Kadie Lawrence
The controversy concerning violence in video games dates back to the release of Death Race in 1976[i], a game in which the player runs over “gremlins” loosely depicting human stick figures with a car. Since its uproarious rejection by parents and educators, production of the game was ceased, however not before protestors forcibly removed the game from arcades and burned them in parking lots. It had been reported that the original working title of the game was Pedestrian. Programmers and video game enthusiasts would argue that this kind of reaction to a seemingly harmless game is unnecessary and over-the-top, whereas millions of anti-gamers, so to speak, would say that violent video games are corrupting our youth and training them to kill.
In 1999, Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano, co-authors of Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action against TV, Movie & Video Game Violence stated that video games cause players to associate happiness and fulfillment with causing physical pain in others[ii]. However, significant study of the matter shows that gaming does not increase juvenile crime. The number of minors arrested for juvenile murder has decreased 71.9% between 1995 and 2008[iii], just as the number of juvenile arrests in total has fallen by 49.3%. [iv]In the same time frame, video game sales have more than quadrupled. Several studies that would show otherwise use unreliable means of study, such as noise blast tests and there is a considerable lack of studies that monitor children and teens over extended periods of time.[v] It has been said that video games also decrease social skills in gamers ranging from children to teens to adults. The truth could not be more contrary as recent studies show that video games in fact increase social interaction. The results of a study of 1,102 subjects between twelve and seventeen years of age are that gaming is a social experience. 76% play games with others, 65% of which play with others in the same room and 44% play games that teach them about societal issues. Many games mimic political, ethical and moral aspects of society as well, so that the gamers may think and reflect upon their own beliefs.[vi] Numerous school shootings and public shootings, such as The Columbine Massacre and the Virginia Tech shooting, have been attributed to violent media. Professor Christopher Ferguson of Texas A&M International writing for the Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling states that “School shootings, although exceedingly rare, are an important issue worthy of serious consideration. However, for our understanding of this phenomenon to progress, we must move past the moral panic on video games and other media and take a hard look at the real causes of serious aggression and violence...the wealth of evidence... fails to establish a link between violent video games and violent crimes, including school shootings. The link has not merely been unproven; I argue that the wealth of available data simply weighs against any causal relationship.”[vii] Any correlation between children/teens and violent actions is best explained by deep-seated emotional and mental disorders and exposure to family violence or an inherent aggressive personality. An overwhelmingly large percentage of gamers report that playing video games is an outlet for aggression and “rough-housing,” so to speak. Games allow adolescent boys to ascertain status amongst their peers without physically hurting anyone.[viii] Recently the actor, rapper and film producer Ice-T was interviewed concerning Grand Theft Auto, a highly popular and specifically targeted game by anti-gamers. “Does that make you want to do it in real life? No. To me it diffuses it. People say video games make kids violent. I don't think so. It can be an outlet for that aggression. It's a masculine thing. Human beings have some weird blood lust, it roots back to us being animals. It's ill, though.” [ix]Now, while his word choice may leave something to be desired, Ice-T makes a valid point. Violence in video games is an outlet for aggression and combativeness. The miniscule links to violence and aggression that have been observed may be accounted for as violent youth being drawn to violent media. In addition, gamers understand that what they are playing is a game and only a game.[x] Children are able to distinguish reality from fantasy as toddlers, they are surely able to do so at thirteen. In conclusion, as you can see, video games do not cause anyone to be aggressive or manifest violent behavior in the minds of our youth. Video games are many things. They are an outlet, a social experience, an escape, and a family activity but what they are not is corruption. If we do not trust our children, how will they ever become trustworthy?
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[i] Ferguson, Christopher. "Violent VIdeo Games And Aggression." ProCon. N.p., n.d. Web.
[ii] Dave Grossman and Gloria DeGaetano, Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action against TV, Movie & Video Game Violence, 1999
[iii] "Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry," Entertainment Software Association website, May 2009
[iv] "Crime in the United States, 2008," FBI website, Sep. 2009
[v] WIlliams, Dmitri, and Marko Skoric. "Internet Fantasy Violence: A Test of Aggression In an Online Game." ProCon. N.p., n.d. Web. .
[vi] Meadows, Simon. "Video Games Help Teenage Social Skills." News. Optimist World, 28 Sept. 2008. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. .
[vii] "Researcher: No Link Between Violent Games & School Shootings." GamePolitics News. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. .
[viii] Olson, Cheryl K., Lawrence A. Kutner, and Dorothy E. Warner. "The Role of VIolent VIdeo Game Content in Adolescent Development: Boys' Perspectives." Sagepub.com. Journal Of Adolescent Research, n.d. Web. .
[ix] Yarn, Marcus. "Ice-T: Games Can Be Outlet For Aggression." Daily Tech. N.p., n.d. Web. .
[x] Steven Malliet, "An Exploration of Adolescents' Perceptions of Videogame Realism," Learning Media and Technology, 2006
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