Immoral Violent Video Games - Research Paper Example

Immoral Violent Video Games What are the arguments that violent video games are immoral? Which arguments provided the strongest reasons for regulation? Children are exposed to violence on a daily basis and this is not at all good for them and the same is taking a toll on them, modern day gadgets like Xbox and PS3 are responsible for exposing children to excessive violence. Violence in our society has increased significantly over the period of time; people have completely forgotten the values which ones made a peaceful world. This has happened because of a lot of reasons, one of the biggest reasons is the violence portrayed in movies and especially video games. The demand for violent video games is constantly increasing and the producers of such games have found this to be a very lucrative business. The gaming industry is booming, kinect which was launched by Microsoft for Xbox 360 recorded astronomical sales figures earlier this year, when SONY released their PS 3 people users just could not get enough of it, there are other gaming consoles like WII, Nintendo and so on which have almost become part and parcel of our lives, there have been several studies conducted on the change of human behavior because of playing violent and immoral video games and some shocking results have been brought to our notice by the scientists. Violence and aggression increase when one plays violent video games, this is why the ratings were introduced, but these days no one cares about the ratings, kids play games that they should never be allowed to play, this is why we witness numerous knife and gun crimes on the street, movies and video games are adversely impacting our society. This paper will shed light upon the arguments that violent video games are immoral; light will also be thrown upon the change in human behavior because of playing these violent video games. Graphic Violence: Several parents discourage their children from playing violent video games because these games depict graphic violence, in games like God of War and a few others there are several explicit scenes which explicitly show blood and other unimaginable acts of violence, God of War is a game series which is incredibly popular, this game has been played by several kids, the game box clearly states that the game is only for adults but several children feel that the rating is nothing but dubious. Such games trigger off a lot of unwanted emotions in children, parents should always ensure that kids stay as far away as plausible from such violent games. Killing is an unforgivable act in our society, it is certainly immoral and against the law to kill a person, we have started enjoying the sinful act of killing and this is surely immoral. Partial or Full Nudity: There are numerous games in the market which thrive on skin show and this is immoral beyond imagination, games like SIMS and playboy have taken nudity to a different level altogether, their USP is nothing but skin show, several children play such games and commit crimes beyond imagination. Watching nude images is considered immoral in our society and playing such games is also immoral and should be stopped by every parent. Gaming consoles like Xbox, PS3 and others have become very popular these days and there is a huge demand for games like Hit man, Max Payne etc. Such games have a very negative impact on the mind-set of the young children who play such games. The fictitious events are often considered reality by innocent children who lack a proper sense of direction. The events portrayed in the game change the mind-set of young children. Children very often try stunts on their friends which are shown in violent video games. Playing violent video games increases aggression among people who play it and there are no two ways about it. “One study reveals that young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games," said psychologists Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D. "The other study reveals that even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of participants” (Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression) “On average, there is a significant tendency for the studies to yield an increase in aggression by those who have played the violent games," said Craig Anderson, an Iowa State University professor and leading researcher on the effects of media violence.” (Violent Video games under Attack.) There are enough evidences which prove that playing violent video games give rise to violence in the society. This is extremely bad for the society, it is high time that this is realized and something should be done about it sooner rather than later. Every coin is two sided, playing games also has benefits. It relaxes a person and it is very entertaining to play games. The relaxation derived from playing games is immense and cannot be out into words. Research also proves that playing games makes the mind sharper and the response rate of the mind goes up by a significant level. “Nottingham Trent University professor Mark Griffiths said they can be a powerful distraction for youngsters undergoing painful cancer treatment. He also argues games can help develop social skills for children with attention disorders including autism. Mr. Griffith's claims are made in the British Medical Journal out on Friday. The professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University said more research must be done into both the positive and negative effects of gaming. (The Positive effects of games) Violent games should be banned considering their impact on the society, so far we have been the architects of our