Ash Bobye

Video Game Violence

“Life is a video game. You’ve got to die sometime”. These are the words 16 year old
Devin Thomson said before he opened fire and killed 3 Alabama police officers in 2003.
“Devin later claimed that the video game Grand Theft Auto motivated him to perform the
murders” (Becker). From that moment on the world of video games was changed
forever. Now critics had a legitimate and valid reason for wanting the sale of violent
video games treated like that of adult films and cigarettes in the adults only section.
With almost every child playing some sort of video game you can see how the effects of
violent video games on children has become an important subject. Parents now fear
that if their kids play these video games their children will become killing machines.
There are many sides to this issue and people from different backgrounds form their
own opinions based upon what suits them. Concerned parents assume that anything
violent is immediately bad for their children, video game companies look at only the
positives of video games like social interaction, and researchers come to a middle
ground this issue. By the end of this summary you will have and understanding of the
basic issues and opinions surrounding video game violence and what it can do to
children.
With so many children spending so many hours playing video games there are many
fears that have come along with so much exposure to violence. Most of the negative
statements made on video games have been directed towards whether or not children
playing violent video games will want to imitate the characters in the game the way
Devin Thomson did. While the sale of games rated M (17+) are illegal to minors and can
carry a $1000 dollar fine and loss of job for the employer that sells the game(Becker).
The current system allows rated M games to be sold in the same section right next to
games that are rated E for all ages. Most parents don’t take the time to look at the
games they buy their children because their kids just pick them off the shelf, have their
parents buy the game, and go home to play. This might not be a problem but research
has shown that violent video games do have a negative effect on children. Researchers
at Indiana University School of Medicine conducted a study that took an MRI scan of
children who had played two separate video games one with violence the other without
violence. The video game with violence showed a negative effect on the children. “While
this research cant distinctively say that the effects are permanent or temporary it did
show that violence in video games becomes normal to children and no longer bothers
them as much as it would children who don’t play video games” (Kalning). Others have
stated that playing these video games can make children socially awkward mindless
zombie. Many people believe that violent video games have brought an increase in
school violence. (Kutner) The columbine shooters themselves were also avid video
gamers who had a tendency towards violent video games. Critics also point towards the
fact that the military even uses video game like simulations to train soldiers on how to
kill so it becomes second nature on the battlefield. Some say that games that are rated
E all ages are ok but research from Oxford has shown that some E rated games are just
as violent as T (ages 13+) rated games. “Because they don’t show the consequences of
violence like death or blood they are marked E for everyone and expose kids to violence
without showing them the negative effects” (Anderson) . The fact that these games
show that violence is rewarded with and has no negative effects can make rated E
games worse than T or even M rated games(Anderson). Research has also shown that
children who do play violent video games are more likely to be bullied or to be bullies
themselves than kids who don’t play these games.
Not everyone believes that violent video games destroy the minds of children there are
some that say it can be healthy for children to play these games. In reality youth
violence has been on the decline for the past decade in the same time the sales of
violent video games have been on the rise. “Also for many children and teenagers
playing video games can be a very social activity that can teach and build team working
skills” (Kutner). “In games like WoW players can coordinate groups of 4 to 40 real life
people to work together to complete a mission in the game that requires leadership and
teamwork and many kids will never have that opportunity in real life” (physorg). Many
children use video games to break the ice when meeting new classmates being able to
have something in common with a stranger is a powerful tool to building a strong
friendship (Kutner). Many children play these games online and are able to cross certain
social borders they may have and are able to interact with people from around the world
and get a sense of what the world is about in certain games. “Research has also been
done that points in the opposite direction and says that playing violent video games can
be used as a stress reliever and has no real effect on how aggressive someone is
towards friends or partners” (physorg). Not every child can be the star quarterback or
track star, for these children video games can give them a place to succeed and do
good in competition against peers and earn some sort of respect from other kids. “The
secret service has even looked towards video games being the cause of school
shootings. In their research they found that out of the 37 school shooting/stabbings from
1974-2000 that were not gang related only 4 played violent video games” (Kutner).
Now onto the middle ground. While some people believe that video games cause no
harm and others portray them as tools used to show kids how to commit murder, few
people are in the middle seeing video games as educational tools that can be used to
teach children important life lessons and certain dangers without actually having to
experience them. The ESA for example has stated that it strongly supports not selling M
rated games to minors and that’s why it supports the ESRB system. The ESA also
stated that video game sales are being monitored at the same level admission to movie
theaters. “But the ESA does not believe these video games should be kept away from
children because they teach problem solving skills and teamwork” (Becker). Supporters
also believe parents should be informed on what they buy their kids and make sure they
should regulate and talk to their children about these games. “Researchers also state
that video games can be played everyday as long as parents make sure more important
things like homework are taken care of first” (Anderson). The main trend that appears is
that the more involved parents are in their children’s video gaming the better of the child
will be and the more he/she will be able to learn from violent video games. For example
a child could be playing a game like God Of War a game full of violence, but with
parental guidance the child could learn about the Greek mythology that drives the story
in God Of War. Other games like Grand Theft Auto can show more of a real life
depiction of the dangers of a life of crime.
Looking at the future of video games some things can be said, their going to get more
realistic, more interactive, and more violent, but is this necessarily a bad thing? Some
say that with the hyperrealism that video games will offer children will be taught to kill
and become murderers if exposed to violent video games. Others say that video games
don’t teach children to kill at all but only teach positive things like teamwork and
success. And finally there are those who state that while violent video games can have
a negative effect on children, with proper oversight from good parents video games can
open children’s eyes to some negatives in life and even bring out the best in some.

Works Cited
Anderson, Craig and Douglas Gentile, eds. Violent Video Game Effects On Children
And Adolescents Theory Research, And Public Policy. Oxford: University Press, 2007.
Print.

Becker, David. “Do Video Games Make Children Violent?” zdnet.com.uk CNET News,
2/24/2005. Web. 30 Oct. 2010

Kalning, Kristin. “Does Game Violence Make Teens Aggressive?” MSNBC.com

MSN,12/8/2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2010

Kutner, Lawrence and Olson K. Cheryl. Grand Theft Childhood The Surprising Truth
About Violent Video Games And What Parents Can Do. New York: Simon & Schuster,
2008. Print

“No Strong Link Seen Between Violent Video Games And Aggression.” physorg.com.
N.p. 8/11/2005. Web. 29 Oct 2010