Accumulated Violent Behavior and Video Games - Essay Example

Playing or watching violent video games has an effect on brain mechanism which serves as a predictor of aggressive behavior in children. This is the conclusion of a study conducted with experienced gamers. There is ample scientific evidence supporting the fact that exposure to increased violence results in children displaying more aggressive behavior both verbally and physically. The later type of violence can lead children to commit acts of murder and other forms of serious injuries which can have terrible consequences on the future of the child. In addition, they also have an effect of the physiology and health of the child. The reward points associated with these games increase the chances of addiction and exposure to repeated violence can result in accumulated violent behaviors. While people who play the games and promoters of such games argue that these games increase hand-eye coordination and do not increase aggressive behavior among kids, the scientific community has maintained that the development of aggressive tendency is mainly attributed to the active involvement of children while playing these video games and in addition they are also instantly rewarded for their violent actions. Most games motivate the child to race ahead and beat the opponent; this attitude may prevent the child from developing a helping tendency or empathy towards their peers. The immature cognitive development in young minds makes them vulnerable to violence and when children are exposed to media violence from a young age it leaves a lasting impact on their minds and result in the formation undesirable traits or behavioral patterns later in life. Violent video games have been shown to alter the brain’s responses to real-life violence. It has been found that aid players of violent video games exhibited negligible brain response to gun attacks and war videos and this could be attributed to a possible desensitization that could have occurred in these children owing to their constant exposure to violence. Meta-studies which have analyzed data from several previous studies have also concluded that a majority of them have stated that violent video games have a profound impact on the thoughts, behavior and feelings of these individuals. In addition, they also create a more aggressive attitude and reduce the pro-social behavior of children. Apart from significant behavioral changes the physiology of the child is also affected as studies have shown an increase in heart rate and blood pressure while children play such games. Scientific research has proven that when children are exposed to violence from a very young age there is a good possibility that they would consider it is like any other form of normal occurrence like a verbal conversation or any other type of physical activity. With this thought-process they were more likely to adopt an aggressive behavioral pattern at an age where they would not understand the consequences of such a behavior. When children begin to use this aggressive tendency in their other routine activities or as a means to achieve their needs it is more likely to become a habit which could be carried through adult-hood. This is also being considered as one of the reasons for the development of murderous tendencies and other forms of violent behavior when these children grow into adults. Playing war games or those that involve using weapons is definitely dangerous to the development to good behavior and attitude among children. When such a habit is forged early on in life, it is more likely that children would grow up to be more aggressive which will be evidenced in their other normal actions even if memories from their childhood are lost. While mere observation can leave lasting impact on the minds of young ones, when children actually get to play such violent games even though virtually, it can only increase the risks at stake. In addition these games are invariable associated with reward points which further boost the players to concentrate more on the game and perform better than their peers. This decreases their interest to engage in any other form of useful activity and in cases where there is decreased parental intervention the studies of such children is also affected. When children are really in awe of the heroes in these violent videos they would easily take them as their role models and would want to imitate their acts at home or in public. Exposure to repeated media violence would result in accumulating violent behavior in children. As games are constantly updated with the latest technological advancements children who are avid players of these violent games often tend to get addicted to them and this habit can also continue later in life. The quicker ability to grasp and learn and develop a habit at a young age is a major factor that retains aggressive behavior even after the child grows. Scientific research points out to the immature cognitive development in children which does not allow them to rationalize and discern the content behind these violent games. In addition, children will be exposed to such violence at a time when they are still developing their moral values and beliefs and constant playing of violent games will only give rise to unwarranted perceptions and influence. Thus given the harmful effects of playing violent video games it is up to the parents to closely monitor their child’s activities and teach them in a way that they will understand about the long-term harmful effects of playing such violent games if in case the child is keen to play them. When children are taught to interpret what they see from a young age they would be more careful in choosing the right form of entertainment in future. Playing war-like video games and other similar content on the internet need to be curtailed in order to protect the child from developing any form of aggressive behavior in future. Schools also play a major role in educating children from a young age about the positive and negative influences of media and its consequences. Guidance from pediatricians is also being provided to parents on how to help children view the right content. Media literacy among parents is also widely propagated as it is necessary for them to understand the risks involved when children are exposed to objectionable content in the media. Children should also be engaged in academic and extra-curricular activities that would help in restricting them from playing on the internet. Inculcating a healthy lifestyle would have a positive impact on their overall growth and development and in addition will enable the child to spend some quality time with family and friends. In addition to having an effect on the cognitive development of the child playing games for endless hours will also adversely affect them physically as long hours of sitting and playing on the internet can strain the neck muscles and also increases the child’s risk to becoming obese and suffer from other related ailments such as diabetes. People from the gaming and the entertainment industry have maintained that playing these games increases the hand-eye coordination among kids harmless way to vent out any pent up feelings of anger or remorse; however, the scientific community has contradicted stating that there are other safer means through which children can improve their hand-eye coordination and that playing such games would only encourage the children to act more aggressively. They have also proposed that there are video games available in the market which are devoid of violence and can be safely used by children in cases where the child is persistent about playing video games In conclusion playing violent video games is more likely to result in aggressive behavioral patterns among children which increase their risk of engaging in deviant activities in adulthood. Constant exposure to such games can cause accumulated violent behavior later in life with children showing disinterest in any useful forms of activities. Young minds are highly vulnerable and exposure to violence can result in long-term harmful effects on the child. This is also the result of various studies conducted by the scientific community throughout the world. Hence parents and schools have a vital role to play by advising children in a manner which they would understand against playing such games. Though with the rapid growth of technology and easy exposure of children to these advancements cannot be completely avoided children should be repeatedly reminded on the detrimental effects of playing violent video games. They should also be encouraged to engage on other activities that would be beneficial to the body and mind. This would benefit the child as well as the society at large to a great extent. Read More