The effect of video gaming on children - Essay Example

The Effect of Video Gaming on Children Various studies in both laboratory and home environments have confirmed that when children play violent video games such as Thrill Kill, Grand Theft Auto or Manhunt it can increase violent behaviors and thoughts. Furthermore, playing violent video games is likely more detrimental for children than watching violent television shows or movies because interactive video games are particularly engrossing and require the player to develop a personal association with the violent characters of the game. As video games are becoming increasingly more explicit and brutal plus more prevalent, continued studies are needed concerning the effects on the young impressionable minds that play them so as to enlighten parents to the risks these games pose. This paper examines the many effects violent video games have on children including the specific differences between boys and girls. Infamous consequences have caused far-reaching discussions regarding the effects of video gaming on children. For instance, a national conversation resulted regarding what relationship video games had to the Columbine High School killings where two students massacred 13 and wounded 23 before committing suicide. While several motivations could have played a part in their reasoning, no one has been able to identify specifically what provoked these students to fire repeatedly at their schoolmates and teachers but violent video games have been highlighted as one potentially contributing dynamic. The two teens had played Doom often; a bloody, brutal firearms game that is utilized by the military to instruct the U.S. military forces on how to kill more proficiently. To what extent this video game influenced the actions of these two students has been debated since the 1999 incident. The Entertainment medium, it is widely acknowledged, is a tremendously influential aspect for all people. It is logical to believe video games, especially the ones that depict violence, will have an effect on the violent behavior of impressionable children. Currently, little research exists which has thoroughly examined the connection between violent actions and violent video games. “Although the belief that the media are causing a harmful effect is wide-spread in the public, knowledge about the nature of the negative effects and how they work seems to be lacking. A good illustration of misinformed nature of the topic among well-meaning people occurred just after the shooting at Columbine High School” (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Because too few studies exist, parents lack needed knowledge regarding the effects video games have on their children. However, this absence of reliable information doesn’t prevent amateur psychologists, parents mostly, from accusing anything and everything except their precious kids or themselves for the violent acts their children commit. A similar example might be a parent that blames their child’s violent tendencies, drug use or suicide on a line in a certain song. If a child unfortunately tends their life, the lyrics of a song may have been the last straw but the underlying bale of emotions producing their feelings of hopelessness and depression was much more to blame for the act. Parents too frequently look for the most convenient target to place blame instead of placing responsibility on their kids’ or their own weak parenting skills. “We are a country full of finger pointers. When tragedy occurs, we blame the media, the movie industry, the video game industry; the list goes on and on. However, no one bothers to look in the most obvious place, the mirror” (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Usually, it is the parents who purchase violent video games then have the game, in conjunction with the television, babysit their children. If these parents were worried about a relationship between video violence and their children committing violent acts then why did they buy the game to start with and why do they permit their kids to watch violent cartoons repeatedly or own a video game, television or computer at all? Many parents think it ridiculous that a game would cause their children to act violently but when it happens, they put the blame on an inanimate object to deflect the responsibility away from themselves, where it justly belongs. Certainly images on television play a certain role in a child’s development but it are not the key influence. “The media should not be regarded as blameless merely because there are other sources of blame. This is an example of partial understanding” (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Parents of teens today did not have access to interactive, high-tech violent video games when they were kids but saw vast amounts of violence on television. The Bugs Bunny/Roadrunner show alone showed as much or more instances of explicit violence than teens today see during an evening session of Doom. Watching violent acts only, particularly those in the world of pretend do not automatically turn into violent actions. “When certain motives or cues occur in a child’s real-life environment, the child will not be able to make the association between those cues and the image he or she saw in the media. Thus children seem to be protected from an imitation effect because they do not understand the significance of violence as a tool for solving problems and do not see the utility in imitating it” (Potter, P. 75). Children easily distinguish between reality and what they are seeing on a game unit or television screen. It’s evident that video games effects children’s development by varying degrees, however, “a child’s cognitive limitations do not translate consistently into higher vulnerability. There are times when children’s cognitive limitations actually protect them from negative effects” (Potter, P. 75). Children, for instance, have far less ability to understand connections between violent acts and motivations consequently are less apt to imitate objectionable behaviors such as violence. Several aspects of life play a factor in a child’s development, some more so than others. To make the broad statement that ‘video games cause violent outcomes in kids not already predisposed to violence acts’ is a lazy