Henderson 1

Jeff Henderson
English 1010
Dr. Colley
Causal Essay
October 12, 2015
Video Games Are Not The Source Of Violence
Video games are played by a massive audience, ranging from kids, to parents, and largely
teenagers and college students. The bad part is, to some people, that these games being played
are too violent for our masses. Multiple times, shootings have been sourced to the violence in
these games being played by everyone. Video games being blamed for violent tendencies is
wrong because of the ESRB rating system in place, other causes of violence in people, and the
growing trends showing the lack of video games leading to violence.
For parents who are discerning about what their kids play, there is a system for that. The
Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB, is the primary source of rating the content going
out to those who play video games. Parents are able to review the ratings, and on their own
accord, decide if their child is allowed to play or not, since a mature game cannot be legally sold
to a minor. Through research, it is found that 87 percent of parents are aware of this rating
system (Spelman). Because of this high percentage, it is shown that there is content awareness in
parents who allow their kids to play games, and thus they make the decision. The ESRB requires
the content of the game to be outlined directly on the box, showing the themes, such would
include blood, violence, profanity, et cetera. With this in place, it is shown how games are
analyzed, and the content in the games is known. This way, parents are able to control the
violence a child can be exposed to.

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Through studies conducted, it is shown that the violence in youth has dropped, but the
sales of video games have risen significantly. From 1994 into 2010, the amount of youth
offenders fell more than half. To contradict with this, sales of video games have actually more
than doubled, from 1996 to 2011 (Kain). Over this time period, games have surely become more
advanced, better looking, so then more graphic. The games have gone from pixelated and
sluggish, to fast paced and highly detailed. Although the games have become more violent, the
people who generally play them, have become the opposite. With the way this trend has been
growing, it may continue, leading to even more video games and much less violence. Video
games may be assisting in this lead to less violence, since people stay inside to play them, giving
them some, either alone time, or fun time with friends, leading to a calming effect, and also
relaxation. Looking at these trends, it does not seem apparent that video games are a big
contributor to violence.
There are other sources in people which can lead to violence, rather than making video
games the source for all our violent tendencies. It has been stated by Kain, that People between
ages 18 and 25 tend to report the highest rate of mental health issues and having mental health
issues can surely lead to erratic and even detrimental behavior. Another source could be the
availability of guns in the United States. Other countries in the world have a very similar amount
of video game media and sales, but much more gun control. The Netherlands, and South Korea,
two of the leading spenders in to video games per capita, are some of the safest when it comes to
guns (Kain). The United States has a very similar amount of games played, but is leading in
terms of gun deaths. The violence in the United States is a very complex problem, as there is no
definitive answer. A lot of the media blames video games for the source of the violence, but it is

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just the easy thing to blame, for a much more complex problem. This problem is also not too
prevalent in other countries, who have a very similar amount of video games.
Video games being blamed for being the source of violence is wrong because of the
ESRB rating system in place, growing trends showing video games not leading to violence, and
other possible sources of violence in people. The ESRB is educating the buyers of video games
on the content within the game of choice, allowing for their own content restrictions. The way
video game sales have risen, and how violence among youth has dropped, shows trends how
video games are barely a source. Other things are also able to lead to violence, such as the lack
of gun control being a leading cause. Mental illnesses are also a possible source of what could
cause people to act violently. Video games are not a cause, or leading source of violence in
people.

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Works Cited
Kain, Eric. "Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence." Violent Video Games. Ed. Roman
Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Rpt. from "The Truth About
Video Games and Gun Violence." Mother Jones (11 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.
Spelman, Paul B., et al. "The Video Games Rating System Is Effective." Violent Video Games. Ed.
Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Rpt. from "Brief of the
Cato Institute as Amicus Curiae Supporting Respondents." (Sept. 2010). Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.