is unknown how effective these ratings are for the intended audience (Becker-Olsen & Norberg, 2010).
Depending on the game-play and visual displays, almost all video games undergo a rating system, The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), much like how most movies go through the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in order to assign the appropriate age and suitability for certain audiences, based upon the content of the product. In Goldman's article, he discusses the cinematography and designing of the video game Mortal Kombat in a collaboration between Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Inc. and the company NetherRealm Studios. The narrative of the game was designed by Ed Boon and various cinematography techniques were incorporated in the animation stage of the game by NetherRealm's cinematic director, Dominic Cianciolo.
There are many controversies about video-games that vary from the idea that they lead to violence due to the graphic nature of some video-games, they are addictive, or they promote laziness and corpulence rather than going outside to be active. Contrary to belief there are many family friendly, educational, and fun games available if a person takes the time to look past all of the hype in the media about games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty. “Nearly 60 percent of the almost 1,700 ratings we assigned last year were E for Everyone, which means there’s a huge selection of games available that are appropriate for all ages,” says the ESRB’s Patricia Vance. If parents would take the time to pay attention to what games their kids are playing, then there would not be such a large controversy over this topic. It is a parents job to know their kids maturity level and be able to tell if their child is capable of handling certain games without taking the games to the literal level. If a parent disagrees with the content of a video-game, then they have the right to tell their kids that they are not allowed to play it. Despite the skepticism that is passed around about the “violence and mature content” in many video-games, there are many benefits that come from them. They have been proven by many studies to stimulate education, increase brain function, and improve motor skills. They have been shown to provide relief to mental pain and depression by creating a distraction from the issues weighing on a persons mind. Not only can they provide mental pain relief, some instances have shown that they can provide relief to people with a chronic illness or constant physical pain. Video-games have been shown to encourage social skills and int...
Video games are a rapidly growing industry. There are nearly two games sold for every household in America each year (Anders 271). The vast majority of these are sold to adults, but there is no national law that prohibits minors from buying violent video games. A few states have legislation pending that will prevent this, but the fact is that minors do have access to violent video games. There is a voluntary rating system implemented by the ESRB, where games are rated based on their content. The games that are rated Mature are not supposed to be sold to anyone under seventeen and Adults Only titles, but “some retailers do not impose such limitations” (Anders 271). The bottom line is that minors do have access to these violent games.
“As video games have become more violent and more sophisticated and the sales of video games has skyrocketed in the last few decades, youth violence has plummeted,” Ferguson says, citing evidence compiled by various federal agencies (Adams 3). Violence in video games is not a new issue. It has been debated and argued since the release of the first violent video game. As time has progressed, so has the evolution of violence and strong language within video games. Ratings have become more relaxed, and the lines between T (Teen) and M (Mature) rated games has gotten closer together. Violent games are becoming the normal and accepted of all games, and are being demanded by the gaming industry more heavily. Parents have always shied away from these games for their children, regardless of age. However, kids are getting these games whether they are the correct age (17+) or not. Young kids, less than ten years of age are playing horribly violent games and parents are fearing the repercussions. But video games are not to be blamed for child violence. Violence in video games does not cause children to become violent people later on in life.
...movie cases to parents or adults, they simply need to check on the back of the case to see the rating. If it is for family, they can buy it. If it is for adult and mature only, they simply need to say no to children, and then put it away instead of buying it. Violent video games do not cause behavior problems. It is possible that some people have weak health issue as they are on video games or technology too long instead of getting good enough sleep, eating healthy foods, and needing to get out more to have fun with family and friends in culture. Plus when players are feeling tired or anxious, they simply need to stop playing and take a break from video games for a while, at least until they feel better. Another possible solution is when a person needs to take a break from playing video game, they could spend their time outside with nature instead of on a video game.
Violent video games have become more realistic every year. Children spend about 40 hours seated in front of a screen killing cartoon characters. It has been debated whether minors under the age of 18 should play violent video games that contain physical harm, killing, and sexual assault. In the contrary, people say video games increases the capacity of learning of children, but violent video games cause great damages. Although there are an increase learning skills playing video games, violent video games should be prohibited to minors because it changes an individual behavior, physical, and brain.
Violent video games are special games, which negatively influences to the attitude and behavior. These video games are popular between children and teenagers. Since 1980-s years violent games are in political discussion. Because when teenagers usually play violent video games, they are becoming aggressive and then they face with psychological problems. For this, some people claim that violent games are harmful for society and they affect to behavior and health.
“90% of pediatricians and 67% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior among children” ("Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence?”). Pediatrics and parents are aware that kids that play violent video games see a change in their behavior. Many cases they see the kids with anger problems and causing them to do violent acts. Violent video games have been around for many years where some older titles, such as ‘Mortal Kombat’ and 'Grand Theft Auto’ both are some of the most controversial ones. The video game industry has been growing and with the large amounts of violent video games being produced. “Total US sales of video game hardware and software increased 204% from 1994 to