and simplistic appraisal of the situation. Parents instruct their children on how to think in a critical manner, to examine numerous possibilities and points of view prior to making a decision but do not do this themselves when blaming video games for their children’s violent behavior. “We need to get the past the limitation of searching for single causes, life is more complicated than that. There are many factors that shape who we are, and the media are in important, but not the sole factor in that shaping” (Potter, 2002 P. 3). Johnny asks for the bloody war game. Sister Sally isn’t interested in the least, but why? It has been suggested that the answer is both sociological and biological in nature. While recognizing that behavioral differences between girls and boys are inherited to a degree, this essay investigates the societal reasons Johnny identifies more as an aggressor and Sally is the passive sibling. This situation leads to adverse consequences for women. Unsurprisingly, boys typically prefer video games that involve fighting, gun-play, strategy, sports, fantasy, adventure and simulations to a greater degree that do girls. Girls prefer more conventional games such as puzzles, trivia, card, puzzles and board games. “Girls perform better on verbal tasks and pattern-matching, which may explain why quiz-trivia or puzzle games such as Tetris are favored by females. Older girls tend to prefer educational games while younger girls seek more entertainment-oriented content” (Chunhui Chu, et al. 2004). Interestingly, both boys and girls like racing video games to about the same degree. This is the one category that does not correspond to the gender ‘mold’ defined by society. Studies attribute the gender neutral aspect of racing video games to both wanting to drive during their teenage years. Boys are more likely to act out in a violent manner and therefore more likely to want a violent video game. Approximately half of the boys questioned in a study reported their preferred game as one that contained high levels of violence. Less than 20 percent of girls’ first option for a video game was one of a violent nature. Research has demonstrated that violent video games can precede violent behaviors. The tendency for boys to act violently as compared to girls is associated with their seemingly natural desire to play violent games. “Boys are generally at greater risk for aggressive behaviors, and they compound that risk by playing more violent games for greater amounts of time than girls play” (Gentile, et al. 2004). When engaged in a video game that allows the player to interact in the ‘first person’ the player usually chooses a character they believe fits their own persona or would want to identify with. The player, by controlling their characters action usually tries to perceive the game from their character’s point of view. In other words, the player ‘becomes’ the games character, which increases the pleasure of the game. Anyone who has witnessed two teenage boys involved in video games has seen them pretending to be the character they are controlling. The second underlying principle concerns the passionate participation while playing video games. Research concerning the catharsis hypothesis suggests that enthusiastically behaving in an aggressive manner while playing video games generally indicates future aggressive behavior. “The active role of the video game player includes choosing to act in an aggressive manner. This choice and action component of video games may well lead to the construction of a more complete aggressive script than would occur in the more passive role assumed in watching violent movies or television shows” (Geen, Stonner & Shope, 1975). The third principle of violent video games’ is its addictive nature and the harmful stimulus on developing brains that result from repetitive play. The reinforcement characteristics violent video games present may augment the learning then the performing of aggressive acts. Video games are the ideal vehicle to stimulate addictive behavior in children. Studies have concluded that as many as one-fifth of teenagers are pathologically reliant on video games. “Video game addiction may stem, in part, from the rewards and punishments the game gives the player much like the reward structure of slot machines. (Griffiths & Hunt, 1998). Children playing violent video games, at least in the short run, appear to affect hostile behaviors by prompting aggressive thoughts. Long-term effects are likely to be long lasting too because the player is repeatedly and intensely trained then practices violent acts. It becomes progressively easier to access this negative behavior on a sub-conscious level for use when faced with future aggravating circumstances. Children who are repeatedly exposed to violent video games take the risk of altering their basic personality structure. The resulting changes in everyday social relationships may lead to a steady increase in aggressive actions. The interactive environment of the video game suggests its influence is more dominant than the more extensively researched movie and television media. With improved realism and the trend of including increasing amounts of explicit violence in games, those who play (and those who buy) violent video games should be aware of the potential negative consequences. Works Cited Chunhui Chu, Kaitlan; Heeter, Carrie; Egidio, Rhonda; Mishra, Punya. “Girls and Games Literature Review.” Michigan State University Mind Games Collaboratory. (May 2004). July 22, 2011 Geen, R. G.; Stonner, D.; & Shope, G. L. “The Facilitation of Aggression by Aggression: Evidence Against the Catharsis Hypothesis.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Vol. 31, pp. 721-26. (1975). Gentile, Douglas A.; Lynch, Paul J.; Linder, Jennifer Ruh; Walsh, David A. “The Effects of Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressive Behaviors, and School Performance.” National Institute on Media and the Family. (2004). July 22, 2011 < http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/~dgentile/Gentile_Lynch_Linder_Walsh_2004.pdf > Griffiths, M. D. & Hunt, N. “Dependence on Computer Games by Adolescents.” Psychological Reports. Vol. 82, pp. 475-80. (1998). Potter, W. James. “The 11 Myths of Media Violence” Sage Publications, Inc (2002) Read More