Effects of Violent Media on Children and Youth - Essay Example

Effects of violent media on Children & Youth Introduction: Video games are considered the heart of modern technology. Moreover, they have become a real phenomenon in our societies. Unfortunately, the people who use violent electronic games are mainly children. Video games attract children with their drawings, colours, characters, fantasies and adventures. These video games have developed to include aspects of violence and sex. Video games have become widespread; they have flooded the markets with different types. They are found nowadays in most of homes. Video games have become the main concern for today's children. It is possible to see them glued for an hour beside electronic screens; focusing and interacting to achieve the victories. The experience of violent video games enhances physiological arousal and aggression-related ideas and feelings. Also, playing violent video games reduces pro-social behaviour. THESIS STATEMENT: This paper will discuss the issue of violet video games and how these games affect the school performance, aggression, health and social behavior and relationships of violent video games users in negative way. Effects of Video Game on School Performance Effects caused by video games on school performance are adverse for children, parents and teachers. Children and adolescents addicted to video games spend most of their time playing instead of studying for exams or doing their homework. The video games are now available online at no costs and this makes video games the most popular among children and teenagers who skip classes to play their favorite games with friends or strangers online. According to Walsh et al. (2003), poor school performance is associated with many different causes but the major cause is the addiction of playing video games. Children, adolescents and even college students who spend a lot of time or money on video games as compared to studying have low grades in English (Walsh & Gentile 2001). Gentile (2003) further explains that the content in the video games are also the main cause of poor school performance in children, adolescents and college students. According to Paschke et al. (2001), students who are addicted to video games will always spend time playing as compared to reading or even having school based discussions with friends. Video game addiction comes after students have mastered the art of playing these games online with strangers across the world. This addiction prevents them from developing academically but they will have superior skills on the video games because they dedicate their time and energy on the games as compared to school work. This form of addiction has adverse effects on the mentality of students who are in school. They put the games as their ultimate priority and other areas in life are neglected because of the fun derived from online video games with different people and different rules each day. Most of the video games have been created from scripts written in urban street language which is far from correct English. Most students who listen to and play video games are constantly exposed to this form of language and they will write their exams and even start speaking the language. Students like to be associated with street slang especially if it comes from a popular game but they are not aware of the effects of this language in their English grades. There are video games that show violence, drug peddling and also car chases all which are very irrelevant in the life of a student. Those students who use the computer and online research for school work perform better than the ones who waste time playing video games all day and night. Effects of Violent Video Game Content on Aggression The content that is on video games always portray violence using guns, knives, swords and hands. These games have been created with the violent movies aspect where thugs rule streets and police chase is an adventure for most players who assume the avatar of offenders in the game. The use of virtual guns, swords and hands to fight are options in the game that allow players to change fighting tactics for the purpose of survival. According to Craig et al. (2003), violent video games in the contemporary society have surpassed violent TV and violent music in the US. As players, the youth are active participants in the video games as compared to being observers (Craig & Bushman, 2001). According to Anderson et al. (2001), most of these video games played by children and the youth are filled with violent scenes and virtual representation of such scenes can be misinterpreted into reality by such players. Violent video games are famous among students because of the affordability and also availability (Anderson & Bushman, 2002). These video games have captured the interests of many people in the US including parents who neglect their kids to nurture virtual kids online. Due to the fact that violent video game attracts a wider client base in the US, violent behaviors will be experienced in different parts of the US at the same time. Previously, violent movies and music had a negative effect on people’s lives but this era has welcomed laptops, iPads and even cell phones that allow players to connect to the Internet and play video games at low costs. Unlike violent movies or music, violent video games allow players to be active participants as compared to being observers. This increases the aggressive behavior of biting, kicking, punching and hitting after the game. Some students have taken the game setting into the school compounds whereby, real guns are used and teachers and other students are killed because of the way the game has been designed. Some students lure other students into an abandoned building and create a game setting where a person is killed and buried in a hidden place that no one will be able to find and this makes players to win more points as time passes by. Almost all video games employ the use of violence to make the game more exciting. The games have characters that use virtual automatic weapons, swords and hands in violent acts. Students or adults who tend to put the game setting into real environment use similar weapons to attack defenseless victims who do not know the game plot or the reasons why they are victims of crime. Sports clubs in America are creating violent sports video games to attract potential fans not knowing that many people who play such violent games display aggressive behavior, bad attitude and impaired thinking in connection to the violence in the game. Effects of Violent Video Game on Social Behavior and Relationships Violent video games have a negative effect on social behaviour and relationships within families and the whole community. Anti-social behaviors are manifested in people who participate in violent video games. There are poor relationships in families that allow children and teenagers play video games all the time. Adults also neglect their spouses’ needs because of playing video games after work and even during the weekends. In the contemporary society, people communicate through the Internet and get entertainment in the same way; this eliminates the need for human companion or even real relationships in the real world. According to Anderson & Bushman (2001), video games reduce pro-social behaviors, contribute to poor relationships, aggressive effects and desensitization to other people’s suffering and pain. Violent video games with active participants increase aggression which interferes with empathy emotions and thoughts of helping a person who is in need. Empathy is the underlying principle that makes people do things that benefit others without expecting rewards or favors (Gentile & Walsh, 2002). This means that people who are affected negatively by violent video games will not engage in community service to help the disabled, the homeless or the poor. There are many cases where family and friends need financial but a person who lacks empathy will use the money available to purchase an item that will satisfy the