Does Video Games Cause Violence?

There have been many open deliberations about whether video games do or don't cause brutality. Many individuals trust video games are the fundamental purposes of wrongdoing and brutality. In spite of the fact that there isn't sufficiently only proof to demonstrate that computer games do cause viciousness; individuals still have a tendency to trust they do. I trust that computer games don't cause savagery. My reasons are on the grounds that there are different elements connected to savagery other than computer games, there isn't sufficient confirmation to demonstrate that computer games do cause viciousness and that brutality, all things considered, would have soared if computer games played a part.

There have been different cases that computer games assume a part in savage exercises and rough conduct. Computer games are generally going to be rebuked for shooting binges, thefts, and homicides on the grounds that the general population that conferred the rough act(s) likes computer games. Different variables of brutality can be that the general population can be discouraged, fixated, pushed, or only a psycho. Individuals have a tendency to trust that computer games cause savagery simply in light of the rough game play depicted in them. Some computer games aren't savage by any means, however just excessively difficult so they cause disappointment which prompts animosity. In the chapter "The Effect of Violent Video Games on Aggression: Is It More Than Just the Violence?": “Experimental research has shown that playing violent video games produces higher levels of aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and aggressive behavior (in the short-term) than non-violent video games” (Adachi and Willoughby).

Although video games cause a rise in aggression, there are still other factors. The columbine shooting for example, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold enjoyed playing video games. The columbine shooting was dared to be caused by the diversion DOOM. After further examination; it was discovered that there could have been numerous elements to the savage slaughter. Components like tormenting, discouragement, music, and different things. According to Sandra G. Boodman “The link between bullying and school violence has attracted increasing attention since the 1999 rampage at Colorado's Columbine High School. That year, two shotgun-wielding students, both of whom Peterson said had been identified as gifted and who had been bullied for years, killed 13 people, wounded 24 and then committed suicide. A year later an analysis by officials at the U.S. Secret Service of 37 premeditated school shootings found that bullying, which some of the shooters described ‘in terms that approached torment,’ played a major role in more than two-thirds of the attacks.” (“Gifted and Tormented”).

Another example of how other factors besides video games playing a role in violence would be the 2012 Aurora shooting. James Holmes played non-violent video games such as Guitar Hero. He also was obsessed with The Dark Knight character Joker. His violent actions weren’t linked to games but to his mental illness and his fixation on the movie character which are two factors besides video games. In the research article “Cultural Effects of Cinematic Violence: Private Ryan and The Dark Knight”: “There is no question that violent entertainments shape popular attitudes toward violence. But do they really make the culture as a whole more violent? Can they work to make it less violent? … It outlines an alternative “ecological” approach and tests it by examining two movies that treat violence in strikingly different fashions: The Dark Knight (2008) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). It tests empirically whether and how Saving Private Ryan actually changes college students' attitudes toward violence, and summarizes the best current psychological models of the causal connection between violent thoughts and violent behavior” (Eitzen). The article concludes that violent movies can impose violent thoughts and actions. It is not how the movies show the amount of violence but how it is utilized.

There is no evidence that video games do cause violent activities or behavior in our society. In conclusion of the article called “Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior”: “We failed to find evidence that playing video games affects prosocial behavior … It is therefore important that speculation is rigorously tested and findings replicated. Here we fail to substantiate conjecture that playing contemporary violent video games will lead to diminished prosocial behavior” (Tear and Nielsen). If there is no evidence of whether video games do or do not cause violence, where does it originate? According to the chapter “Causal or Spurious: Using Propensity Score Matching to Detangle the Relationship between Violent Video Games and Violent Behavior”: “The link between video games and violence are not fully understood. The result of a test done with 6567 8th graders on whether video games provoke violence was not found” (Gunter and Daly). In my opinion, if there is no evidence to back up what people assume it doesn’t matter what they say. When I was a child my mother and father allowed me to play violent video games. I enjoyed playing video games and it was one of my favorite hobbies and still to this day I enjoy playing them. I had anger management problems when I was younger. I got into plenty of fights at school because of my anger issues. Video games calmed me down and didn’t make me a more violent person, I was violent already. So when I pull up articles about how video games are linked to violence I laugh because I have evidence that they are not. In the article “A Plea for Concern Regarding Violent Video Games”: “…violent video games was not any stronger than the evidence showing harm from other violent video media and therefore the proposal from California was actually ‘under inclusive’ because it did not propose to restrict those other violent video media such as Saturday morning cartoons” (Murray). There is no evidence to be found that games do cause violence.

