The Effects of Violent Video Games on Adolescent Behavior - Research Paper Example

Effects of Violent Games on Adolescent Behavior and Effects of Violent Games on Adolescent Behavior Dead space, Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Dead rising, Gears of war, Mad World, Mortal Combat and many others are among the many violent video games that attract the widest purchase and the highest popularity (Parenting.Com, 2014). Computer Video games have been in existence for a long time now. Research on how they affect the behavior and conduct of the adolescent bracket has been in a continuum since the early seventies. With the ease at which computers can be accessed and the even the more easier to access internet, the rate at which developed games circulate, especially among the teenage bracket is very high as Sestir and Bartholow (2010)note. Contrary to the early years, the video games being played presently are horrific and violent, and even though each game has a rating of the appropriate age bracket to play the game, even those who do not fall in the stipulated age bracket have access to them and continuously play (Hamburg and Hamburg, 2004). In 2010, a study carried out in USA revealed that the bigger percentages of video games which are played by American adolescents are violent games (Setir and Bartholow, 2010). Research shows that an average child in the American society plays video games for an average of 2-17 hours a week (Gentile et al, 2004). In addition, by 2012, there was a record of 80 million play stations where children from the age of seven to fifteen play on a daily basis as noted in Parenting.com (2014). Adolescent girls have also been found to play violent video games at a higher rate as compared to boys. Massive research has been carried out to prove whether or not the violent video games affect adolescent behaviors, with different scholars concluding that violent video games greatly affect the behaviors of children, and others concluding that violent video games have no effect at all on. This paper, therefore, embarks on establishing how and whether violent computer video games affect the behaviors of adolescents. It shall do so by garnering and compiling evidence from various sources, both from the earlier times and some from the recent past. The work shall, however, place special attention and emphasis on the work of Gentile, D, Lynch, P., Ruh L, and Walsh, D, 2004, entitled “the effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance”. It is important to realize that at the adolescent stage, pretty much is happening around the life of a particular individual. The youths at this stage are attracted to experimental behaviors whereas some are engrossed in activities aimed at identifying themselves (Kurtner and Olson, 2008). At this stage, with parental guidance or the lack of it, depending on the level of exposure or lack of it that the adolescent has, much is bound to change from the earlier years. In addition, adolescent is the stage where peer influence amongst many children is greatly experienced, triggering a positive or a negative behavior. Kurtner and Olson (2008) also note that this is a stage of experimentation where teenagers experiment on the applicability of different aspects in their life. These range from sexual experimentation, drugs and gaming experimentation. Gentile et al (2004) acknowledge that violent computer games, to a great extent, affect the way youths behave. The behaviors may be observed in the youths’ relationship with teachers, the improvement or decline of grades, relationship with peers, family conflicts and general aggression. In their work, the four collectively agree that violent computer games contribute to violent behavior and aggression among the youths. In the studies they carried, Gentile and his co-authors realized that a greater number of teenagers who frequently played violent computer games had poor results, were constantly picking fights with their peers, displayed an antisocial character and exercised less self restraint and were frequently involved with argument and fights with their teachers and their parents (Gentile et al, 2004). This number was greater compared to fellow aged peers who did not play violent computer games. The number of boys with the above characteristics was higher than that of girls. They also realized that parental monitoring and control of the video games that the adolescents played also helps greatly in mitigating the effects of playing the games. They used the general aggressive model to explain the changes in behaviors and related their results to other studies done in the earlier years. Gentile and the co-authors drew the conclusion that violent video games have a great effect, unfortunately towards the negative side, on the behaviors and conduct of adolescents. Further research shows that the rate and level of violence, aggression and general behavior among adolescents is greatly affected by the type of video game genre that a person plays. Gentile et al (2004) mention that if students engaged more in educational video games, the rate of violent and aggression would be lesser compared to when they play violent content games. A matter of importance to note is the fact that educational video games are the least preferred among the many genres of games (Kurtner and Olson, 2008). Is this alarming? Yes! This means that even adults who play video games preferred the other genres to educational genre. A research carried out in 2009 established this and the results are represented in the diagram below. With the level of gaming becoming increasingly uncensored, one cannot help but wonder what the gaming content will be like in the next few years. Research carried out in recent past shows that different people play video games for different reasons, but the common and constant finding is the fact that violent and mind engaging games have the lead in preference. Action, strategy, role playing and fighting video games remain the leaders in the order of preference. A preponderance of previous researches and studies, including that by Gentile et al (2004) show and establish a negative correlation between the games that