Playing video games does not cause violent behavior. Don’t get me wrong, some video games show horrific acts of violence. “A recent survey found that 92 percent of U.S. kids--ages 2 to 17--play video games, and their parents bought 225 million of them last year to the tune of $6.4 billion.” (Sider 79).What’s here to argue is that violent video games do not cause violence among children, but the blame for violence should be on the individual and people who should have taught the individual better. If kids are not able to see the difference between reality and fantasy, then they really can’t be blamed for committing acts they see in a game and then imitating, not fully understanding the consequences of doing it in the real world. …show more content…
People hear these arguments, but what they don’t hear is that Harris and Klebold had many personal problems, such as being harassed at school, neglected by parents, and family problems. These problems could have easily given them a warped view on fantasy and reality, and are usually completely overlooked by many people. This example and many more are the fuel for such organizations as MAVAV (Mothers Against Videogame Addiction and Violence), “While video game companies continue to market violence aimed at vulnerable children and young teens. And the newest absurdity, underground video game cultures which takes gaming to another level, tainted with online "clans", singling out of people, hatred, racism, and sexism.” These groups seek a more governmental control of video games. “Video games are the topic on the surface… a convenient scapegoat for people who do not want to probe deeper into the problem of where the "ambition to kill" come from.” (Zarozinski). It’s easy to read something in the news and take in only what they tell you, but before you go forming extreme views on this subject make sure you know some background facts on those certain cases supporting your arguments. Violent video games are not the problem with certain cases of youth violence today, but more of the individual being the result. “All work and no play make people dull”. Video
Rashawn Blanchard states that “when it truly comes down to it, it would be ludicrous to place the blame of violent, unforgivable actions upon a popular form of entertainment. If it were any bit true then the United States alone would have somewhere in the vicinity of a quarter of its population teetering on the edge of violent explosion from a few hours with Grand Theft Auto III.” Kids play video games all the time. I know I did as a child. It never made me anymore, or any less violent then I already was. Based on the sheer numbers of video games sold, and the highly possibility that most kids have at least one violent game in the home, the united states should be seeing a HUGE increase in school shootings on a daily basis, not just a yearly one. He isn’t bias in his approach though, noting that “video games have long since been defined as a form of entertainment and it would be foolish not to acknowledge the fact that entertainment does influence people, especially children. In the 90's and even still to a degree today, elementary school children can be seen practicing their karate kicks even though they've had no martial arts training. This could be contributed to the amount of live-action costume super heroes that had taken over Saturday morning children's lineups, namely
Over the past few years, the United States has seen violence that has come from the inside of the country. Various high schools, have had shootings inside of them from some of the high school students that go to that specific school. Some experts blame the shootings by categorizing the students as someone who has been tormented and bullied basically most of life, while other experts believe the shootings were caused by the violence in video games. There has been a lot of nation-wide discussion about if violent video games really do cause violence and aggression in young gamers ever since shootings at high schools increased. However evidence has shown differently than what most experts think. Violent video games do not cause violence and aggression in young gamers.
On more than several occasions, studies have been done to prove whether or not simulated violence is a good experience for the users. The media may think the opposite, that violent video games link to real-life shootings. An example of this could be when Grand Theft Auto V had been released, an event may of been linked under false accusations from those who want the problem to no longer persist. Having these big industries indicted by media causes further concern from parents who do not want their children to be surrounded, much less involved with simulated violence. It is in fact thought that children who play more competitive video games tend to be involved with more aggressive activities at school. All of this just continues to bring up the question as of whether or not we should blame the creators or the media. Violence is everywhere in the world, it should be the adult generation’s job to make sure their children are prepared, and video games might be a cheaper, faster alternative.
