Throughout



Jasmine ShawKade ParryEnglish 1010 – 044August 8, 2013Issue Exploration Essay Final DraftViolent Video Games and Aggression in ChildrenThroughout history, violence and other negative subjects portrayed in the media have always occurred as a social issue. For this essay, I am going to discuss the controversial concern of the effects of violence in video games on America’s youth. A number of very popular video games these days involve quite a lot of realistic violence. For example, the Call of Duty franchise is one of the top grossing video games on the market today. In 2011, when Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was released, it sold over 6.5 million copies and made over $400 million in the first 24 hours. The game broke the world record for a video game launch and it even “exceeded the box office takings for the Star Wars and Lord of the Rings film series” (Richmond). In Call of Duty, one plays in first-person view as a soldier shooting others with guns and other weapons. It’s a competitive online game where those who can kill the most people wins. Now, this game is rated ‘M for Mature’ which means it’s aimed toward people over the age of 17. However, this doesn’t stop children from wanting to play it and with the popularity of such games, many parents have become concerned.Firstly, I will explain the history and beginning of the video game revolution. Then, we will be looking at the viewpoints of four different groups and their stances on this problem. The first viewpoint comes from scientific research and experiments of psychologists. The second is from the eyes of concerned parents and the perceived difficulty of shielding their children due to social and media influence. The third stance is from those who personally play video games and enjoy such games. And finally, the fourth viewpoint is that of video game developers and their personal opinion having to deal with this issue and United States’ politicians.The first patented video game was invented on January 25, 1947 by Thomas T. Goldsmith, Jr. and Estle Ray Mann. The game was entitled "Cathode Ray Tube Amusement Device" and was inspired by the radar displays used in World War II. This was a machine in which a person used knobs and buttons, like an Etch-a-Sketch, to manipulate a cathode ray tube beam to simulate firing at "air-borne" targets. This revolutionary invention laid out the foundation for video gaming, which is still one of the most lucrative business industries today (“History of Video Games”).From then on until the 1950’s, most games were invented by college students in computer labs for either research or simply as a hobby for entertainment. In 1952 at the University of Cambridge, OXO was created by A.S. Douglas for his thesis on human-computer interaction which was a graphical version of tic-tac-toe where a person competed against a computer. Then, one of the first multi-player video games, Tennis for Two, was invented in 1958 by William Higinbotham to entertain visitors of the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. Tennis for Two was a game where two people could compete against each other on a simplified tennis court that featured a gravity-controlled ball that needed to be played over the "net," using an oscilloscope and an analog computer (“History of Video Games”). It wasn’t until the 1970’s that video games were available to the general public thanks to the invention of coin-operated arcade game machines. They then began popping up everywhere from arcades to laundromats to restaurants. Thanks to arcade machines, video game popularity soared and the industry really began flourishing. Some of the most renowned video games began on arcade machines including Donkey Kong, Gun Fight, Pong, Mr. Pac-man, and Space Invader (“History of Video Games”). In 1972, the very first home video game console, The Magnavox Odyssey, really kick-started the ever-expanding industry. Then, countries like the United States and Japan began competing and racing towards creating more and more advanced games and consoles. However, even though more games were being created, the pixel limitations of 8-bit games prevented making any realistic video games so, any violence and gore in games at the time looked pixilated and cartoonish. That is, until the early 1990’s (“History of Video Games”).In 1992, video games had progressed into the 16-bit era which had significantly better graphics and sound. Thus, the video game Mortal Kombat changed everything because its’ blood and gore could be depicted more realistically. Also, to add to being one of the most controversial video games every created, Mortal Kombat used “digitized actors rather than hand-drawn characters [and] the game featured vicious combinations of fighting moves, Romero-worthy bloodletting and vocal exhortations to ‘finish’ your enemy with special ‘fatalities’” (Chalk).Then later in 1992, another game, Night Trap, really started raising eyebrows. It was the story of a slumber party gone wrong when some bad guy decides to crash it and it was up to the player to save the nightgown-wearing females. It had over an hour and a half of live-action video clips and “the game's sexually exploitative setting and game play nonetheless made it a focal point of Congressional hearings on offensive videogame content” (Chalk). Also, many parents were concerned because a lot of inappropriate video games could be easily purchased by children at the time since there was no age limit.So, from 1992 to 1993, there was a hearing in Congress led by Connecticut Senators Joe Lieberman and Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl. The government threatened the video game industry saying that if they didn’t have their own form of a rating system within a year, the government would step in and apply one of its own (Chalk). Worried for strict government regulations, the video game industry came up with numerous different rating systems like Sega’s Videogame Rating Council, the 3DO Rating System, and the Recreational Software Advisory Council. However, these rating systems were too vague in terms of details of in-game content (Chalk). Thus, in 1994, the Interactive Digital Software Association, IDSA, proposed the Entertainment Software Rating Board, or ESRB, and Congress approved. The ESRB is a lot more descriptive and has been used by the video game industry as the official rating system ever since (Chalk). Yet, even though video games have specific age limits and no one under the age of 17 can purchase a rated ‘M for Mature’ game, the issue of violence in video games affecting America’s youth is still debated to this day.According to a lot of psychologists, the “media interactivity in video games [has] exacerbated the violent effect on short-term, aggressive responses” (Lin 535). Some even say that the more exposed we are to such violence, the more desensitized we become to it. Doctors Douglas Gentile, PhD, and Craig Anderson, PhD, have researched and shown that “playing violent games is also related to children being less willing to be caring and helpful towards their peers” (“Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects”).For example, psychologist David G. Myers, PhD, states that “studies of young adolescents by Douglas Gentile and his co -researchers (2004 & 2007) further reveal that kids who play a lot of violent video games see the world as more hostile, get into more arguments and fights, and get