adolescents play and the outcome of their behavior. Theories can and have been used to explain why violent video gaming affects the behavior of adolescents. Proposed in the 1980’s, the social learning theory supposes that exposing a person, especially an adolescent to violent video games induces an imitational violent behavior, enforces and strengthens any aggressive behavior that was already existing and also builds up the interior provocation (Anderson, Gentile and Buckley, 2001). The provocation is then explained and interpreted as antagonism and rage that is observed in such adolescents. Another theory suggested in 1982 and termed the cognitive neo-association model of violence implies that exposing people to violent video content evokes feelings, memories and beliefs of aggression (Sestir and Bartholow, 2010). In addition to the above, a model to explain the effect of violence video gaming was forwarded by Anderson and Bushman. The model was primarily designed to act as a guide and also provide a version of the effect that video games which are violent have on adolescents. The General Aggression Model attempts to explain the expansion of aggression, hostility and violence among adolescents who are the greater part of people who play the violent video games (Anderson and Bushaman, 2001; Anderson, Gentile and Buckley, 2007). Anderson and Bushman show that personological variables such as ones feelings and perception towards violence and circumstantial or situational variables such as media hostility and ones exposure in the world all have an effect on the inner state of a person. The model shows that there are three components making up the internal state of a person, which are cognition, affect and arousal, and they have an influence on each other. According to Anderson and Bushman, the violent games played by the adolescents influences aggression either through the short term effect or the long term effect (Anderson and Bushman, 2001). In the short term, the violent games one engages in act as a situational variable. This leads to an increase in aggression on the three components; cognitions, affects and arousal/stimulation. On the other hand, in the long term effect, the violent component is suggested to affect the violence behavioral scripts and desensitize people, mostly adolescents to hostility and aggression. The factors in return, affect the person view and personality with which they regard aggression. Anderson and Bushman, therefore confirm Gentile’s findings that just as unrated and prolonged exposure to morally unacceptable content and violence affects the behavior of an individual, violent video gaming greatly affects the behaviors of adolescents (Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Gentile et al, 2004). Scholars support the model and argue that at that stage, the adolescent is going through biological and psychosocial changes and hence, the violent video gaming may trigger the aggression of the youth (Kurtner and Olson, 2008). They argue that by such a time as when a child develops and gets to the adolescent stage, the three internal components are well in place and hence, they are easily affected by their surroundings. Another study carried out in June 2010 sought to establish the same. At the research stage, a group of children were given a chance to play violent video games whereas another group was not (MNT, 2010). They were all observed while in the same room and at the same time. A plate of popcorns was placed on their tables and they were allowed to eat as they chatted leisurely and as some played their violent video content. It was observed that those who were engrossed in the violent video games ate hurriedly and without the least consideration for others. The others, however, acted normal and observed the proper mannerisms. In the same study, simple experiments carried out showed that those who were involved in violent gaming cheated more than those who were not (MNT, 2010). The study therefore concluded that the adolescents do not just become violent but also exercise little self restraint and have pro-social behaviors and mannerisms. The sophistication of today’s video games demands that the players are not just a passive “sit and watch group”. They require that one pays maximum concentration and attention in order to master the rules of the game, thereby becoming the champion. This competition has been transferred from the virtual environment to the real life by adolescents. Competition and a destructive ego have been said to be characteristics of the adolescents who are more exposed to violent video content (Schmierbach, 2010). Some of the violent contents have influenced the adolescents by luring to crave for all-time winning, believing that no one else is better than them. A game such as Manhunt encourages the players to kill their enemies in the bloodiest and most cruel way possible. One earns more points and an elevated status by killing their virtual enemies in a bloodier way than at the previous level 9Parenting.Com, 2014). Unfortunately, some young people try to actualize this and hence, some of the many teenage killings and shootings in high schools have been attributed to the violent video games that adolescents play. To further prove the relationship between the violent video games and adolescent behavior, Gentile and his co-authors sought to establish the difference in behavior between adolescents whose parents care to supervise and scrutinize the type of computer games that their children play and those who do not. They found that at least 55 % of the parents of the parents who were interviewed usually limited the type and extreme of the material and content of the video game. 40% said that they do not just check but they are also very strict on the content and the rating (Gentile et al, 2004). It was realized that the adolescents whose video game contents and rating was limited or supervised by parents expressed less aggressive behavior and had better grades as compared to those who had the freedom to play any computer video game, no matter how violent the content was. Those who did not play any video game, or at least only played the educational video games