Defend the Video Games

 Written by Yongma Lee

 05/17/2013

 

             “Video games are the reason for the children’s aggression,” this is an often heard, serious accusation with little evidence to back it up.  While there have been several recent violent incidents like “Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting”, there is no clear indication that video games were the cause of such incidence.  Despite the lack of evidence, many still believe that video games have a connection with them.  Additionally, parents and other adults claim that video games are a bad influence on children.  The government also accuses video games of influencing violent behavior after only playing it for a few hours.  Several news reports and articles state that “violent video games” can turn children into violent criminals.  Because of this wave of reports and public opinion, the U.S. Congress is attempting to take action against violent video games (Wrigley).  Many opponents say such an action would be a violation to the freedom of speech - any attempt to ban video games viewed as an attempt to ban popular culture in general.  Unfortunately, unless steps were set to lessen this perception of negative influence of certain genre in video games, this might be exactly what happens.

             Many have speculated in reports that video games were the violent incidents’ source. However, despite these many reports there does not seem to be any proof that video games could actually have an effect like triggering violence in children.  Additionally, it is important that parents fulfill an important role – they are responsible to ensure their children play games appropriate for their age.  Some parents may have overlooked this when they did not set security measures to prevent younger kids from playing Mature - rated games.  One theory suggests that kids who exposed to graphic violence in some video games can lead to having violent thoughts and aggression and have connections to violent crimes, including robbery and assault (Porter and Starcevic 423).  Another hypothesis states that playing violent video games can lead to higher aggression levels than merely watching them (Polman, de Castro, and Van Aker 257).  Yet another research project indicated that boys behave more aggressively than girls do when they exposed to actively violent video games (Polman, de Castro, and Van Aker 261).  While this much data does show higher levels of aggression in kids, it does not show a tendency to plan and initiate an overtly violent act or attack.  Furthermore, exposure to the violent video game is not the cause of a player’s rampage regardless of the duration of exposure to these games. But rather, it is more due to an emotional arousal to violence (Bowen and Spaniol 907).  However, if the exposure is low in terms of time and content, there is little chance of impact (Bowen and Spaniol 901).  It is a fact that some parents carelessly let kids play “mature” rated games without knowing the consequences, yet those same groups of people are setting a bad example for them. Parents should provide positive reinforcement by example and by setting limits on what their kids allowed to play. Although there is significant data that suggests elevated aggression levels because of violent video game exposure, it is difficult to prove violent video games can create aggression in a child’s behavior.  If video games are the aggressive behavior’s origin, then the parents should take the blame for not seeing that type of behavior beforehand.

             Although there are a few negative reviews that state that video games are a bad influence that is primarily because younger kids exposed to mature rated games far too much.  Certain organizations like the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and Common Sense Media (CSM) provide some good examples based on what type of specific game content information parents could expect to find in age-appropriate games for their children.  For instance, Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is one of those neutral games that includes a bit of violence, but positive themes can outweigh the negative thinking about video games. Themes such as self-sacrifice, getting along with others, and working for the greater good along are good with stronger themes, such as dealing with tragedy, self-reflection, and rising to the occasion could help with personal growth.  Another good example would be Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask.  Although dangerous peril appears in scenes of the game, this game encourages kids to use their brains to solve their problems and puzzle, as well as using imagination and deduction skills.  The last example is a 3DS game called Rhythm Thief, as its genre is music and rhythm.  Even though the game has some violent sequences, kids can learn about musical concepts.  In addition to appreciating music, there is some history of Paris along with puzzles in the game.  Parents can help their kids learn from certain games by using parental rating systems and reviews in assisting their purchasing decisions.  Unless the government can present some physical, irrefutable evidence that video games are responsible for violent criminal activities, the government should be careful not to meddle with freedom of speech.  It also due to those children lacked the rational thinking that a few, sensible adults currently have.  For example, a few kids while watching TV happen to see a video game trailer despite the ESRB group’s rating guideline warning of mature content and preview a video game like Mortal Kombat or Halo.  After seeing the preview, they ask their parents to buy that game and do not recall or do not reveal the game’s parental rating. There may be many reasons why the kids either did not remember or tried to hide the parental rating, including peer pressure (friends saying the game is cool or awesome).  What is important is that the parents take some time to preview game selections and carefully monitor their children’s activities.  It is generally viewed that it is the parent’s role to help their children make good choices and to differentiate between right and wrong.  There are many tools that parents can use, such as setting limits and (if needed) therapists to prevent such controversy. 