individual while other people close by are suffering. Violent video games do not advocate for successful relationships in the lives of people. Students who spend most of their time locked up in their rooms playing video games lose the opportunity to connect with family and friends. This is because they do everything in their rooms from eating dinner to communicating with the family. Adults who cannot make time to have a mature relationship with their spouses because of playing video games after work and also during the weekend not only lose their spouses affection but also their children’s. Anti-social behavior is developed when a person cannot leave the house to create friendships or relationships with other people. These people are often afraid of social gatherings, public places and meeting new people. There are video games that require intense concentration such as race cars, sports games and those that need motor skills. These games increase blood pressure and heart rate and people in these conditions are susceptible to anger, frustration and aggressive behavior. When a new game is too hard for a person who has been playing for many years, the person will display aggressive behavior which can become chronic in cases where the cycle of playing such video games is constantly repeated. When a player is a participant in a violent video game, inflicting pain on virtual characters is a rule of the game. This is normally done using virtual guns, knives and hands. In real life, people who have been constantly inflicting pain on virtual characters will be unresponsive when they see someone who is injured and is in pain. They will not react like other people who will try to help but they will look at the person and remain unresponsive. Some people even gloat when they relocate to a house that had a murder case in it or when the neighborhood is filled with detectives or forensic scientists trying to solve a homicide case. Effects of Violent Video Game on Health Today’s computer games are more improved and players not only play games but become characters in an alternate or virtual world where they spend most of their time in front of screens which leads to unhealthy or overweight youths (Anderson et al., 2004). Violent video games are engaging which requires a substantial amount of time and energy which means less exercise and more food intake. Some people experience fatigue and painful eyes due to long hours spent in front of a computer screen that has a lot of brightness and immobile position. Anderson et al. (2004) discovered that many American youths are overweight, most complain of back aches and poor memory because of lack of adequate sleep. Adults in the US who are obese report that their lifestyles have lead to their condition. The working class drives to work in the morning, sit in front of computers the whole day and then drive back home in the evening. This however does not stop because nights are spent in front of computers chatting with friends and strangers or watching the TV. This vicious cycle continuous for a very long period of time without exercise and the new generation of computer literate kids has picked up this behavior of playing violent video games all the time and eating a lot without exercise. These children, adolescents and adults spend most of the time in front of computers playing and the energy needed for a fresh mind is derived from food. When they are angry or aggressive most of them prefer to over-indulge in eating. Fatigue and backaches are caused by spending the whole day in a chair in front of a screen playing violent games. Backaches in the 21st Century were experienced by manual workers who did heavy lifting but the contemporary video game player can testify to this painful experience. Memory problems are cases found in old people and currently, young and energetic youths who spend sleepless nights playing video games. Children, adolescents and young adults perform poorly in school and work places because their memory is impaired. This is a health problem because people will tend to forget important events such as doctors or client’s appointments, exams dates or where they placed their car keys. Counter Argument Despite the negative effects video games impact on people’s lives, they contribute to the overall US economy due to the fact that many people buy them and spend less money for entertainment. Today’s society, parents do not have free time for their kids at home that is why video games have been created to make children and youths busy with playing rather than engaging in drug and alcohol abuse. Video games have given players an active role in virtual world which is an entertainment beyond measure. Video game players can relate to other players globally using the same terms hence creating a global network of entertainment. Technology is in constant change and children in the contemporary society adapt to change to have a sense of belonging. Video games encourage people to watch soccer, car races and other exciting movies because of the games created to represent them. Manufacturers design the best games for people who have sharp minds because every game requires players to advance to a difficult level therefore making a player have determination in life. Response Many people find video games harmful because of the effects they have on active players. However, there are people who value the time taken to connect with peers, fellow colleagues and strangers online. Many schools complain that students are performing poorly academically and socially because these games take much of their time while they should be doing the most important things in life. Unhealthy generation is on the rise because of overweight issues that are caused by lack of exercise and excessive food intake while playing video games. Video games have given players an active role in virtual world which is an entertainment beyond measure and parents spend less money in entertaining their children. Although violent video games have their advantages, their disadvantages surpass their usefulness in people’s lives and also to the society. Families and communities are spending a lot of money in family counseling, medical bills, paying for damages caused by violent behaviors and also hiring tutors to help their children excel academically. These expenses outweigh the amount of money spent on purchasing video games with violent scenes that impact negatively on the lives of players. REFERENCES Anderson CA, Funk JB and Griffiths MD. (eds). (2004). Video Games and Public Health. Journal of Adolescence, 1, pp. 1-122. Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and pro-social behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, pp. 353–359. Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). The general aggression model: An integrated social- cognitive model of aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53. Anderson, C. A., & Dill, K. E. (2000). Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, pp. 772–790. Cohen, A. (2000). New game [PlayStation 2]. Time, 156, 58–60. Craig & Bushman. (2001). Effects Of Violent Video Games On Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, And Prosocial Behavior. Iowa State University, American Psychological Society. Vol. 12, No. 5. Craig A, Berkowitz, L, Donnerstein, E, Huesmann, R, Johnson, J & W. (2003). Influence of media violence on youth. Department of Psychology: USA Gentile, D. A., & Walsh, D. A. (2002). A normative study of family media habits. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23, pp. 157–178. Gentile, Lynchb, Linderc, & Walsh. (2003). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. A National Institute on Media and the Family, 606 24th Avenue South, Suite 606, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA, University of Oklahoma Medical School, Linfield College. Paschke, M. B., Green, E., & Gentile, D. A. (2001). The physiological and psychological effects of video games. Poster presented at the 36th Annual Minnesota Undergraduate Psychology Conference, St. Paul. Read More