Grand Theft Auto's Impact toward Gamers - Essay Example

Introduction Grand Theft Auto's has a detrimental impact toward gamers because it does influence violence among teens. From there it has beendetermined that crime has continued to capture the attention even though there has been a decrease in the number of crimes over the past decade. While this has been stated, a lot of attention has been paid to the propitious drop in the nation's crime rates. The rate of incarceration has been increased and has been considered one of the key factors behind this drop despite the fact that a number of notable criminologists disagree. This paper has brought out the fact that incarceration is one of the major consequences for youth and young adults arrested for committing violent crimes. The violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault (Delgado, 2001, p. 3). This, however has not appeased society nor has it abated one's fears of crime and its circumstances, which games such as grand thief auto have contributed to. Crime and video games Much attention has been paid to the propitious drop in the nation's crime rates, and more specifically, the murder rate. An increased rate of incarceration is considered one of the key factors behind this drop, although a number of notable criminologists disagree. Incarceration is one of the major consequences for youth and young adults arrested for committing violent crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault .(Delgado, 2001, p. 3) This decrease however has not appeased society nor has it abated one's fears of crime and its circumstances. Researchers continue to report that crimes are however densely populated in urban communities; and usually consist of black on black crimes. On the other hand, it is imperative that one accept that urban areas are not the only locations where crimes are committed. In fact, there are various types of crimes that continue to occur because of the violence in video games Since the early 1960s, research evidence has been accumulating that suggests that exposure to violence in television, movies, video games, cell phones, and on the Internet increases the risk of violent behavior on the viewer's part, just as growing up in an environment filled with real violence increases the risk of them behaving violently. In the current review this research evidence is critically assessed and the psychological theory that explains why exposure to violence has detrimental effects for both the short and long-term is elaborated. Finally the size of the "media violence effect" is compared with some other well-known threats to society to estimate how important a threat it should be considered (Huesmann). Evidence has shown that researchers examine the correlations between race and crime, as well as the discrimination that occurs when classification of crimes and its perpetrators come into account.(Knepper, 2000, p. 15) There is however not an objective definition of race given. Knepper continues to express that current statistical methods are not accurate nor due they portray the proper picture of current criminals and their circumstances. Knepper questions the idea of whether or not African Americans do in fact show a higher instance of criminality than others do, or are the statistics biased and skewed in nature. He concludes that there are currently four officials races used for classification: White, black, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian and Pacific Islander and two official ethnic groups: Hispanic origin and not of Hispanic origin. This is also shown in the game Grand Thief Auto, which race is related to crime. Furthermore, it has been discussed that when it comes to crime certain racial groups are thought to commit certain crimes. From there, the death penalty is extremely racial because some people feel that individuals that are not of the white race are quickly sentenced to death. Fortunately, this is only a feeling among minority groups due to the fact that they are among the minorities. Statistics show whites are served the death penalty more often than blacks or any other minority group, therefore it is not about race, it is about facing the consequences of criminal actions. From there, race is a social construct rather than biologic due to the fact how society sees racial groups. Opponents, such as Kica Matos, NAACP LDF, Steven Hawkins, Exec. Dir., National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (NCADP) and Sister Prejean, longtime Chairperson of the NCADP and author, Dead Man Walking, present this fact as evidence that the "system" values white lives more than black lives. If true, then we must wonder why whites represent 56% of those executed, and blacks 38% (NAACP LDF, Summer 1996) when blacks have committed 47% of all murders, and whites 38%. Whites are executed at rates nearly 50% above their involvement in murder, blacks are executed at rates 20% below their involvement in murder. From 1991-94, 34% of murderers have been white, 54% black (Special run 1980-94 BJS data, 1/13/97, for non-Hispanic whites and blacks. JFA calculations for known race/ethnicity.). (Death Penalty Paper). (Herzog, 2003) There are studies that "point to the existence of wide general agreement and stability across different social sectors and population groups with regard to the relative seriousness of behaviors considered to be criminal as demonstrated in the game grand thief auto. Since public conceptions of seriousness appear to emphasize the consequences of the crime and the harm inflicted on victims, crimes of violence are often perceived by the public as the most serious offenses, followed by property, white-collar, and victimless crimes." Herzog's research has shown that the greater the perceived seriousness of an offense is, among the respondents, as expressed by the dispersion of values around the means; therefore, the low variation regarding the perceived high seriousness of violent offenses. In all, it is believed that perceptions of a crime severity are reliable in conjunction to the public's approval or disapproval of that particular criminal offense. It is believed that repeated exposure to real-life and to entertainment violence may alter cognitive, affective, and behavioral processes, possibly leading to desensitization. The goal of the present study was to determine if there are relationships between real-life and media violence exposure and desensitization as reflected in related characteristics. One hundred fifty fourth and fifth graders completed measures of real-life violence exposure, media violence exposure, empathy, and attitudes towards violence. Regression analyses indicated that only exposure to video game violence was associated with (lower) empathy. Both video game and movie violence exposure were associated with stronger proviolence attitudes. The active nature of playing video games, intense engagement, and the tendency to be translated into fantasy play may explain negative impact, though causality was not investigated in the present design. The samples' relatively low exposure to real-life violence may have limited the identification