Children should not be Allowed to Play Violent Videogames - Assignment Example

 Children should not be Allowed to Play Violent Videogames Videogames have become an integral part of the life of children and teenagers around the world. Since their commercialization in 1970s, video games grew in complexity, technical perfection, and variety. At present, there are many different genres, ranging from action-adventure games, action role-playing games, adventure games, beat them up, cinematic platformers, computer role-playing video games, fighting games, hack and slash, racing games, rail shooter, run and gun shooters, stealth games, and survival horrors, and many more. One can see that many of these genres involve violence and killing because businesses know this is the best strategy to keep children glued to the screen. Thus, along with the growth in video games market, there is a rising controversy regarding the effects of video games on children. While some people claim that videogames are a harmless form of entertainment, some are of the opinion that they promote violence and aggression in children. It seems to me that children should not be allowed to play violent videogames because such games can influence the behavior of children significantly. The first reason behind this argument is that children learn what they observe. To illustrate, according to the Social Learning Theory, people learn new behaviors from their surroundings through observational learning. In addition, children are likely to continue performing the behaviors that they find rewarding and avoiding those activities that are punished (Cantor 112). A further analysis of this theory makes it clear as to why violent videogames play havoc with the lives of children. In fact, children, in real life, observe the people around them, including their parents, relatives, neighbors, peers, and teachers, and most of these people have the right to punish children for doing what is socially and morallly unacceptable and reward them for doing what is considered right. Thus, in the real society, children start adopting only those behaviors that are considered good. Evidently, this is lacking in the virtual world of videogames. Most of the modern-day games are a perfect imitation of the real society with excellent graphics, sound effects, and a lot of freedom for the player to act independently. However, what goes wrong in these violent games is that they reward the actions that are punished in the real society and punish those activities that are considered ethically and morally right. A perfect example of this situation is the popular videogame Hitman from IO Interactive. In such games, the success of a player depends on how perfectly they execute an assassination. In other words, the game rewards a child for its perfection in killing. Admittedly, the children who live in the virtual world do not get a chance to observe the real society but the virtual world. With the perfection of a replica of the real world, the characters in this virtual world act as role models for the children, and children learn from these characters. In fact, there are people who claim that not allowing children to play videogames for fear of aggression is like avoiding travelling on road for fear of accidents. However, a thorough analysis of the situation proves that this claim holds no water. To illustrate, the American Psychological Association (APA) claims, “Neuropsychological research demonstrates that the adolescent brain has not reached adult maturity” (9). That is, the brain of children is not mature enough to judge what is right and what is wrong, and hence, are more prone to err and act impulsively. Along with this, the APA points out that adolescence is a period which is marked by heightened risk-taking and criminal conduct (5). These points reveal that before adulthood, people are driven more by adrenaline than by rational thinking. Therefore, allowing children to play violent videogames will only worsen the situation. A perfect example of this situation is the infamous “affluenza” case. In this case, a teenager drove his vehicle recklessly and killed a number of people. However, the court found that the parents of the teenager were guiltier than the teenager was because they failed to guide their child in the right way and gave him unnecessary freedom (Strauss). These points make it evident that the mind of children is not developed enough to control their animal instincts and behave rationally even if they are capable of judging what is right and what is wrong. Admittedly, there are people who oppose these claims. Some of them claim that restricting children from playing videogames will not yield any positive result. For example, Bristow states, “Allowing children their freedom means keeping the regulators out of what is, after all, Their Space”. The argument is that restricting children’s videogames will actually impair their ability to make independent judgments, making them vulnerable to external influences. However, these people fail to acknowledge the way such videogames can encourage children to act impulsively. To illustrate, according to the Arousal Theory, emotions like anger, fear and sexual arousal can result in secondary indices like an increase in adrenaline, heart rate and blood pressure (Bryant, Roskos-Ewoldsen, and Cantor 56). This arousal will undoubtedly make children behave more aggressively than they do in normal life circumstances. Thus, there are two important points revealed in this analysis. Firstly, violent videogames set bad example for children to follow. By rewarding violence, these games result in the development of an enduring hostile mental framework in children. In addition, by indirectly arousing peripheral indices like heart rate and blood pressure, these games make children act more violently than normal. The main elements that keep people within the allowed norms of society are, according to Sacconi and Faillo, constant observation and conformity (43). That is, the real society is full of people who observe its members every moment of their life and any deviation from the prescribed pattern is met with criticism, punishment, and ostracism. However, the virtual world is marked by the absence of these two elements. Making the situation worse, while the real society abhors violence, videogames reward the same. Thus, it becomes evident that violent videogames have a role in making children aggressive. One way out of the quagmire is to censor children’s videogames. It is an admitted fact that most parents would not let their children witness killings and even serious accidents in real life situations because they know watching such events will have a profound impact on their mind. However, these people fail to acknowledge the fact that violent videogames are even more dangerous. Therefore, the videogames for young people below a certain age should not be allowed to show violence and killing. In addition, the games for children should reflect the values of the real society, rewarding what is rewarded and punishing what is punished in the real life. Finally, parents should constantly monitor the way their children spend their time in the virtual world and should punish them for deviating from what is considered morally and socially right. In total, it is clear that violent videogames can promote aggressive behavior in children both directly and indirectly. Firstly, the values they spread are very different from the values of the real society. Secondly, the characters in this virtual world act as role models for children and children end up imitating what these characters do. Thirdly, by offering regular access to the negative concept of glorifying violence, the videogames play a role in developing a hostile mental framework in children. In addition, there is total absence of social observation and conformity, making it easy for children to deviate and act without giving any serious attention to the negative consequences. Finally, such games can heighten their blood pressure and other secondary indices, making them more aggressive. Therefore, children should not be allowed to play violent videogames. Works Cited “Briefing for the American Psychological Association and the Missouri Psychological Association as Amici Curiae Supporting Respondent.” Roper v. Simmons. No. 03-633. Supreme Court of the United States. 19 July 2004. PDF file. Bristow, Jennie. “Children should be Allowed Their Freedom.” Spiked. Spiked ltd., n. d. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Cantor, J. Psychology of Entertainment. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006. Print. Sacconi, Lorenzo, and Marco Faillo. “Conformity, Reciprocity and the Sense of Justice how Social Contract-Based Preferences and Beliefs Explain Norm Compliance: The Experimental Evidence.” SSRN Working Paper Series Jul. 2008:1-46 ProQuest. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Strauss, Gary. “No Jail for Affluenza Teen in Fatal Crash Draws Outrage.” USA Today 06 Feb. 2014. Web. 2 Dec. 2014. Read More