             Although some violent incidents do occur and people assume that video games are the cause, there is another side as well.  Some video games present positive messages and role models to provide a good learning structure for kids and adolescents.  Although these rated games sometimes contain mild to moderate violence, some multiplayer games encourage social interaction through cooperation and teamwork.  For example, Cooperative play of aggressive games has found to decrease the level of aggressive cognitions and arousal associate with playing violent games due to the exposure of high levels of violence (DeCoster 277).  Increased cooperative behavior can lead to a better outcome in their gaming and their teamwork activities (DeCoster 277-278).  In other words, a method to increase an individual’s social behavior is for the gamer to be a member of a group like a team or guild.  “The current study examined how playing a violent video game cooperatively influenced future cooperative behavior” (DeCoster 278).  Furthermore, children will get the individual idea through playing positive games that can activate an ideal self for a “good” role along with other games with similar positive qualities, whereas a violent video game could activate an antisocial self for a “bad” or socially undesirable role (Annie Jin 1175).  In addition, some video games reviewed to have positive messages that will help children to learn and grow from them.  Parents and teachers would never understand how games and their messages could create a positive impact unless they try these games along with the children.  These positive results from video games tend to outweigh the negative ones as long as they keep in mind the messages these games will bring.  Just give video games one more chance and play them.

             It’s time to silence the accusations towards games.  Most video games do not cause kids to behave violently.  In one sample, 88 percent of kids played video games, out of which only 8 percent exhibited pathological use while the 5 percent had impulse control disorder in Singapore (Eloise Dunlap, et al 155).  Although first-person shooter games, brawler games, and certain violent games like Grand Theft Auto have, a tendency to get kids riled up into getting involved in trouble or starting a fight, there is not any evidence that video games influence kids to, let alone force them to commit crimes.   Because of this situation, it would seem that many people would be safe to assume that video games were the source of where did that person get his intention to start violence in real life.  Many reports state that mentally ill people just grab a weapon and attack innocent people indiscriminately.  The government should focus more on their intention of restricting people from having access to weapons in order to keep the rest of citizens safe from future incidents.  If researchers from the National Institute of Mental Health examine the condition of each mental patient, then the possibility of video games being the cause is a lie.  Despite what others claim, they are saying, but video games are not the real source of the aggression in children. the two things that everyone should be thinking about are the consideration of what harm game ratings higher than the kid’s age can cause and whether mentally ill should learn the difference between reality and fiction.  Therefore, this concludes that there is little evidence to go against violent video games.

             Congress intending to ban video games nationwide can present troubling consequences if a bill like that would pass.  Congress banning video games would create conflict with the bill of rights as the first amendment ensures the freedoms of the press, race, religion, and free speech.  Everyone also has the freedom to think and come up with new means of innovation.  The government banning video games also means they are chaining down freedom of speech. Allowing the government to ban video games would be a bad thing. Video games are now a part of the entertainment industry.  Placing a ban on video games could interpreted as meaning the government is banning the entire entertainment industry – all because of a few violent incidents that were assumingly linked to video games.  Entertainment like video games has become a big part of our world’s culture. Not everyone would expect a video game ban being a good thing because gamers need something to channel their frustration into games.  Many kids also feel that banning video games is a bad thing as it also potentially bans everything else relating to entertainment.  Even if the government would say “yes” to the ban, many US citizens would still go against that idea.  The government seems like they always looking for someone to play the scapegoat and place the blame on in order to cover up their mistakes for not seeing the incidents beforehand.  Everyone should calm down and think instead of blaming things like video games.