Media has portrayed violent video games as the root cause for violence and school shootings, but is it really? Violent video games are predominate in the industry of gaming with consumers being primarily children. Furthermore, as the sales of video games increase studies have shown that violence has actually decreased in younger consumers. There are many studies performed on children to truly test these accusations made against video games and violence. Many people believe that playing video games will lead you down a path of anger and evil, but this isn’t the truth at all playing video games doesn’t have to lead you to becoming a villain to
Still think violent video games are harmless and fun? Consider putting down the remote control and listen up. December 14th, 2012. At Sandy Hook Elementary School a day of learning was interrupted by the sounds of gun shots. That day 20 year- old Adam Lanza shot over 20 children between the ages 6-7. Such a horrific event that had a cause of what seems an everyday occurrence to teens and kids. Violence simulated video-games. These games can cause a negative mindset that violence is okay. Look at the Sandy Hook Shooting, the murderer was proclaimed to play too many video games. That is just one example of how these video games can create that ambiguous mindset that violence is just a game. Let alone it also shows how the influence of constant
In 1979 the United States was vehemently attacked by aliens from outer space, an event that was to forever change life on our planet. The release of Space Invaders for the Atari Video Computing System became an instant hit. Kids stopped listening to music, playing sports or going to movies, choosing instead to defend the nation from alien attack, from the safety of their television sets. The success of Space Invaders launched the video game revolution as the demand for personal game consoles soared (Atari). Videogames soon became the preferred leisure activity for children, forcing parents and critics to question the possiblibility of ill effects. With the advent of new technology, parents have even more
J. Ferguson, entitled, “The School Shooting/Violent Video Game Link: Casual Relationship or Moral Panic”, Mr. Ferguson goes in detail explaining how there isn’t actual link between video game violence and actual violent crimes involving teens; he even displays statistics involving how youth violence has actually dropped at steep anti-correlation with the number of video games sold using his “moral panic wheel” and also “Youth violence and video game sales data” (Ferguson 30,33). This shows the more video games that has been sold statistically, the less violent crimes people have actually seen. Statistics like this would present that not only does violent video games does not increase the level of teen violence; it actually helps in the overall prevention of it by providing teens with a healthy outlet to release their pent up aggression in an ever growing stressful world. It would seem that there is not any proven negative links between video game violence and acts of violence in our youth. On the other hand, there is the possibility that it may actually decrease violence in general, but has also yet to be proven
Again, I believe this is bias that is being directed as fact instead of what it really is, opinion. An excerpt from ("Video Games ProCon.org"); “Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying, and violence towards women. Critics argue that these games desensitize players to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and teach children that violence is an acceptable
People should not play violent video games because they cause aggression in the short term. “The researchers took 47 undergraduate students and has the students play 15 minutes if Morbat Kombat. Afterward the team told the players about a student that did not like hot sauce, but they had to fill a cup and the students would have to drink it. Sure enough the Mortal Kombat players put more hot sauce in the cup for the student to drink” (Carey 1). This is clear evidence that the violence in video games can trigger aggression in the short term. In the article “Do Games Like ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Cause Real World Violence?” “Nick Allen describes the shooter's darker side which saw him playing violent video
Since their appearance in the market, video games are the often the subject of moral debates. Parents are afraid they will influence their children to act out and commit crimes. Mental health professionals worry they'll impact psychological development. In most cases, this is the result of the need of a scapegoat. People need something to blame for the wrong they observe in the immediate world around them. Video games follow rock'n'roll, comic books, and even radio in a long list of sources of moral panic. There is no evidence to support the claim that they are, without a doubt, the reason for violent crime in teens.
Whenever there is a mass shooting in the United States, it doesn 't take long before society suggests violent video games might be to blame. Video games have been culprits of crime today to many eyes in America. Just about anyone in most modernized countries has heard the claim before, placing the blame on a video game, music or television for the violent acts seen in their youth today. There is no link to violence on video games. Typically, these trends seem to pop up when we are referencing school shootings, gang related crime and other domestic terrorist acts done by our youth. It is too easy to quickly blame something like a violent video game for their behavior.
Concerns about the effect of media violence on children extends back at least to the beginning of the mass media, with the issue raised with reference to films, radio, television, comic books, and so on. As technology brings new types of media to the fore, the issue shifts to depictions of violence in these new media. Both popular sources and scholarly address this issue, asking in effect how violent video games change children’s behavior and make them more violent, assuming that it is believed that this is the case.
Video game violence has been a long going controversy. Video games have not been around all that long, “first introduced in the 1970s” (Cesarone, Feb. ‘95), and started out as being centered towards the Children. Well anybody that has grown up with games are now older and more mature and demand more from their gaming experience, and so the creation of new types and styles of games have evolved to suit them. I have grown up with games, and am at the age where ‘kids games’ just don’t do it for me anymore. The games that I thought were enjoyable when I was a kid are now very boring. I need a more complex game with many variables to consider, and I am mature enough to handle violence, and what is more complex
Video games can lead to aggression, addiction, and bad behavior. Spending too much time playing video games can provoke teens to act in a violent manner. Teens can learn to act in an aggressive manner in our society when killing a large number of enemies in certain video games. Brutal killings in these games tend to train the mind of teens to become violent. “A study found that 66 percent of researchers, 67 percent of parents and 90 percent of pediatricians agree or strongly agree that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior among children.” (Work Cited #2). Those are pretty high numbers and they’re all correct. For example, when kids have an opportunity to shoot someone with a gun, or slash someone with a blade, they’ll do it for the benefit to win the game. Doing this can have a violent affect for them in the real world as well. All the
Even though there is an numerous amount of people that believe violent video games should be banned, there is plenty of reasons why video games should not. These games help people see the world for what it truly is. Video games can help people escape reality by decreasing anger and stress levels. There are many contributions that can make someone violent, yet how the child is raised plays a major role. The responsibility exists in the parent, not the developers, publishers, or the even the