Violent Video Games and the Effects on the Youth 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. Kids who play violent video games are influenced to ignore the consequences of violence. Anne Harding from CNN says that “when your exposed to violence day in and day out, it loses its emotional impact on you” (web). This tells us that our growing society of technology is in greater risk for new violent generations. Furthermore, “Electronic Gaming Monthly” also thinks that “The implications are serious for an increasingly violent society and that these students will do more and more bad things” (Kusher, web). The author is making an inference that as the gaming community grows, so does the danger of violence. Clearly, we need to head the warnings that are given from these reports to protect our society. Several studies and reports show that videogames also stimulate bad behavior. An article from “New Scientist” shows that “Unequivocal evidence from a wide variety of studies show that in the short term, exposing children to violence in movies, TV, video games, and music increases physical and verbal aggression” (“Bad Influence”, web). This negative influence is going to have a huge change on how kids and teenagers act towards individuals. The International Journal of Phycology says that, “Adolescents who play more mature rated games were more likely to engage in b... ... middle of paper ... ...ial skills when compared to students not addicted to games” (Boyce,web). The that the influence of video games has even reached as low as elementary schools should be disturbing. In addition, compelling results from a study showed that violent video games significantly decrease empathy and prosocial behavior” (Boyce, Web). Here the author is trying to warn us that exposing our young ones is a big risk to their social lives. Essentially, we need to keep kids away from video games so they are not in any danger. All in all, violent video games have a very negative effect on kids and teens, that many parents do not know about. Games can have severe mental as well as physical damage to people who play them, and can seriously compromise their school performance. As older and more mature individuals we need to take the necessary precautions to protect future generations.
At this day in age we bask in the luxury of having easy access to advanced technology at our disposal. From the World Wide Web, to cell phones, music, movies and video games the human race has thought of any and everything to keep us entertained. Over the years studies have shown reasonable concerns regarding the long-term effects of video games. These games can desensitize gamers to real life violence, which is usually seen in the younger crowd. The studies especially hit on the games containing player-on-player violence. Though these games are extremely entertaining and can get kids to settle down for a while, if not properly supervised, they can produce adverse effects. Other studies have shown that video games can be used as way to yield positive outcomes such as, good problem solving skills, cooperation in a group and the ability to flow. Although there has been psychological research on children learning through the actions of others some believe that children are automatically able to distinguish between what is just a game and what is reality. The longer they are allowed on their game system the more they become convinced that their games are real. Some researchers believe violent video games can channel the aggression of the child but the parents are to blame for what happens to the child after playing an excessive amount over a period of time. Children can become preoccupied with these violent video games which have been proven to be the cause of poor social skills, uncontrollable aggression and a false reality.
Not every video game causes post game aggression, but documented in his article, “Players who enacted in-game violence through a heroic character exhibited less postgame aggression than players who enacted comparable levels of in-game violence through an antiheroic character” (Sauer 205). As a graduate of Radboud University, Isabela Granic brings to light the reasons why the youth actually benefit from playing violent video games. For example, in her article, “The Benefits of Playing Video Games,” Granic illustrates the fact that children gain social skills, highly efficient motor skills, and the understanding of the human body as a whole. Noted by the author, “Whereas adolescents and adults often use self-disclosure and direct discussion with close friends to resolve emotional issues, children use play to work them out through pretend-based narratives enacted either alone or with others” (Granic 67).
Americans have been blaming violent forms of entertainment since colonial times. From dime novels to music, to movies to television shows. The most recent medium are video games. Aided by crime-saturated news reports, a lot of people are convinced that video game violence transfers to real-life youth crimes like the school massacres. They think that violent video games make people violent, but that is not the case. Violent people play violent video games. Not everyone who plays video games are violent, but those who already are violent will play them as an outlet for their frustration and rage. If anything, video games keep violent people from going out and killing people in real life because they can vent in the virtual world.
Since the 1970 video games have become more popular than ever before. Generating 11.7 billions of dollars of sells every year or more, the video game industry is considered one of the largest industries in this century. However, video games have been a topic of controversy. With the sales of violent video games going up and the increased violence in schools and teenagers, video games are always to blame. Many people speculate that video games are the cause on why many teenagers have developed aggressive and violent behavior, are desensitize to violence, and the increase violence in schools and public places. In contradiction, video games have little or no fault in teenagers’ violent behavior and shouldn’t always be blamed.