of relationships. Although difficult to quantify, desensitization to violence should be further studied using related characteristics as in the present study. Individual differences and causal relationships should also be examined (Funk, 2003). Social support However, despite the effects of video games, adult support will be more helpful in improving adolescents' quality of life by understanding their psychosocial stress load and its impact on suicide risk. The research is limited in addressing suicidality among African-American lesbian adolescents and its relationship to patterns of adult support. From there, there is not enough work in this area of research. These young women feel helpless, hopeless, depressed, isolated from others, belittled, and do not know how to seek appropriate help from others (Rutter 2004). Due to this fact, the intention of this paper is show imited research has been focused on African American lesbian adolescents, yet there is an increase in suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among this population. Substance abuse, conduct problems, and academic concerns have each been related to stress regarding acceptance and disclosure of a gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual orientation. During most of the 20th century, people who have identified as GLB typically have refrained from disclosing their sexual orientation as a result of religious, legal, and cultural repression (Anhalt 1998). For inner-city black teenagers, the homicide rate is astronomical.4 The huge rise in gun crime perpetrated by older urban teenagers has not been replicated in other areas. In the suburbs, where legal restrictions on guns are generally less severe, the mortality rate has stayed about the same. Gun control advocates sometimes convey the impression that current murder rates are dramatically higher than ever before. And if one looks at statistics for particular age groups, one finds a substantial rise in murder arrests. From 1985 to 1991, arrests of adults for murder declined, but arrests for murder of 17-year-old males rose 121%; arrests of 16-year-old males rose 158%; arrests of 15-year-old males rose 217%; and arrests of boys 12 and under rose 100% (Kopel). Social support is related to healthier adolescent functioning. Support, as a construct, has been defined as a sense of belonging, specifically among peers, teammates, community or family members. Adolescents reporting strong social support/low isolation exhibit higher levels of resilience and lower levels of suicide risk. Adolescents are also less likely to be suicidal if they perceive their family, friends, and peers to be more accepting, and if they have more positive friendships. Those who feel supported by counselors, parents, or peers exhibit healthier coping mechanisms and maintain a more positive outlook about their future. In contrast, adolescents who lack social support and experience isolation may behave in self-injurious ways (Rutter 2004). Hillier (2004) has revealed that the experiences of gay, lesbian, or bisexual youth can be a lonely and stressful time when compared to experiences of other minorities in the same age group. Young individuals who identify themselves as a part of a minority group often discusses their status with families who affirm their minority identity. In contrast, this almost never occurs for same-sex attracted individuals whose parents are most likely to be heterosexual. Many gay, lesbian, and bi-sexual youth are over-represented in homeless populations and many turn to alcohol, drugs, or suicide to escape their hostile environments. To the enormous crisis of the inner city, many liberals and conservatives offer the same, seemingly easy solution: use government coercion to remove the evil item that is the cause of violence. Many liberals look to guns as the cause of the inner-city's social pathologies, and fail to recognize that the willingness of many criminals to use guns, and the necessity for law-abiding residents of the inner city to carry guns for protection, are symptoms of deeper afflictions. No set of criminal justice approaches focused on "gun control" are likely to reduce the inner-city problems regarding guns. Solutions must be found in dealing with the more complex pathologies of the lack of hope and economic opportunity, and the decay of cultural values (Kopel). Suicide is on the rise among black males because how society sees them, which is very clear in the video game grand thief auto that they are only drug dealers and gang bangers. A recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention study found a 114% increase in suicides among black males age 10-19 from 1980 to 1995-- larger than in any other group. There was a 233% increase for blacks age 10-14, compared with a 120% increase for whites in the same age group. Among black males age 15-19, the suicide rate increased 146%, compared with 22% for white males. This is a growing problem. Many black men have a decreased sense of self and it was suggested that it may be a result of black males acting out their feelings of powerlessness, inferiority and hopelessness or a consequence of feeling overwhelmingly devalued by society (Winters, 2003). Therefore, Grand Theft Auto's has a detrimental impact toward gamers because it does influence violence among teens due to the way people are perceive in the game. Conclusion In these findings, crimes of violence are perceived as the most serious offenses. The greater the perceived seriousness of an offense is, among the respondents, as expressed by the dispersion of values around the means. The low variation perceived high seriousness of violent offenses, which indicates a crime severity are reliable in conjunction to the public's approval or disapproval of that particular criminal offense. From there, Grand Theft Auto's has a detrimental impact toward gamers because it does influence violence among teens. References Anhalt, K., & Morris, T. (1998). Developmental and adjustment issues of gay, lesbian and bisexual adolescents: A review of the empirical literature. Clinical (Child and Family Psychology Review), 215-230. Asanti, T. (2001). Ruth Waters: The legacies of black lesbians. (Lesbian News), 32-33. Asanti, T. (1997). Black lesbians and suicide. (Lesbian News), 28-29. Asanti, T. (1998). Coming out in the black community. (Lesbian News), 26 - 27. Balsam, K. Beauchaine, T., Mickey, R., & Rothblum, E. (2005). 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The Relationship between Public Perceptions of Crime Seriousness and Support for Plea-Bargaining Practices in Israel: A Factorial-Survey Approach. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 94(1), 103+. Knepper, P. (2000). Chapter 2 the Alchemy of Race and Crime Research. In The System in Black and White: Exploring the Connections between Race, Crime, and Justice, Markowitz, M. W. & Jones-Brown, D. D. (Eds.) (pp. 15-27). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers. Huesmann, L The Impact of Electronic Media Violence: Scientific Theory and Research . Journal of Adolescent Health , Volume 41 , Issue 6 , Pages S6 - S13 Read More