were even less aggressive than the other. Other researches, just like Gentile et al (2004) emphasize on the need for parental monitoring and control. It is evident that with this control, the rate of aggression, violence, fights and arguments among the adolescents would reduce, albeit by a small margin (Anderson, Gentile and Buckley, 2007). However, there are a few scholars who argue that people should not just concentrate on researching on how, why and if violent computer games affect the conduct of adolescents negatively (Schmierbach, 2010). They argue that some video games, though violent, are a benefit to the young people. Some of these video games require that the players act as a team in order to eliminate their enemies. This demands that one learns the value of cooperation, self defense and how to stand up for the other team members. According to these scholars, this value of cooperation, oneness and self defense may later become a useful part of the adolescent’s life. They argue that it is not true that only a negative interrelationship can be drawn from violent computer games and the behavior of the adolescent (Schmierbach, 2010). In conclusion, it can be seen from the above discussion that a big percentage of the studies carried out prove and confirm that violent games affect adolescent behavior negatively. Most of the scholars agree that rating is important and that parental control and monitoring is pertinent in the growth and development of the youths (Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Gentile et al, 2004; Kurner and Olson, 2008). The amount and content of the games should be closely censored. Research carried out in 2010 shows that the rate and level of violence was directly proportional to the time spent by teenagers engaging in violent gaming. Those who spent more time playing violent video games were more violent and more aggressed as compared to those who played violent games a t a smaller rate. Some scholars also concur with Gentile (2004) on the fact that there are many other factors that affect the behavior of adolescents. Some of the factors include gender of the youth, family stability and issues, issues of self esteem, parental rejection, one’s birth personality among others, and they all affect the rate of aggression and misconduct of adolescents (Anderson, Gentile and Buckley, 2007). The GAM model clearly explains how violent video content affects the behavior of the youth, but it fails to take into account the above factors as contributing to the behavior of adolescents. The model clearly depicts that the three components are pertinent in affecting the behaviors of adolescents, and that there is an undeniable interrelationship between the three components and violent video gaming. From the discussion and analysis of findings above, it is evident that violent video gaming greatly affects aggression and violence that is experienced in adolescents. Further research should however be carried out to identify other factors that influence the behavior of adolescents and how they relate to violent video games. Up-to-date information and studies will empower the society with better approaches on how to deal with violence generated from too much violence gaming. In addition, times have changed and thus, what worked before might not work today. Each new generation poses new and different challenges and today’s adolescents are more demanding and at times demand for their privacy. This further reduces the possibility of parents reducing or controlling the rate at which adolescents are involved in violence gaming. The more updated and current research will ensure that sound recommendations are forwarded, which can be applied by schools and parents to help understand the adolescents who play violent video content. In addition, more research to identify and establish on positive effects of kids engaging in violent video games should also be carried out. This will greatly add on to the already built knowledge on. With the current increase in access to violent games, it is evident that a lot needs to be done to promote a healthy relationship between teachers, parents and peers. However, even with all arguments and discussions that are continuously being carried out, it is undeniably clear that violent games have an effect on adolescent behaviors. Gentile et al collectively conclude that violent video games greatly contribute to aggression and violence in adolescents. They do not fail to add that there other factors that affect the behavior of the adolescent bracket. The studies and statistics that have been used in this study and a list of many others prove that video games that have violent content have a great effect on the aggressive behavior in adolescents. References Anderson, C., & Bushman, B. (2001). Effects of violent games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal and pro-social behaviors. Psychological Science, 12(1), 353-359. Anderson, C., Gentile, D., & Buckley, K. (2007). Violent video game effects on children and adolescents: Theory, research and public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Gentile, Douglas A., Lynch, Paul J., Ruh Linder, J., Walsh, D. A. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27(1), 5-22.  Hamburg, D., & Hamburg, B. (2004). Learning to Live Together: Preventing Hatred and Violence in Child and Adolescent Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Kurtner, L& Olson, C. (2008). Grand theft childhood: The surprising truth about violent video games and what parents can do. London: Simon and Schuster. MNT. (2010). The effect of violent media games on teens. Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/191171.php Parenting.com. (2014). 10 violent video games to avoid. Retrieved from http://www.parenting.com/gallery/violent-video-games Schmeirbach, M. (2010). “Killing spree”-exploring the connection between competitive game play and aggressive cognition. Communication Research, 37(2), 256-274. Sestir, M., & Bartholow, B. (2010). Violent and non-violent video games produce opposing effects on aggressive and pro-social outcomes. Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, 46(1), 934-942. Read More