worse grades” (552). Meaning, that because children are exposed to this violence, it seems they view the world as treacherous and can lack empathy or compassion.Another experiment where students would play a violent video game on either a desktop computer or through a virtual reality headset was conducted in 2005 by social psychologists Susan Persky and Jim Blascovich. And not surprisingly, “the virtual reality more dramatically heightened aggressive feelings and behavior during and after the play” (Myers 552). Thus, the more interactive the form of media, the more likely it can influence one’s behaviors and thinking. Also, the “catharsis hypothesis” or the idea that we feel better by expressing our anger, like through video games, is discredited and shows that violence only breeds more aggression. Now, some may think that it is only realistic violence that affects children and adolescents in such a negative way but that is a myth. Even cartoonish and fantasy violence can be dangerous for impressionable children due to being rewarded for hurting or slaying an enemy, whether it be realistic or fictional. In fact, Anderson discovered that in “experimental studies with college students have consistently found increased aggression after exposure to clearly unrealistic and fantasy violent video games. Indeed, at least one recent study found significant increases in aggression by college students after playing E-rated (suitable for everyone) violent video games” (“Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions”).So, children being surrounded by violence, especially through realistic or unrealistic video games, during the important years of social learning is very concerning. Psychologists, like Craig A. Anderson, know that “active involvement improves learning, rewards increase learning, and repeating something over and over increases learning” (“Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects”). So, the more a child plays a violent video game and the more they are rewarded for violent behavior, the more likely these ideas become ingrained.Many parents agree with psychologists and see that violence in video games is not okay for impressionable minors. For example, in January 2013, Common Sense Media and the Center for American Progress conducted a survey and asked 1,050 parents what they thought about violent video games. Amazingly, “89% of parents nationwide say violence in today's video games is a problem [and] 75% of parents say shielding children from violence is difficult” (Schreier). So, parents say it’s difficult to try to protect their children from being affected by violence due to social and cultural influences in the media, including video games, television and movies.However, many video gamers and the video game industry itself completely disagree. A lot of gamers, including the author of the article “Survey: 75% Of Parents Think Violent Video Games Contribute To Actual Violence”, say that “there have been studies that connect violent video games to aggression …but there is absolutely zero evidence, according to leading researchers in this field, that links violent video games to violent crime in any way” (Schreier). Meaning, they believe that video game violence cannot be held accountable for the negative results of people acting out in aggression.Most video game developers believe that since there are the ESRB ratings, video games are not to blame for parents’ lack of supervision on what their children are exposed to. One video game developer, Rob Fulop, the co-creator of the ’94 controversial Night Trap video game, has personally met Joe Lieberman, who was one of the Senators to bring the issue of inappropriate content in video games to Congress. Fulop says, “I realized that in his heart and his soul, he really doesn't care. He just is using [violent game concern] as a platform because it's easy to get people on his side [and] can sound like a good guy” (Sinclair). So, a lot of game developers see this debate simply as a scapegoat for politicians to gain the general public’s support.Personally, I can agree with both sides because I’m a mother, a Psychology major, and a video game enthusiast. After extensively researching the psychological effects of violence in video games on children, I can see how it can affect a child’s perception of reality and can increase aggression. Yet, as a video game player myself, I can also understand that it is not the video game industry’s fault for parents not monitoring what their children are playing or watching. There are ratings on video games, just like for television and movies, for a reason.Also, the freedom of speech and expression still exists in America so, the government cannot technically censor what video game developers create. Like Rob Fulop says, “Nobody can argue skillfully that it's good for kids to have a game where you can run around killing everyone. But you can make the argument that you have the right to put that game out there” (Sinclair).In fact, even psychologists have said that “active parental involvement in children's media usage-including discussing the inappropriateness of violent solutions to real life conflicts, reducing time spent on violent media, and generating alternative nonviolent solutions to problems-all can reduce the impact of media violence on children and youth” (“Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects”). So, as long as parents can also understand that they are also responsible for their children’s learning, they can help their growing child by exposing them to more positive influences and avoid increased aggression and possible resulting violence later on in life by being aware of the games their children are playing.Works CitedAnderson, Craig A.“Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions”. American Psychological Association: Psychological Science Agenda. APA Science Directorate, Oct. 2003. Web. 21 July 2013. Anderson, Craig A., et al. “Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects”. American Psychological Association: Research in Action. American Psychological Association , 8 June 2004. Web. 21 July 2013. Chalk, Andy. “Inappropriate Content: A Brief History of Videogame Ratings and the ESRB”. The Needles. The Escapist Mag., 20 July 2007. Web. 23 July 2013.“History of Video Games”. Princeton University Archives. Princeton University, n.d. Web. 24 July 2013. Lin, Jih-Hsuan. "Do video games exert stronger effects on aggression than film? The role of media interactivity and identification on the association of violent content and aggressive outcomes". Computers in Human Behavior 29.3 (2013): 535-543. Academic Search Premier. Web. 31 July 2013.Meyers, David G. “Do Video Games Tech, or Release, Violence?” Exploring Psychology. 8th ed. New York: Worth Publishers, 2011. 552. Print.Richmond, Shane. “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Breaks Sales Records.” The Telegraph: Video Game News. The Telegraph, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 31 July 2013.Schreier, Jason. “Survey: 75% Of Parents Think Violent Video Games Contribute To Actual Violence.” Kotaku. Kotaku, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 July 2013.Sinclair, Brendan. “Ending the Violent Game Debate”. Game Industry International: Politics. Game Industry International, 31 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 July 2013. ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download