Should Films and Computer Games with Violence be Restricted - Essay Example

Today this has changed a very large amount when you considers the sorts of computer games and movies that are out now. Games such as Grand Theft Auto are made so users can participate in car theft and murder. Movies like Die Hard show violence as a glorious thing. With these changes in subject matter, a growing amount of people have come to argue that there should be restrictions on computer games and violence. This essay examines this question through an examination of opinions both in favor and against restrictions on film and computer game violence before ultimately arguing that there should be a level of restrictions on violent video games and films.

One of the biggest arguments that says restrictions on games and movies should be made is that the violence in these games and films has a desensitizing effects on the viewers and game players. There are lots of different views on this issue. I think probably the most convincing views use psychology in their arguments. For example, Dill (2000) says that people that watch lots of violent movies and play lots of violent games are affected because they ““provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations” and there is the understanding that such violence “appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts.

Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise." If these statements are true then they are very powerful. The argument is saying that by participating in violent video games and films, participants are actually able to rehearse how they will act in violent or criminal ways. This perspective is not far-fetched when one considers that violent films often have the viewer to identify with a protagonist who is willing to