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Nicolas Mason

Mr. Vyvial

ENGL 1302

5 July 2019

The Problem with Violent Video Games and the Children Who Play Them

Since the dawn of the first video game, violence in video games has been an ever-debated

problem between parents, politicians, and the press. The term “video game violence” usually

deals with realistic violence shown in video games such as gun violence, war, automobile

violence, and gruesome imagery of humans dying. Violent video games such as Death Race

(1976), Mortal Kombat (1992), and the Call of Duty franchise (2003-) posed questions from the

public on what effects from these games have on children and what from these video games

exactly cause mental deterioration and violence in children, if any at all. Parents ask if video

games make their kids less intelligent in school, politicians ask if video games make the next

generation more violent than the previous, and the press asks if video games are the primary

cause of tragedies such as school shootings. Journalists present arguments that violence in video

games create violence in children, but at the same time other journalists also present counter-

arguments that violence in video games and all video games offer escapes for children to drain

their frustration into. With today’s excess exposure of violent media and video games, the harm

done to a child’s brain is overshadowed by the great fun of the games. If better action is taken to

prevent excess exposure from violent video games to adolescents, then the future generations of

society could remain less aggressive, more empathetic, and more academic.

The video game industry is one of the largest media industries worldwide. The

interactivity a person can have with a video game is what makes them so popular. One of the
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biggest selling points a video game can have is its action. Companies such as Activision, who

publish the video game franchise Call of Duty, depend on action to keep its players coming back.

However, just like movies, not every video game is for every age group. The video game

industry has its own rating systems, whether it is the Entertainment Software Rating Board or

“ESRB” in the United States or Pan-European Game Information or “PEGI” in the United

Kingdom. These rating systems rate video games based on the maturity required for the content

shown in the game. Unfortunately, the current rating systems for video games is not effective

enough from keeping young children form acquiring video games meant for mature adults. In

Jason Dafnis’s article “The Video Games Rating System Is Not Effective”, he explains that the

descriptions of the ratings used to describe game content can overshadow the actual gameplay in

a video game. If a big “M for Mature” stamp is on a video game disc box, young gamers would

become more attracted to the explicit and violent content shown in the game rather than the game

itself. In the 1980’s, the ESRB didn’t exist, yet violence in video games was still a major

discussion among parents and politicians. In 1985, a study by the Albert Einstein College of

Medicine “found that arcade games have a ‘calming effect’ and that boys use them to blow off

steam.” (Kain) While video games might be seen as a calming solution to a frustrated youth, the

realistic violence shown in video games today is a far worse problem in today’s young gamers.

Today, video games are becoming more realistic with better graphics, which realistic

blood, bodies, and guns. The realistic violence shown in video games have been argued to

desensitize players to the pain of others. In George Drinka’s article “Violent Video Games Can

Desensitize Players and Increase Aggression”, he explains a study that shows that the part of the

brain that elicits empathy in the brain is suppressed while playing violent video games. In a

society where empathy is necessary to prevent conflict, players who develop a lesser sense of
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empathy will not show it towards others’ suffering and pain. Daniel Flannery provides a more

scientific explanation on how vulnerable a child’s brain can be:

For adolescents, the front part of their brains is the last to develop and mature. This part

of the brain is called the prefrontal cortex, and its responsible for processing information,

impulse control and reasoning. Adolescents exposed to violent video games experience a

decrease in activity in their prefrontal cortex, leaving them more vulnerable to having

difficulty with problem-solving and controlling their emotions.

Flannery foreshadows that if children cannot develop reasonable impulse control, then they will

become more susceptible to committing violent acts. First person shooter video games, which are

some of the most common violent video games made today, puts the player behind a gun or other

weapon that has the power to end lives. With games such as Call of Duty becoming increasingly

popular, it becomes increasingly easier for little kids to get a hand on the video game and put

themselves in a mindless arcade shooter taking place in horrible settings of war. The addictive

nature of these video games can also impede on a child’s academic development. When gamers

spend more time on video games, they have less time for their school work. Many violent games

today are mostly played online, where children can interact with complete strangers in toxic and

aggressive environments. If today’s children keep becoming exposed to violent video games,

then society will suffer in the future with its newer generations becoming more violent, less

empathetic, and less academic. There is hope to counteract exposure to violent video games with

media literacy, government action, and stronger rating systems.

One proposed solution which is used in some schools is media literacy. As defined by

Marianna King, media literacy educated people about the influence of the violent entertainment

and video game industries. In the process, it promotes critical thinking, self-understanding, and
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more peaceful interaction. It also facilitates developing a lifestyle that is not so dependent on

electronic entertainment. The idea of media literacy for gaming is to educate children gamers to

understand the actions and violence shown in video games and other violent media and their

consequences in real life. Further implementation of media literacy into schools can help

students realize the horrible consequences should they commit horrible actions. For adults, media

literacy helps “…raises consciousness and inspires advocacy.” (King) This will parents

recognize the mental dangers that come with violent video games and will motivate parents to

become more involved in their children’s gaming behaviors.

Government action is another solution of counteracting violence from video games.

