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| War Crimes in Video Games. 2013. Stories by Williams. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. |
Call of Duty: Black
Ops, Grand Theft Auto, Mortal Kombat are just some of the
most popular games played by the youth today. Video games are what the youth
like to play by themselves or with friends rather than going outside to play it
is just the new media trend that they are currently following. However, not
everyone likes video games, specifically the video games that are violent. The
issue of violent video games and youth violence is a controversial one. While I
will support that violent video games are not the reason why there is youth
violence, the opposing views believe that violent video games that children
play, along with other factors, contribute to the violence occurring.
Many people believe that violent
video games contribute to youth violence and I would have to say on some terms
I agree with this belief. After a child has played a violent video game,
compared to a nonviolent video game, they are more aggressive and louder than
usual (Ferguson). Therefore, a violent video game can possibly cause a child to
act more violently because his aggression level has increased. For example, Mortal Kombat is a fighting game and one
has to kill his opponent in order to win the game. Once a child has finished
playing this game, he may want to imitate some of the fighting moves that his
character from the game did to his opponent. In addition, this desire to do so could
be very dangerous because he could not only hurt the other person he is trying
this on, but hurt himself in the process as well. Video games and youth
violence is not a new issue. The controversy over violent video games
resurfaced following the massacre of 13 people at Columbine High School in
Jefferson County Colorado on April 20, 1999. The two teenage shooters, were
revealed to be avid players of weapon-based combat games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom
(“Video Games”). The young men who opened fire on innocent people and in other massacres,
all had one thing in common with one another: they were gamers who seemed to be
acting out some dark digital fantasy (Carey). It was as if all that exposure to
computerized violence gave them an idea to go on a rampage–or at least fueled
their urges (Carey). Perhaps violent video games do cause such violence, and
perhaps they can possibly cause someone to do something they would not normally
do because playing games does something to their bodies, such as cause a stir
hostile urges and mildly aggressive behavior in short term (Carey). Moreover,
youngsters who develop a gaming habit can become slightly more aggressive —as
measured with clashes with peers, for instance –at least over a period of two
years (Carey). Therefore, I do believe on some terms that violent video games
can contribute to youth violent because those games teach children how to act
violently and, in addition, to learn things that they should not be learning at
a particular age.
Many psychologists argue that violent video
games “socialize” children over time, promoting them to imitate the behavior of
the games character’s, the cartoonish machismo, the hair-triggered rage, and
the dismissive brutality (Carey). Children imitate almost everything and
everyone present in their lives, this question can be asked, when exactly does
a habit that is so consuming that it’s influence trumps the socializing effects
of other major figures in a child’s life? I believe that this habit happens
when this habit is always available to the child and then that is when it
influence trumps the socializing effects of other major figures in a child’s
life. (Carey). This is quite true because children are easily influenced by
their surroundings. For example, if a parent is constantly swearing around his
or her child and lives in a violent home, that child will most likely be
subject to speak profanity as well because of his or her parent, and he or she
will have a violent behavior because that is what he/she was exposed to.
Therefore, if a child is playing a violent video game, such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, he/she
could possibly be likely to imitate the behavior of the character. On the other
hand, Ferguson, in his studies, Dr. Anderson, a scientist who studied the
relation between video games and its effect on children, had failed to cite any
peer-reviewed studies that had shown a definitive casual link between violent
video game play and aggression (“Violent Video Games”). He had also ignored
researched that conflicting conclusions on this issue “Violent Video Games” (“Violent
Video Games”). Dr. Goldstein and Dr. Williams, who were also scientist, noted
that several of Dr. Anderson’s studies concluded that there was no relationship
between the two variables (“Violent Video Games”). Dr. Goldstein and Dr.
Williams also concluded that in certain instances, there was a negative
relationship between violent video game play and aggressive thoughts and
behavior (e.g., initial increases in aggression wore off if the individual was
allowed to play violent video game for longer period) (Ferguson).  |
Fig
1. Youth Violence and Video Game
Sales Data (“Violent Video Games”)
|
This
picture of this data goes to show that scientists are having a hard time to
find a link between violent video games and violence. Their studies are failing
and they do not really know why such is the case. Perhaps violent video games
decreases the aggressive thoughts and behavior in children just like Dr,
Goldstein and Dr. Williams concluded when looking at Dr. Anderson’s research. I
believe youth violence occurs if the child lives in a violent household, or it
occurs because they have aggression problems and have tendencies to act out
violently. However, for most children and teens gaming is a social activity and
a major component of their overall social experience (“Video Games Are Good”).
Most children and teens generally only play violent video games to interact
with their friends or other people around the world (online gaming), or they
just play to blow off steam and play a violent video just to play it. At times,
parents will play the video games with their child because it is a way to
interact with them as well as it provides have some bonding time with one
another. In addition, studies show that a child playing a violent video game
does not necessarily increase the likelihood that he or she will engage in real
violence (Bezio). Americans need to stop blaming something other than our own
behaviors and ideologies for societal behavior, especially gun violence (Bezio).
It is possible that the reason why it is so hard for scientists to find a link
between violent video games and youth violence is that there is no link at all.
Americans just need something to blame for so much gun violence and violent
video games, such as Call of Duty, Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas. These games are perfect for such blames to be put
on them for causing such behavior. On the other hand, there could possibly be a
link to violent video games and youth violence, but it is just that scientists
may be overlooking something, which is causing flaws in their studies.
Parents should monitor the games
that their children play. If a game has “Teen”, “M for Mature” and “Adults
Only”, and their child is under the age of 18, then it is best if they do not
buy their child that game especially if they believe that their child may
possibly imitate the violence that occurs in the game. Also, Americans should
not just jump to conclusions that violent video games causes youth violence,
but instead find out if the child lives in a violent home or if the child has
any behavior problems that could possibly cause them to act out violently. In
conclusion, children should not play violent video games but if they do it is
at the own risk of his/her parents.
Works Cited
Video Games." ProCon.org.
ProCon.org, 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Carey, Benedict. "Shooting in
the Dark." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Feb. 2013.
Web. 5 Mar. 2013.
Bezio, Kristin. "Stop Blaming
Video Games for America's Gun Violence." The Christian Science Monitor .
CSMonitor , 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.
Video Games Are Good For Kids,
Experts Find; With titles like 'Guitar Hero,' a Pew Internet survey refutes
some common confusion about games -- that most are violent and teens tend to
play alone." InformationWeek 17 Sept. 2008. Academic OneFile.
Web. 15 Mar. 2013.
Ferguson, Christopher J.
"Violent Video Games and the Supreme Court : Lessons for the Scientific
Community in the Wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association." Academic
Search Premier. EBSCOhost, Feb. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
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