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The Impact of Violent Video Games on Youth Violence
Jennifer Jenkins
Benfield University
English 101
Dr. Jane Bowman
May 27, 2014
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Abstract
Studies show that an overwhelming majority of children and young people play video games. Many youth play violent games such as Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto; these games have become enormously popular, and therefore enormously profitable. In recent decades, a number of researchers have carried out studies to determine if the blurring of reality and fantasy and the unrelenting exposure to violence in these games has had an impact on aggressive behavior among children and adolescents. This paper explores the conversation surrounding this issue, argues that there is substantive evidence of bullying and other forms of antisocial behavior, and offers solutions to concerned parents.
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The Impact of Violent Video Games on Youth Violence
The Grand Theft Auto video game series has 15 titles in its portfolio and has sold more than 150 billion units since 1997. Its most recent installment, Grand Theft Auto V, generated $800 million in sales worldwide in just 24 hours after its fall 2013 debut (Thier, 2013). In the series, gamers carry out violent heists for crime lords, killing bystanders, cops, prostitutes, and other individuals in gruesome ways. One mission asks users to select a method of torture, including dental extraction, waterboarding, and smashing a man's groin with a sledgehammer. This franchise, like dozens of other violent titles in the $11.7 billion gaming industry, puts users in first-person scenarios that are gruesome and murderous. Although the most violent titles carry an "M" (Mature) rating and target an adult audience, many youths play them. A Pew Research Center report found that 97% of children, ages 12 to 17, played some type of video game (Lenhart et al., 2008). Two-thirds of those played games with violent content, including Grand Theft Auto. For four decades, video games have been blamed, in part, for an increased prevalence of youth violence and aggressive behavior. Although it is difficult to link violent games to criminal activity, young gamers do experience an increase in aggression and decrease in empathy; those with unfiltered access to violent games and a history of mental health problems may confuse fantasy and reality.
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Violent video games have been blamed in part for some of the country's most heinous crimes and school shootings, from Columbine High School to Sandy Hook Elementary. In both cases, and others like them, the young shooters had a history of violent video game play. Mature-rated games simulate and reward violence, thereby desensitizing young users and teaching them that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflict. Some argue that the video game industry is not creating thousands of young homicidal maniacs. School and mass shootings aren't more prevalent in the United States, compared to two decades ago, despite the increased number of video game users. According to data from the United States Department of Justice and the NPD Group, sales of video games have more than quadrupled from 1995 to 2008, while the arrest rate for juvenile murders fell nearly 72% and the arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes declined about 49% in this same period (Kierkegaard, 2010). However, the societal impact of violent video games is mounting, and perhaps in more subtle ways than the media and crime statistics suggest. Young gamers are more likely to show aggression and anger, in general, and in the form of bullying. Researchers Kutner and Olsen (2008) reported that 60% of middle school boys who played at least one mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play mature-rated games (pp. 99-100). Although juvenile violent crime has declined, incidents of bullying have increased: 282,000 students are physically attacked in secondary schools each month and 71% of students report bullying is a problem at their school, according to Make Beats Not Beat Downs (n.d.), a bullying prevention non-profit. Leading experts in video game research Anderson and Bushman (2001) support the theory that exposure to violent video games poses a public-health threat to young people:
Is there a reliable association between exposure to violent video games and aggression? Across the 33 independent tests of the relation between video-game violence and aggression, involving 3,033 participants, the average effect size was positive and significant. High video-game violence was definitely associated with heightened aggression. (p. 357)
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Some researchers argue that video games are more likely to impact negative behaviors because they're immersive. Users don't just watch the bloody violence as they would in a violent television show or movie; they interact with the game in a real and personal way. The user leads the action, using humans as shields, mowing down prostitutes, killing civilians as an undercover terrorist, and more. In this fantasy world, gamers are rewarded for violent behaviors. The psychological impact of violent video games boosts aggression, but it also desensitizes the gamer and decreases his or her levels of empathy toward others (Funk et al, 2004, pp. 24-25). Funk (2001) says that for young users without healthy messaging from parents, violent imaging of video games could be internalized as the moral norm. For those players deemed high-risk, confusing the fantasy world of video games with real life isn’t a giant leap. High-risk players are young children, ages less than 11 to 12, who are bullies or victims, and children with problems in emotion regulation. Funk (2001) maintains that “Playing violent video games probably will not turn a docile, well-socialized child into a bully. … But for children who are already bullies or victims there are no corrective messages or experiences in violent video games (Bullies and Victims section).”
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The impact of violent behavior is difficult to measure, but studies suggest that young boys are at the highest risk of exhibiting aggression. Roughly 65% of daily gamers are male; 35% are female. Boys also are more likely than girls to play violent M-rated games (Lenhart et al., 2008). Boys who played M-rated games "a lot" were twice as likely to be in a physical fight, to hit or beat up someone, to damage property for fun, to steal something from a store, to get poor school grades, or to get in trouble with a teacher or principal, compared to boys who played games with lower ratings (Kutner & Olsen, 2008, pp. 99-100). This evidence also does not pinpoint the impact that the violent male characters within the games may have on young boys. The male characters are often aggressive and violent, whereas women are portrayed as damsels in distress, objects of sexual gratification, or as the enemy. Very few video games feature women as allies or sidekicks to the male protagonist. Because the primary characters in video games are men, male gamers are more likely to engage in the game than females, resulting in a larger impact on men (Bartholow & Anderson, 2002, p. 288).
The benefits of non-violent video games are numerous: they provide a creative outlet and stress relief, promote social interaction, and encourage sports and physical fitness. However, those benefits are overshadowed by reports of real-world casualities at the hands of frequent gamers. Each year, developers spend millions of dollars to create and market even more gruesome and realistic video games. How can concerned parents respond? Parents should become familiar with the content of their children's games and the games they play at friends' houses. Screenshots and plot summaries are widely available online. Experts recommend that parents keep game consoles in common areas of the home and familiarize themselves with parental controls. If a child seems more aggressive after playing certain games, parents should be vigilant, restrict play, and discuss the content with their children.
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