own destruction by letting such games take over our society but this should not be the case any further. It is high time for us to do something about it. Suitable changes should be made in the law to restrict such games from becoming available to the public. Why are Video Games Immoral? “The word "obscene," in addition to its uses as a vehicle for expressing, predicting, and endorsing repugnance, shock, or disgust, and (in American legal contexts) for referring to pornography, is used as a conventional label for a particular class of words. These words, which have their counterparts in virtually every human language, tend to cause great offense.” (The Idea of the Obscene) “As discussed earlier there are several games in the market which portray women merely as sex objects, this is heinous and unimaginable, it is pornography and it is considered immoral to watch such scenes, it is also immoral to play any such video game which portrays women as sex objects.” (Pornography and Criminal Law) These games are only bought by youths who have gone astray and whose parents have not been able to take care of them because of their other so called important commitments. It is very important to seize all such games and put an end to this nonsense. Children are being misguided by gaming companies, they see and experience virtual reality but virtual reality is much different from the original reality. Conclusion Morality and law are two very closely related subjects; laws have been established to ensure the overall well-being of human beings and morality also aims at the very same. In this particular case it is unethical and immoral to play violent video games simply because research goes to show that playing such games heavily influences human behavior, there are several strong cases that have been made in the paper against playing violent video games, morality and law again come into play here, violence will only trigger further violence, similarly playing violent video games will make children much violent than they ever can be. “A decrease in prosocial behavior (caring about the welfare and rights of others) was also noted.” (Anderson, CA, 2001) To conclude it is very fair to say that parents must keep an eye on their children and they must restrict them from playing violent video games. Outline 1. Video Games are immoral Excessive violence shown in video games Children play games that are meant for adults 2. Console Gaming Console gaming has become incredibly popular Children are hooked on to their consoles 3. Pornography Games like Sims and so on expose children to pornography This is extremely bad for them 4. How do you protect children? The role of the parents is crucial Parents need to do more to protect children from getting exposed to excessive violence and pornography 5. Conclusion Restating the most important points 6. Works Cited References Anderson, C.A., & Bushman, B.J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, 353-359 'Pornography and the Criminal Law,' The University of Pittsburgh Law Review 40 (1979); and 'Obscenity, Pornography, and the Arts: Sorting Things Out,' in Contemporary Value Conflicts, ed. Burton M. Leiser (New York: Macmillan, 1981). 'The Idea of the Obscene,' The Lindley Lecture, 1979, The University of Kansas Press. The Positive Effects of Games. In Only a Game. Web. Retrieved from: Violent Video Games can Increase Aggression. In Media Information. Web. Retrieved from: Violent Video Games under Attack. In Wired. Web. Retrieved from: Annotated Bibliography Title of the Paper: What are the arguments that violent video games are immoral? Which arguments provided the strongest reasons for regulation? A Little about the WHOLE PAPER: This paper has been written to examine the impact of violent video games on children, children are being exposed to excessive violence and this is certainly not good for their growth, they are also exposed to pornography in these video games, it is high time to take an action against this. Sources Anderson, C.A., & Bushman, B.J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, 353-359 This is a book source which shows how being repeatedly exposed to violent video games change the thinking pattern of children, they start caring less for others as they get more and more exposed to violent video games. 'Pornography and the Criminal Law,' The University of Pittsburgh Law Review 40 (1979); and 'Obscenity, Pornography, and the Arts: Sorting Things Out,' in Contemporary Value Conflicts, ed. Burton M. Leiser (New York: Macmillan, 1981). This source defines pornography and criminal law and it is a useful source when it comes to children and their exposure to pornography. The Positive Effects of Games. In Only a Game. Retrieved from: This source is again an informative study which sheds light upon the pros of playing video games and how it can help children develop social skills, it also talks about how children with different disorders can be helped when they play video games. 'The Idea of the Obscene,' The Lindley Lecture, 1979, The University of Kansas Press. This source describes the word obscene and how it apples to the current scenario. Violent Video Games can Increase Aggression. In Media Information. Retrieved from: This is a very informative source which sheds light upon a study, the study describes how repeated exposure to violent video games triggers off violence in children who play these games on a regular basis. Violent Video Games under Attack. In Wired. Retrieved from: This source sheds light upon how exactly children become violent after playing these violent video games and how their behavior changes over a period of time. Read More