Violent Video Games
Abstract
My research suggests that the violence from the video games is not the only reason why children will behave more aggressively, but it is the lack of parental involvement and the high level of interaction that the child receives while playing the game. I do not believe censorship should take place because the argument could clearly be refuted by the many cases of children that do not result in aggressive behavior after playing a violent video game. I do believe that parents should be more involved in the game that is played, the time spent, and the clear distinction between reality and fantasy.
Violent Video Games
“He sacrificed everything so he could play for hours, ignoring his family, quitting his job and losing himself in a 3-D virtual world where more than 400,000 people worldwide adventure in a never-ending fantasy (Miller, 2001).” This was what happened to Shawn Woolley. He was 21 years old when he committed suicide. His addiction; EverQuest. Everquest is a video game that involves players to control their characters through “treasure-gathering, monster slaying missions called quests (Miller, 2001).” The success of the player is emanated from the strength of the player and it progresses with each completed mission. Woolley’s mother is adamant that her son’s suicide was caused by the competitive and addictive nature of EverQuest. This leads to my point that although the violence of the video games can be harmful, other factors play into the role of the added aggression on children’s and teens behavior. I believe that the two main reason’s why the violence from these video games can be so harmful is because of the incompetence of parental guidance, and to make sure the child and teen can distinguish between reality and fantasy.
Violent Video Games 4
Woolley had problems beyond EverQuest, including a diagnosis of depression and schizoid personality disorder, which lead him to have lack communication with his peers, low or no sex drive, and a limited amount of emotional stability within a social environment (Miller,2001). This argument is not to criticize the parental decisions of others but there are warning signs that were clearly visible to any human being that the playing of this game was not in his best interest. Woolley’s mother states that the game is “like any other addiction, either you die, go insane or you quit. My son died (Miller, 2001).” Woolley quitting his job was a clear indication that the video game was hindering his obligations. A study done in 2003 by Walsh and Gentile, shows that 87 percent of youth in grades four though twelve now play video games and 96 percent play regularly(Walsh et al.,2004, 1). According to the study, only 50 percent of parents understood video game ratings, and that only one out of five students reported that their parents had prevented the purchase of a video game (Walsh et al., 2004). The parents’ lack of involvement and education is one of the main problems because it lies when the parents go ahead and buy violent game for their 13 year old child without the knowledge that the M rated games are not appropriate for children under 17. Another problem that parents do not watch out for, is the time their children spend playing the games. Dr. Anderson and Gentile’s research shows that on average, boys are spending 13 hours per week playing video games, and 5 hours per week for girls (Anderson, Gentile, & Buckley, 2004). Parental involvement is a key component in the benefits that video games can give to a child, but the parents need to know that the industry is providing them with a mixed message, and that they should pay attention to the ratings because it is a BIG deal to prevent your 12 year old child from crushing skulls and the like that many of these M-rated video games entail for success. The ratings are very important tools, and yet, Kaiser Family Foundation did a study that showed only 52 percent of parents actually used the ratings to guide game purchases (Walsh et al., 2003).
Other research suggests that active parental involvement in children’s media usage-including discussing the inappropriateness of violent solutions to real life conflicts, reducing time spent on violent media, and generating alternative nonviolent solutions to problems-all can reduce the impact of media violence on children and youth(Anderson et al., 2003).
This indicates the importance of parents merely talking to their child about the video game content is beneficial. A topic of discussion that parents need to address to their child is how to differentiate between reality and fantasy. Video games are highly interactive, which give the child real world syndrome that one can attain from watching heavy amounts of television. Why the child’s behavior is so drastically affected is because a child’s experiences, during those growth spurts of their brain, have a monumental impact on their brain’s wiring. Teenagers are more vulnerable than before because the growth spurts continue through adolescence and during these spurts their brain is wiring the circuits for self control, responsibility and relationships that they will sustain throughout their adult life. “The latest brain research shows that violent games activate the anger center of the teenage brain while dampening the brain’s ‘conscience’ (Walsh et al., 2004).” This highly interactive aspect along with the repetitive nature of this violent behavior is likely to enhance the affect of the aggression that violent video games are proven to have on children. Social Learning Theory can explain an increase in aggressive behavior after one plays a violent video game for the first time but Walsh explains that the real impact is more subtle. “The worst of M-rated games is the culture of disrespect they create. Whoever tells the stories defines the culture. What do we think the effect is when our kids’ storytellers are violence simulators that glorify gang culture, celebrate brutality, lionize crudeness, and trivialize violence toward women”(Walsh et. al, 2004). Huesman and Eron explain that those that watched violent television as a child were more likely to be involved in a serious crime as an adult (Heusman & Eron, 1986). Although longitudinal studies have yet to be performed, one can only assume that video games, which are highly interactive and are known to have 78 percent of the violent actions as being lethal in the real world, would have a harsher effect than violent television(Smith et. Al). The lofty interactive level of these violent video games and the effects it would have on children should be looked at more closely.
An informative study would be to train non-video game players the right skills they need to advance in a highly interactive video game and divide them into two groups. One group would play a violent video game and another would play an educational video game. For it to be most beneficial it would have to be a longitudinal study so that we could see the effects that the games have overtime. Past studies have involved children who already play video games so they are already desensitized to the violence. This might show that the aggressive behavior that can take place after this type of activity is something to pay closer attention to because it could harm the minds and behaviors of the younger generation. Another aspect that the study could incorporate would be to take children that are low in hostility to see if overtime they become more aggressive. If the children’s behavior was proven to be more aggressive, than this might be enough to halt the increase of violent content on these games.
In conclusion, the violence in these video games is not the only factor to play into the harm effect that it has on the younger generations mind. What needs to be taken into consideration are the lack of parental involvement in the child’s activities and the high intensity of interaction that these video games incorporate. The video game industry should be less interested in increasing their profit and more concerned with the effect that the violence has on society.
Reference Page
Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., & Buckley, K. E. (2004) Violent video game effects on children and adolescents: Further developments and tests of the general aggression model.
Miller, Stanley A.(2002, March 30)Death of a Game Addict. Journal Sentinel. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/mar02/31536.asp.
Huesman, L. R., & Eron, L. D. (1986). Television and the aggressive child: A cross-national comparison. New York: Erlbaum.
Walsh, David Ph.D, Gentile, Douglas Ph.D, Gieske, Jeremy, Walsh, Monica, Chasco, Emily.(2004, November) Video Game Report Card. National Institute of Media and Family. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_vgrc_2004.shtml.
Walsh, David Ph.D, Gentile, Douglas Ph.D, Gieske, Jeremy, Walsh, Monica, Chasco, Emily.(2003, December) Video Game Report Card. National Institute of Media and Family. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.mediafamily.org/research/report_vgrc_2003-2.shtml.
