Negative Effects of Violent Video Games - Research Paper Example

Negative Effects of Violent Video Games Negative Effects of Violent Video Games Introduction People of all walks around the world receive a profound dose of influence, especially in films, TV programs, and video games. Several researchers have assessed the negative impacts of media violence for a considerably long time and have reached ultimatums on various important issues. Parents, on the other hand, usually wonder about the impacts of games, especially the violent ones, on their young ones and teenagers. In most instances, they underscore that excessive exposure must lead to various negative effects on children (Sherry, 2001). Irrespective of different positions and confusion over the effect of video games on children, it is lucid that results incline more on the negative than on the positive. This paper seeks to address this concern and bring out the actual issues clouding video games on the limelight. Background and History Video games have been in existence now for over fifty years. In 1952, Tic-Tac-Toe was developed by A.C. Douglas as part of a science project for his thesis, becoming the first video game to be created. Douglas used Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer, and emulator to construct his software, which contained 17 bits and 512 words. Still in the 1950s, William Higinbotham, a Brookhaven employee, developed an elementary game of tennis with an oscilloscope serving as its interface. At times, people refer to his game as the original version of “pong,” although it is not. Later, in the 1960s, Steve Russel, in 1962, developed Spacewar during his graduate studies. He involved several other students in his work, which later went through modifications and enhancements. His work impacted innumerous students including Nolan Bushnell. In 2010, Kirsch records a video game named Spacewar, developed in 1962, in which spaceship engaged in a fierce battle to death. Although the video game design was poor compared to contemporary games, the battling theme of the game has endured through several decades (Herman, Horwitz, Kent, & Miller, 2002). The development of the computer and television also impacted the development of video games greatly. In 1966, Ralph Baer assessed several methods he could use the television to act as a display mechanism for computer games he developed. He later developed and patented the first video game ever to use the television set as its display. Baer entered into a deal with Magnavox in1970 to create a video gaming console. At the same time, Nolan was also busy developing the first game ever to demand pay from gamers. He became successful with his Spacewar game project marking the commencement of the Golden age when Arcade games became popular. The era also got the name from the fact that their impact on the society had become profound. More and more games, based on computers and television, ensued all through the 1970s and subsequent decades into what we have today, intricate video games that can integrate with both the television and the computer (Herman et al., 2002). Literature Review The literature on video games is ever growing and documents various aspects of video games from addiction to aggression. A recent all-inclusive survey by the Kaiser Foundation divulges that children aged between 8 and 18 years spend an average of 8 hours a week playing video games. This stands as a more than four hundred percent increase. Video games addiction is common among 11–14 year old children, with males outplaying females by over 2.5 hours to 1 hour (Hauge & Gentile, 2003). Recently, research posits that around 99% of boys and 94% of girls in America have contact to video games. It is usual for children and adolescents to have contact with video games for longer than 20 hours every week and males can engage in video games for up to forty hours a week. In Australia, the situation is a little bit dissimilar, but the overall inclination is the same. Findings depict that the age bracket that spends the most hours, 4.7 hours a week, is that of 7 to 18 year olds (Anderson & Warburton, 2008). There are various types of video games, but researcher and content analyzer Dill (2005) show that a wide range of the top rated video games contain some form of violence. One of the most favorite video game for children, Call of Duty also retailing under the name Modern Warfare, has gone into the record as the highest selling entertainment product at its time of release raising more than $550 million in week long sales. In the same year, 2009, Grand Theft Auto (GTA), sold for around $500 million within five days. Recently, Black Ops recorded $360 million in one day sales, surpassing all sales over the years. According to a study, Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG) attracts over twelve million subscribers who play games such as World of Warcraft attracting over $180 million every month. These games make young people get glued, and even addicted, to video game screens exposing them to a plethora of negative effects such as violence and sex. For instance, GTA involves myriad scenes that depict both violence and sex (Barlett, Anderson, & Swing, 2008). Many video gamers such as Ryan Cleave illustrate the negative effects of such game and the extent of their damage. The effects usually stem from continuous engagement with games, which leads to addiction. Ryan Cleave became so addicted to video games that his life lay on the verge of destruction, suicide, as he failed to function as a normal human being. Today, video game addiction is an important consideration in psychology and its inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) showed the gravity of the matter. The phenomenon bears its own appendix in the manual to promote extensive research on the area. It is evident that innumerous young people expose themselves to video games at pathological levels or levels that can be classified under the DSM criteria for addiction. For instance, research shows that around 8.5% of 8 to 18 year old American video gamers play at pathological levels. Other researchers have found almost similar figures present in Europe (11.9%) and Singapore (8.7%). China and Norway also report high figures of 10.3% and 15.5% respectively (Anderson & Warburton, 2008). Although this literature review highlights myriad effects related to video games, there is a need for further research to identify clearer impacts. This study, therefore, aimed at building on the current literature and developing further insight on the topic. Through the performing a meta-analysis of current studies, this study formulated a relevant theoretical framework and methodological approach leading to a systematic collection and analysis on data concerning the effects of violent