             In the near future, I believe there will be a great deal of evidence that will clarify the positive outcome of video games as well as make the news reporters retract their exaggerations. There already is evidence that will outweigh the negative criticism about video games influencing kids through surveys and statistical data via demographics.  One of two studies prove that pro-social games, that are relative to neutral could possibly decrease direct and indirect aggressive behavior as long as the game doesn’t have stronger violent means (Christina Gschwendtner, et al 236).  After the participants finished with the experiment, games with pro-social game conditions reported to perform more positive acts than violent condition games and neutral while those who are lingering to violent game conditions would perform violent acts than the others, which designates similar results (Christina Gschwendtner, et al 237). The data represents an increase in a desire for violent acts. However, their findings suggest that aggressive behavior can also decrease through video game exposure (Christina Gschwendtner, et al 238). Both pro-social and neutral games states in the analyses that gamers are behaving less aggressively than violent video games (Christina Gschwendtner, et al 238).  The data contained evidence that violent video games can create violent intentions in gamers that might prove that some violent video games can cause aggressive behavior. Although some neutral video games may present a bit of violence, their positive messages can outweigh their violent content. Furthermore, video games and their quality depend on the content that each game programmed.  Non-profit organizations like Common Sense Media can specifically identify both appropriate and inappropriate content for viewers to see. When thinking about the positive qualities in the game, it just turns out that not all video games considered a bad influence to kids who enjoy playing games. Video games meant to play and to have fun, but many people with severe disability cases should learn to differentiate between the two factors. Too much exposure from violent video games would influence the gamer to have dangerous behavioral issues. Video games are supposed to entertain gamers and that interactive entertainment is all the fun they could ever need.

             Video games often framed for these false accusations. The government and news reporters put the blame on them just to scare US citizens into thinking that video games are just something bad for kids. In reality, not all video games considered bad influences. Just as there are no bad students, only bad teachers. Careless parents are to blame for buying violent video games for their kids without knowledge of the consequences. Because they allow kids to play violent video games, they would end up behaving like bullies and delinquents because of the endgame by negligence. Even if some video games might have some violent content, it does not change the fact that video games are not responsible for real life violence amongst gamers, including  the sandy hook elementary shooting. Those accusations hardly stated as a fact without further evidence about video games being the source of a person’s violent behavior. Video games act as something any gamer want to play on, not something to take it seriously. Those video games meant for playing and interacting with others through multiplayer, or online.  They did not tell you to commit a crime, or jump off a bridge. Regardless, video games do not have the capacity to influence someone into harming an innocent bystander. Video games are just harmless, mindless entertainment and nothing more than that. Many people find the video games are innocent due to a lack of concrete evidence. Thus, gamers of all ages should feel relieved that they are not the cause of the problem, but it is more of a misunderstanding because of fear and assumptions.

 

Works Cited

Bowen, Holly J., and Julia Spaniol. "Chronic Exposure To Violent Video Games Is Not Associated With Alterations Of Emotional Memory." Applied Cognitive Psychology 25.6 (2011): 906-916. Academic Search Complete. Web. 23 May 2013. 

Christina Gschwendtner, et al. "Acting Prosocially Reduces Retaliation: Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Aggressive Behavior." European Journal of Social Psychology 42.2 (2012): 235-242. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 June 2013.

Eloise Dunlap, et al. "Video Game Genre as a Predictor of Problem Use." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 15.3 (2012): 155-161. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2013.

Fagone, Jason. "Toward A Future in Which Pixels, Code and Computers Will Make You Cry and Feel and Love." Esquire 150.6 (2008): 160-188. Academic Search Complete. Web. 9 June 2013.

Ferguson, Christopher. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A Meta-Analytic Review of Positive and Negative Effects Of Violent Video Games." Psychiatric Quarterly 78.4 (2007): 309-316. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 May 2013.

Jamie DeCoster, et al. "Effect of Playing Violent Video Games Cooperatively or Competitively On Subsequent Cooperative Behavior." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 15.5 (2012): 277-280. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2013.

NNIE JIN, SEUNG-A. "My Avatar Behaves Well and This Feels Right": Ideal and Ought Selves in Video Gaming." Social Behavior & Personality: An International Journal 39.9 (2011): 1175-1182. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 June 2013.

Polman, Hanneke, Bram Orobio de Castro, and Marcel A.G. van Aken. "Experimental Study of the Differential Effects of Playing Versus Watching Violent Video Games on Children's Aggressive Behavior." Aggressive Behavior 34.3 (2008): 256-264. Academic Search Complete. Web. 7 June 2013.

Porter, Guy, and Vladan , Starcevic. "Are Violent Video Games Harmful?." Australasian Psychiatry 15.5 (2007): 422-426. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 May 2013.

Wrigley, Will. “Dianne Feinstein:  Congress May Take Action On Video Game Violence.” Huffington Post. AOL. Web. 11 June 2013.