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Violent Video Games: Does it affect
the mind?
Introduction Violent video games have been known to have both a positive and negative effect on different people. These effects have been hotly debated: some people adopting a more lenient policy on these games, and some adopting a stricter policy, suggesting bans and bars on violent games. Many of these arguments rely on experience, studies, polls and drawing experience from prior outcomes. In each argument exists the question: Is there a connection between violent video games and violence, and if so, what connects the two?
Debaters
Etienne, Student
Josh, Student
Serina, Student
Hansa, Student
Different games affect performance
Hansa
Hansa is a student from Hightstown High school in New Jersey who has seen acts and behavioral changes through violent video games.
Imagine your child comes home from school one day and you notice them rushing to finish their food. After quickly eating they get to their homework. Your child does every problem so quickly that half of the answers are inaccurate. When they are finished with all their homework they relax for several hours by playing their favorite violent video game. This whole concept of finishing all your tasks just to play a video game seems strange, right? Well, research shows that violent video games have been known to have a negative effect on the person playing them. Rolf Nelson, a psychology professor who studies human visual perception, did research regarding whether the video game type has an effect on people. The studies revolved primarily around two different types of video games, violent and strategic. He found that people who played action video games did tasks faster; however, they also did the tasks less accurately. While people who played strategy games did things more accurately and slowly. He also found that students who just played an action video game have less patience than ones who play
Etienne is a 15 year old all honors honor roll student enrolled at Hightstown High School. He plays numerous video games, including but not limited to: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Minecraft.
Imagine a world completely destroyed; cities in ruin, corpses on the streets, and discharged firearms lay everywhere to accompany the scene. Gruesome, right? Now you’re thinking that it couldn’t get any worse, but now imagine if someone told you this all happened because somebody blew a video game out of proportion, doing what they saw in the game. Can pixels forming people shooting each other really cause an individual to snap? In most cases, it seems irrational and far fetched, doesn’t it? One of the main controversies I have seen lately is the speculation that the playing of violent video games (i.e. the Call of Duty series) causing bad behavior. From what I have seen from being both a researcher and teenage gamer, video games do NOT induce violent behavior in teens. In 2010, a scientist by the name of Ferguson conducted a study that showed violent media and video game influences on youth. A sway in the study showed that crime rates remained the same, even while the youth of the study played violent games. Some people may tell you that teens who play violent games are more likely to be aggressive or confrontational. If a teen does do this in response to playing these kinds of games, he or she should know to limit themselves, or at the very least, their parents should for letting them get the game. Many also say that teens who play violent games show substantial declines in academic achievement. My
perspective is that a teen SHOULD always be aware of his/her academics, and it is be them and their parents’ faults for not intervening. After all, minors buying mature rated games must have their parents’ consent anyway. People always tell me that violent games make young children more likely to confuse fantasy violence and real violence, and may mimic the acts that they see in a game. In my opinion, violent games should be played at the user’s discretion, and I believe that. Sure, people may be concerned that people who play war games will know how to effectively use a weapon, but did they ever hear this? Also, over 80% of all teens own violent games, but only 0.01% have been involved in acts of violence (breaking the law in some way shape or form involving violence). Studies even show drops in violent behavior when teens play games, because psychologists see teens using these games as “a medium for doing things that normally aren’t socially/politically acceptable.” This essentially de stresses teens. Moral of the story: Don’t pin modern day violence on the violent game developers’ heads.
Don’t just blame the game
increased tendency to misconstrue violence as acceptable means of handling a situation. Bullying has quite a similar effect on these types of people; the belief that one must defend themselves physically, which can cause the victim of bullying to do extremely violent things. While it is not necessary for violent video games to be played in order for a bullying victim to lash out, it can certainly be a contributing factor. Other factors can have a similar effect on these gamers, however, all suggest that a video game alone will not cause violent tendencies. These violent effects are obviously not seen in everyone who plays a video game. It is perhaps this inconsistency with results that most supports the philosophy that games alone do not cause violence. For example, one study conducted by two doctors in the field, Doctor Christopher Ferguson and Doctor Cheryl Olson suggests that there is “no association between the playing of violent video games and subsequent increased delinquent criminality”. Meanwhile, other studies show that “violent video games increase angry feelings, aggressive thoughts, aggressive behavior, shortening of temper & physiological arousal”. This difference in opinion speaks volumes, suggesting that no conclusion can be made, because testing for the effects of violent video games without taking into account other factors will undoubtedly yield skewed results. If the previously discussed factors are present in a person, sometimes he or she will begin to desire more than just a screen's worth of excitement. The previously discussed factors can sometimes make a person more susceptible to taking out aggression in violence, and video games can serve as a catalyst for duress. Most gamers who play video games will, indeed, be unaffected; video game activists strongly
support this fact, though it is necessary for them to accept the fact that there sometimes can be a correlation between video games and violence. Seeing others use violence to solve situations can sometimes make it seem acceptable, or even "cool" for them to do so, which is one of the reasons people play violent video games in the first place. Some users simply find enjoyment in the rush of getting a headshot in Call of Duty. Some find it fun to do things they would, but can't, do in real life, such as committing violent crimes in games like Grand Theft Auto. Video games like these can be beneficial, or detrimental to the development of a child. Some games promote creative, constructive thinking and strategy; others... not so much. The context in which a game is used (that is to say, the factors in place) affect the way a game can be perverted from "all in good fun" to something much more serious.
Violent Video games are harming our children
Serina
in a harmful way. The presence of fantasy violence repeatedly could numb the person to things like shootings and bombs, so when that emergency arises, they could react in a way that is out of the norm. The effects from playing violent video games may go beyond mimicking behavior and skewing the difference between actual and fantasy violence.The aggressive behavior stems from the aggression in certain games. Putting a stop to this could be a simple solution, which is to make it more difficult to get a hold of these games, putting laws on not selling them to minors, or just not letting your child play certain games until they’re mature enough to do so. Aggressive behavior is very much linked to people who play violent video games. Aggression could lead to fights with teachers and other students, a decline in academic achievement, shortening of tempers, and cause them to lack empathy for others. The aggression could be controlled if stricter rules were in effect. Stricter rules could prevent children from playing M rated games which would be helpful in the proper development of a child. Halting children from playing games that are inappropriate will keep the confusion between fantasy and real violence at bay, and they’ll less likely get into altercations with peers and teachers. “They’ll grow out of it” might take a little longer than it used to.
Work Cited ● "Type of Video Game Affects Performance." Psych Central.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec.
<http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/12/14/type of video game affects performance/10168.ht ml>. ● Kutner, Lawrence, and Cheryl Olson. "Video Games ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., 16 Apr. 2008. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. <http://videogames.procon.org/ ● "Parents & Teachers: The Impact of Video Games." Parents & Teachers: The Impact of Video Games. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Dec. 2013
_● Nauret, Rick, PHD. "In New Study, Video Games Not Tied to Violence in High Risk Youth | Psych Central News." Psych Central.com. N.p., 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 03 Dec.
<http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/08/27/in new study video games not tied to violenc e in high risk youth/58934.html>. ● "Do Violent Video Games Cause Behavior Problems." BeauBeencom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013. <http://www.beaubeen.com/do violent video games cause behavior problems.html>._