Different governments around the world have discussed and implemented policies that influence

the gaming industry. In Australia, the government has certain bans on what violence can be

shown in video games sold in Australia. Parts of a video game can be locked from the player or

video games themselves can be entirely banned from being sold in Australia. Germany has

similar bans on its games, as the amount of blood shown is lessened, bodies do not stay on

screen, and humans are replaced with robots (BBC). In addition to Germany’s violence

censorship, there was a ban on content containing Nazis or Nazi insignia. Due to Germany’s

regrettable past with Nazis during World War 2 and the current aggression the government faces

from Neo-Nazis, Germany is determined to keep any references of Nazis in video games so that

children playing video games will not become Nazis. Any video games sold in Germany that

contain Nazi content usually already have mostly violent content, as most game containing Nazis

take place during World War 2. However, the ban on Nazi symbols and content in video games

was lifted in Germany as of August of 2018, as video games were finally considered artistic on

the same level as films (BBC). Another action lawmakers in the government have attempted is
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proposing a bill that would tax violent video games. In 2013, the state of Missouri proposed a

bill that would establish a one-percent tax on violent video games, which “…the revenues of

which would go toward ‘the treatment of mental-health conditions associated with exposure to

violent video games.” (Kain) More recently, in 2018 Pennsylvania also proposed a bill to

establish a ten-percent tax on rated M games. However, in both instances, the video game

industry was vocal in its concerns of their publishers and argued that the taxes would violate

their constitutional free speech rights (Webb). Both bills have been dropped, but the idea of a tax

is still being discussed.

Changing how the rating systems for video games operate can also help control the

amount of violence in video games shown to children. Currently in the United States, game

receive their ratings by the ESRB. While the ESRB ratings does its job on determining which

age groups should be restricted from certain games, the ESRB does have some flaws. The board

is independent, consisting of experienced raters who are not gamers (Spelman). Unfortunately,

since the raters do not play the games themselves, they cannot truly feel the content of the game

and the violence, if there is any. The ESRB only watches the most extreme parts of the game to

make its rating with no context on why the violence is being shown (Dafnis). Not only could this

give a game a rating higher than it should be, but it can also potentially give a game a rating

lower and expose a younger audience to a game which should be for an older audience. In

Australia and Germany, their governments have their own rating boards for video games, which

allows them to directly ban the sells of games for young adults to children. In the U.S., most

retailers do not sell rated Mature games to minors, which does help limit exposure.

The best solution to limit violent content from children is media literacy. Not only do

children gamers need to be educated, but their parents must also be educated. At the end of the
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day, the parent has the most control on what games their kids play. A rating system can prevent

selling games for young adults to minors; a government can ban or deter the sale of violent video

games to children. The parent, however, can take many more immediate precautions. Every

modern gaming console and computer has the ability to set parental controls to monitor to their

children’s play time and what games they play. Establishing media literacy learning in middle

schools and high schools in the five years can greatly approve the understanding of violence in

consequences in adolescents, in turn, limiting the levels of violence in the coming generations.

When minors and adults are educated in media literacy not just for violence in video

games, but in all types of media, then society in the future can better help their new generations

be smarter, less violent, and more understanding. Video games are a popular artistic medium,

which can help its publishers bring their messages and emotions to the players. When children

only play games for their violence, however, then children will misunderstand the real world,

and will think they are being challenged and isolated. With media literacy, help can be provided

to those children addicted to violent video games and make the future a better one.
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Works Cited

BBC. “Germany Lifts Total Ban on Nazi Symbols in Video Games.” BBC News, 10 Aug. 2018,

www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45142651.

Dafnis, Jason. "The Video Games Rating System Is Not Effective." Violent Video Games, edited

by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010926212/OVIC?u=txshracd2480&sid=OVIC&

xid=742edc26. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "Everything That's Wrong

with the ESRB," Blunder Busters, 8 Jan. 2014.

Drinka, George. "Violent Video Games Can Desensitize Players and Increase Aggression."

Violent Video Games, edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010926203/OVIC?u=txshracd2480&sid=OVIC&

xid=cd3e2285. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "Violent Video Games and

Adam Lanza's Inner World, Part 1 and Violent Video Games and Adam Lanza's Inner

World, Part 2," Psychology Today, 7 Mar. 2013.

Flannery, Daniel J. "Here's how witnessing violence harms children's mental health." Opposing

Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EHOFED471150506/OVIC?u=txshracd2480

&sid=OVIC&xid=25efeb8c. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "Here's how

witnessing violence harms children's mental health," The Conversation, 16 Feb. 2018.
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Kain, Eric. "Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence." Violent Video Games, edited by

Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010926204/OVIC?u=txshracd2480&sid

=OVIC&xid=cac7b7ba. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "The Truth About

Video Games and Gun Violence," Mother Jones, 11 June 2013.

King, Marianna. "Violent Media Hinders Students' Emotional and Intellectual

Development." Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2019. Opposing

Viewpoints in

Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EITKQJ250642368/OVIC?u=txshracd2480

&sid=OVIC&xid=c8ced527. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "Educating

Students to be Critical of Violent Media," Association for Middle Level Education, Apr.

2018.

Spelman, Paul B., et al. "The Video Games Rating System Is Effective." Violent Video Games,

edited by Roman Espejo, Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010926211/OVIC?u=txshracd2480&sid=OVIC&

xid=bc97112a. Accessed 4 July 2019. Originally published as "Brief of the Cato Institute

as Amicus Curiae Supporting Respondents,", Sept. 2010.

Webb, Kevin. “Pennsylvania Might Slap a 10% Tax on Violent Video Games, but the Industry

Says the Proposed Law Is Fundamentally Flawed.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 11

Feb. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/pennsylvania-video-game-tax-2019-2#many-of-

the-best-selling-games-of-2018-were-rated-mature-1.