Video Games and Violence

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The day was April 20th, 1999. During an otherwise peaceful day at Columbine High in Columbine, CO, two seniors—Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold—finally committed an atrocious act. That act had been in the planning for a long time, perhaps even since Harris designed a website for popular, controversial, extremely violent video game Doom in 1996. The Columbine High School shooting is known as the deadliest high school shooting ever, with its death toll of twelve students and one teacher, as well as twenty-four people injured. But little known for some is the fact that the Columbine shooting was what kick started the nationwide controversy over violent video games. Harris, for one, was an avid player of Doom, and some believe that’s what caused him and Klebold to even think of murdering all the people who had, according to Harris’ diaries, simply ‘annoyed’ him. The fallout of this incident was massive, but one of the long-lasting effects has been the worry in people’s minds that there is a connection between video games and violent acts performed by teenagers. Those who do believe that may claim that before the digital age, violent acts—at least those performed by teenagers—were few and far between. (This is an obvious rumor, not a fact.) If that were the case, it’s understandable why some believe that games are causing more violence in today’s youth. Teachers are worried about the issue, as are parents and government officials, and teenagers and game producers are involved in it as well. The issue itself raises many questions: are teenagers so easily affected by images on a screen? Is the world merely a product of its pastimes? If video games really do cause increased aggression in youth, what are people supposed to do about it? Despit... ... middle of paper ... ...t they may be causing me to be violent, I’ll seek help and put them away. I have a feeling most of the world’s sane teenagers would do the same. Works Cited Bernstein, Linda. “Gaming the Console: are video games bad for you? Read up on the research, and then decide.” Current Health Teens, a Weekly Reader publication Mar. 2012: 13+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. 24 Mar. 2014 Peckham, Matt. “Researcher Says Linking Video Games to Gun Violence Is a ‘Classic Illusory Correlation.’” Time.com. Oct. 2013: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Mar. 2014 Peters, Justin. “Blood, guts, and entertainment: a sanguine take on sanguinary diversions.” Reason Feb. 2006: 58+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 24 Mar. 2014 Hasan, Youssef, et al. “Violent Video Games Stress People Out and Make Them More Aggressive.” Aggressive Behavior Jan. 2013: EBSCO Web. 24 Mar. 2014

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