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Video Games and Violence.

The reason or fact through which video games has influenced violence in our society is something that has been in debate for the longest time. It is hypothesized that a frequent use of violent videogames will have an influence on antisocial behavior. Through a quantitative methodology, 596 individuals participated in this study, between the ages of 6 to 18. Parametric analyses were carried out to determine if antisocial behavior predicts violent videogame playing. It appears that there is no sound relationship that links antisocial behavior and play of violent videogames. (Daisuke).

With the recent mass shooting over the years then some people are trying to relate them with the violence that occurs in games. Like the gunman who killed 22 people and injured 24 others at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, on August 3 made a fleeting reference to video game soldiers, indicating that he was familiar with video violence, and many politicians were quick to blame video games for this and other mass shootings. Even with all the research conducted it has still been hard to find how the real-life violence is linked to the violence in video games.

Since not all of us are fun of video games but I believe that once in our lives then we have had an encounter to experience how it feels to play whichever game was in place but in games like Grand theft out five or Call of duty then I guess we have come across where if you kill you are rewarded.

Killing innocent people using weapons including guns, knives, flame and feet. Some include cut scenes of strippers. In some, the player assumes the role of hero, whereas in others the player is a criminal.

An updated meta-analysis reveals that exposure to violent video games is significantly linked to increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, and cardiovascular arousal, and to decreases in helping behavior. (Anderson, Craig A). The new report, published in the journal on Wednesday, found that, when bundled together, the studies showed a statistically significant but minuscule positive correlation between gaming and aggression, below the threshold required to count as even a “small effect”.One common argument for a negative effect of gaming is that small harms can accumulate over time: if a player ends every game slightly more aggressive then, over the long term, that might add up to a meaningful change in temperament. But the study finds no evidence for such an accumulation, and in fact finds evidence pointing in the opposite direction.

Playing violent video games causes more aggression, bullying, and fighting by simulating violence such as shooting guns and hand-to-hand combat in video games can cause real-life violent behavior. Many perpetrators of mass shootings played violent video games.

Violent video games also desensitize players to real-life violence through inhabiting violent characters in video games, children are more likely to imitate the behaviors of those characters and have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasy. The exposure to violent video games is linked to lower empathy and decreased kindness. In video games that portray violence against women they can lead to more harmful attitudes and sexually violent actions towards women.

Violent video games reinforce fighting as a means of dealing with conflict by rewarding the use of violent action with increased life force, more weapons, moving on to higher levels, and more. With the violent video games, the US military use violent video games to train their soldiers to kill.

Viewing violent TV programs was significantly related to manifest physical aggression for Ss in general. There was no relationship between VG playing and self-esteem among females; however, TV viewing, VG playing, and SES were all inversely correlated with self-esteem for males. It is concluded that VG playing is neither the menace that many of its critics have portrayed it to be nor necessarily without possible negative consequences.

Other than having the its pro’s violent video games have their cons over the years studies have shown violent video games may cause aggression, not violence. Further, any competitive video game or activity may cause aggression. The games are a convenient scapegoat for those who would rather not deal with the actual causes of violence in the US. In simple statistics does not support the claim that violent video games cause mass shootings or other violence. As sales of violent video games have significantly increased, violent juvenile crime rate. Studies have shown that violent video games can have a positive effect on kindness, civic engagement, and prosocial behaviors. Violent video game players know the difference between virtual violence in the context of a game and appropriate behavior in the real world. It provides opportunities for children to explore consequences of violent actions, develop their moral compasses and release their stress and anger (catharsis) in the game, leading to less real-world aggression.

Studies claiming a causal link between video game violence and real-life violence are flawed.

Works Cited

Daisuke Sato, “Playing violent videogames is unrelated to antisocial behavior in Mexican children” Entertainment Computing. 2021.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1875952121000367Anderson, Craig A. “An update on the effects of playing violent video games.” Journal of adolescence 27.1 (2004): 113-122.

Dominick, J. R. (1984). Videogames, television violence, and aggression in teenagers. Journal of Communication, 34(2), 136–147. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1984.tb02165.x