video games. Methodology Literature and Procedure The study involved the assessment of all entries of the effects of video games from databases, PsycINFO and ERIC, all through 2000 using relevant search terms. The process led to the retrieval of thirty five research reports that subsumed fifty-four independent samples of respondents. This study finally included 4.262 participants, 46% of them being below 18 years. Criteria for Relevance This study considered reports on video games as relevant if they assessed the impacts of violent video games on several aspects including aggressive affect, aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, prosocial behavior, and physiological arousal. On the other hand, this research excluded studies if they included participants who only watched violent video games while others played them. Part of the studies involved participants who played and participants who merely watched video games. Therefore, the study included collapsed reports of participants who played and participants who watched video games. Coding Frame The study coded the following characteristics for every report: (a) gender of participants, (b) age in years (adults = 18 years and over and children < 18 years), (c) mode of study in the report (experiment study or non-experimental study), and (d) the status of publication. A good number of the experimental studies had been done in laboratories removing the need to code the variables included in them. Further coding of variables was also hampered by confounded ages of the participants. On the other hand, most studies that were non-experimental took place in real world settings and established aspects such as aggressive behaviors. The study used averages in cases where studies reported the same dependent variable. For studies that were non-experimental, direct measures of the effect of violent video games such as duration of exposure per week was employed. Procedures for Meta-Analysis This study employed a correlation coefficient, indicated by r, as the impact-size estimate. Cohen (1998) stated different variations of the r, which this study used. In addition, this study employed Fisher’s transformation to its correlations before averaging them. The study only obtained a 95% confidence variation for the z scores and r values pooled. The study finally used Statistical Analysis System for fitting the random and fixed effects models. Random models permit generalizations to a wider range of studies as compared to fixed models. Findings Across all the independent tests between aggression and video games, the study showed that the general effect was positive as well as significant. This implied that high violence in video games led to heightened aggression. Further, the study highlighted 676 participants and showed that they were averagely but significantly affected by video games when it comes to pro-social behavior. The independent tests of the association between aggressive cognition and violent video games showed that the association was positive as well as significant. Independent tests of the association between aggressive affect and violent video games involved 1,151 participants who yielded a positive and significant effect. Finally, the findings also revealed that violent video games lead to physiological arousal. The figure above shows a box plot with the outcome for the dependent measures involved in the analysis Discussion These findings clearly back the hypothesis that states that playing violent video games in excess results in public health problems among young people, including college students. Exposure to video games is positively linked with increased levels of aggression in young people. Exposure also has a negative association with pro-social behavior. Furthermore, violent video games may lead to long-term aggressive personality development. Finally, violent video games are positively associated with physiological arousal and aggressive affect. This study’s findings on the effects of violent video games correlate with other studies that elucidate the short-term and long-term impressions of movie and TV violence on children and young adults. This shows that there is a high similarity between the impacts caused by video games and other types of violence in the media. Although the video domain misses longitudinal studies, the similarity between the two domains certifies the position that the long term exposure may lead to aggression. Nonetheless, this area requires longitudinal studies highly. Other concerns requiring further research include the relative magnitude of the impact of TV/Movie violence versus effects of video games and details on the general effect of media violence. Finally, it is important to find out of teachers, parents and other instructors can use video games to inculcate nonviolent themes and behaviors to children. If so, would the video games that promote such behavior be as profitable as the current video games that are based on violent themes do? It may be beneficial to know whether videos that do not have violent themes can help in augmenting social behavior among young people as compared to the video games in the market currently (Juul, 2009). Conclusion The effects of video games are many, and mostly negative. From the very first video game, violent themes have been prevalent, probably leading to their increased popularity and impact. In a span of fifty years, these video games have evolved tremendously. They have become ubiquitous and addictive influencing children in a number of ways. The most notable impacts elucidated by the research include aggression, addiction, aggressive cognition, physiological arousal, and effects on social behavior. It is important to conduct longitudinal research on this area to uncover other effects and impacts of non-violent games. References Anderson, C. A., & Warburton, W. A. (2008). An Overview of The impact of violent video games. In Growing Up Fast and Furious (Vol. 1999, pp. 56–84). Annandale: The Federation Press. Barlett, C. P., Swing, E. L., & Anderson, C. A., (2008). Video game effects – confirmed, suspected, and speculative: A review of the evidence. Simulation & Gaming, 40(3), 377–403. doi:10.1177/1046878108327539 Hauge, M. R., & Gentile, D. A. (2003). Association Between Video Game and Addiction: Associations with Academic Performance and Aggression (Paper presented for Child Development Conference), Tampa, FL. Herman, B. L., Horwitz, J., Kent, S., & Miller, S. (2002). The Short and Highly Evolving History of Video Games. Gamespot. Juul, J. (2009). A casual revolution: The reinvention of video games. Library (p. 252). Retrieved from http://www.jesperjuul.net/casualrevolution/ Sherry, J. (2001). The impacts of violent video games on young people. Human Communication Research, 27(3), 409–431. Read More