The allegation that videogames cause violent behavior in children has been present as long as videogames themselves. Some researchers said that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, was one intense gamer. “Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech Shooter was seen by his roomates as odd because he never joined them in video games.”(Beresin) This debate will continue to go on in this country as long as there are horrific crimes that occur. There is much written in the research regarding this issue, and many differing views. The research that is presented in the next few paragraphs supports the theory that it is not the graphic video games that produce aggressive behavior, but other factors in a child’s life that create violent actions.
When a parent is asked about video games, the first thing that comes to their mind is that they are bad for everyone, and this has always been the case for several video games. In today 's world, video games are becoming more popular and accessible to everyone. Most of the games that are being played by players involve violence and with its increase in popularity, they are often portrayed as a plague to society by many for years. However, despite these drawbacks, they are still suitable for providing learning, health, and social benefits that can improve a person’s daily life, making them worthwhile.
Games are cool and nice and all but there are some video games that are considered ultra violent video games due to the real world type of violence it shows. These games are graphic and do have violence in it, but it isn’t enough to conquer or influence a teen. In other cases, it may conquer or influence a kid because kids have fresh minds, and learn everything in their way. It’s been experimented to see if games do influence but until present day, yet, there’s no proof or evidence. Violent video games may have an affect on children depending on their age. Younger children are more influenced by violent video games than teens.
In recent years, technology has developed very rapidly. This has led to many arguably both positive and negative changes in our everyday lives. One such change was the increased accessibility of personal computers and gaming consoles as well as the introduction of numerous video games. Due to their entertainment value, these games gained popularity among children and teenagers. Although many concerns have been voiced related to playing video games, especially those that are violent, [e.g., increases in aggressive behavior in children (Anderson & Bushman, 2001)], this paper will argue that certain video games also have beneficial effects. They should thus be played by children, teenagers and adults alike albeit with caution.
By far the largest concern of technology today is video games. There have been so many experiments and studies to try and figure out if video games have a negative or positive effect on our children. A growing body of research is linking violent video game play to aggressive cognitive, attitudes and behaviors (D.A. Gentile, 2004). Video games can obviously be dangerous for our children causing aggression, bad performances in school and obesity. Although we cant blame all of these problems on the use of video game...
A whopping 90% of pediatricians and 67% of parents agreed or strongly agreed that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior among children (Grabmeier). Simulated violence in video games is harmful because it increases crime, teaches immoral behavior, and addicts people. We all may be aware, crime is not a positive effect of these types of video games. Addiction of these games lead to lack of necessities like sleeping, personal hygiene, and your overall health.
One article points out that video games have a big impact on children’s lives and that many of the games played are violent. Researchers have found that “nearly all children spend time playing video games” and studies have found that “8th graders spent an average of 17 hours per week playing video games” (Tamborini 336). Moreover, 68% of the most popular video games contain violence (Tamborini 336). So it is clear that many children have access to violent video games and they have a big impact on their lives simply because of the amount of time spent playing them.
Over the past 30 years, playing video games has become one of the most popular hobbies worldwide. Not only has the video game industry become a multi-billion dollar industry, but it has attracted people from all age types. While video games today are played by both kids and adults, there are many issues being raised regarding the effects of video games. More particular, is the effect that violent video games may be having on children. Some critics argue that video games are direct indicators of child aggression while video game supporters argue that there is no direct link between child aggression and violent video games. While many people have their own personal stances, this issue is unique because it is unfolding everyday. Scientists and researchers all over the world are continuously doing research regarding the effects of video games on children. Even though this remains a field of uncertainty for researchers, parents should definitely be involved in being aware of what it is that they’re children are playing when they play video games.
A video game is “an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen” (Merriam-Webster). Video games have been entertaining and challenging gamers since the Game Boy to modern console games. Despite the simplicity of the definition of video games, a video game, especially ones containing violence can have a large effect on the gamer. Because of the realism and advancements in the video game industry, video games can influence the player, and can make the gamer more aggressive, even if the game is not a violent video game. Even though video games have grown in popularity over the past decade, some have not been too popular with parents, for the reason that they are too violent. Violent video games affect kids’ behaviors and health, video games also affect people's social and academic life. Lastly, what do parents do about violent video games?
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.
“YOU SUCK!” “I killed him!” “Head shot!” These are just a few examples of dialogue spoken by children while they are playing violent video games. These video games might seem like harmless fun, but what if the violence in these games is affecting the behavior of young players interacting with others?