If video games do cause violence, why has violence been decreasing for the past two decades? In the chapter “The Big Fear” it describes that video games are linked to people being alone and that video games make the people playing them have poor interpersonal skills (“Grand Theft Childhood”). This chapter says that because of the youth violence has decreased over the past decades, you would have a better chance at getting struck by lightning besides being shot at school. Violence would have been off the charts if video games really played a role. Video game actually has been improving our society and our defense. For instance, the military uses computer games to prepare fighters to set them up for battle. The troopers furnish themselves with lances which are intended to wreck foe planes, structures, and tanks. According to Karin Orvis, video games are increasingly being used for military training. One assumption is that the majority of soldiers play video games regularly … Given that cadets may be a special population; this research examines the frequency of video game usage across the U.S. Army. Results indicate that fewer than 43% of over 10,000 soldiers surveyed play videogames at least weekly” (“Are Soldiers Gamers?”). Another article called “An Examination of the Role Individual Differences Play in video game–Based Training” mentions that video games are emerging as an increasingly popular training tool in the military. Given this trend, it is important to investigate factors that maximize the effectiveness of this training medium (Orvis, Horn, and Belanich). So video games can be beneficial in some ways other than causing violence.

All in all, I trust that computer games don't cause viciousness however the individual behind the remote does. I have the actualities to go down what I've said from outside academic sources. There are different components that prompt savagery and not simply video diversions. I trust that the contention to whether they do or don't cause viciousness will keep on expanding. There is no genuine response until further notice.

References

Adachi, Paul JC, and Teena Willoughby. "The Effect of Violent Video Games on Aggression: Is It More Than Just the Violence?." Aggression and violent behavior 16.1 (2011): 55-62.

Boodman, Sandra G. "Gifted and Tormented." The Washington Post. May 16, 2006.

Eitzen, Dirk. "Cultural Effects of Cinematic Violence: Private Ryan and The Dark Knight." Projections 7.1 (2013): 3-24.

Gunter, Whitney D., and Kevin Daly. "Causal or Spurious: Using Propensity Score Matching to Detangle the Relationship between Violent Video Games and Violent Behavior." Computers in Human Behavior 28.4 (2012): 1348-1355.

Kutner, L. and Olson, C. “The Big Fear.” Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do, (2008) 8-9. Print.

Murray, John P., Barbara Biggins, Edward Donnerstein, Roy W. Menninger, Michael Rich, and Victor Strasburger. "A Plea for Concern Regarding Violent Video Games." Mayo Clinic proceedings. Mayo Clinic. Vol. 86. No. 8. Mayo Foundation, 2011.

Orvis, K. A., Moore, J. C., Belanich, J., Murphy, J. S., & Horn, D. B. "Are soldiers gamers? Videogame usage among soldiers and implications for the effective use of serious videogames for military training." Military psychology 22.2 (2010): 143.

Orvis, Karin A., Daniel B. Horn, and James Belanich. "An Examination of the Role Individual Differences Play in Videogame–Based Training." Military Psychology 21.4 (2009): 461-481.

Tear, Morgan J., and Mark Nielsen. "Failure to Demonstrate That Playing Violent Video Games Diminishes Prosocial Behavior." PloS one 8.7 (2013): e68382.