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Video Game Violence Is Not the Villain

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Video Game Violence Is Not the Villain
InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico
Barranquitas Campus
GEEN 2113 - Writing & Research
Prof. Eneida Rivera

Video Game Violence Is Not the Villain

Harold Rios Torres
B00273402
Have you ever taken the time to see why children behave a certain way after playing violent videogames? Some parents fail to see this. But the few who see the change in behavior quickly blame the video game industry for said changes. Violent video games are not the cause of violent behavior in children. Every video game has its rating. Each rating has an age range letting people know for what ages the game is suitable for. Also violent video games help improve many day to day skills, from hand-eye coordination to visuospatial cognition. This is why violent video games are not the enemy. Many say that violent videogames make violent kids, but what some fail to ask is: Why are children playing such games? Parents easily overlook the rating given to these games. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) carefully evaluates every game made to verify the age appropriateness of each and every one of them. With ratings that go from eC (Early childhood) to AO (Adults Only) it is easy to pick a game that is appropriate for a kid. By not paying attention to these ratings and letting children play a game with content that is not suitable for them, it is fair to say that you failed as a parent. In many of these cases, the parent buys their child the game they asked for just so they can relax while the children play whatever game they bought. This, in part, is also a fail by the retailers that sell the games. They should let parents know what they are buying their children. But in the end, it all lies on the parents. My experience with video games is what leads me to saying that parents are the ones responsible for violent children. My parents always had a close eye on the games I played as a kid. If I ever wanted a game that had a rating that was not appropriate for me they



References: Buckley, T. (2009, Feburary 9). Gamespeak: Ctl+Alt+Del. (W. Vitka, Interviewer) Dominick, J. R. (1984). Videogames, television violence, and aggression in teenagers. Journal of Communication, 34, 136-147. Gamson, W. A., Croteau, D., Hoynes, W. & Sasson, T. (1992). Media images and the social construction of reality. Annual Sociological Review, 18, 373-393. Johnson, S. (2005). Your Brain on Videogames. Discover Magazine, 38-43. Valois, R. F., McKeown, R. E., Garrison, C. Z., & Vincent, M. L. (1995). Correlates of aggressive and violent behaviors among public high school adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 16, 26-34.

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