Nowhere to Hide: Violent Video Games

Imagine these scenes. Scene one: You see a young child inside playing violent video games with guns and fighting. The child can hurt people without consequences. There is no “hurt” friend to complain.

What is that child learning? Scene two: You see the same child at school, fighting with his classmates instead of playing. He ends up hitting his classmate, but this classmate is real. Young children should not play violent video games because they will start fighting and become violent themselves. Let’s look at the basic order. Too much time spent playing violent video games causes a rise in violent thoughts. There have been studies that have shown that children ages 8 to 17 who play a lot of violent video games show an increase in aggressive behavior, such as hitting, shoving and pushing in subsequent years – up to three years after the initial exposure and testing, compared to their behavior at the study start ().

What does this mean? It means that kids who play violent video games are more violent in their thoughts and behaviors in the years that follow. A snowball effect – the thoughts and behaviors start and then continue to grow. “The reason for the increase in aggressive behavior was that children who played a lot of violent video games had an increase in aggressive thoughts: for instance, they were more likely to interpret an ambiguous act, like someone bumping into them, as hostile,” said study researcher Craig Anderson, a psychologist and professor at Iowa State University (Fox News). Too much time spent playing violent games causes a rise in violent behavior. The article “Do Violent Video Games Cause Behavior Problems?” argues that spending too much time playing violent video games makes teens act in more violently. The article argue that in a game where the players kill without consequence, the lesson is thereare no consequences for such behavior.

(Ukessays.com). And no guilt. The danger is obvious for teens; the lines between virtual reality and actual reality blur. Some studies have shown teens who play such violent video games behave more violently in general than the groups who did not (Ukessays.com). In another study, teens who played these games actually thought violence was “fun” (Ukessays.com). What is the message sent? Violence is fun and without consequence. What are the ramifications? “Connecticut Senator Christopher Murphy stated in January 2013 that, as well as guns, video games played a role in the (Sandy Hook) shootings.

He said, ‘I think there’s a question as to whether he would have driven in his mother’s car in the first place if he didn’t have access to a weapon that he saw in video games…'” (Wikipedia) These violent games have the potential to turn our teens into murderers. “Approximately 90% of children in the U.

S. play video games, and more than 90% of those games involve mature content that often includes violence” said Alice Park from Time. Children play violent games without supervision from parentsand don’t have an adult to help understand the violence. “Without proper supervision, children do not receive the guidance they need. Studies report that unsupervised children often have behavior problems” (APA).

When and where do children usually play video games? During their play time, probably alone or with friends. Children often learn by example. The behavior, values, and attitudes of parents and siblings have a strong influence on children. Values of respect, honesty, and pride in your family and heritage can be important sources of strength for children, especially if they are confronted with negative peer pressure, live in a violent neighborhood, or attend a rough school Can relieve stress, especially after a long day at work, or a rough day at school. There is also evidence that gaming can help psychological problems.

At the University of Auckland in New Zealand, researchers asked 94 young people diagnosed with depression to play SPARX (A multi-player online RPG game). Researchers then noticed that all 94 people who played the game had less symptoms of depression. Why pay out of your pockets, when you can download a game thats worldwide, and free? You heard me “FREE”! Believe it or not, games like “Medal of Honor” and “Call of Duty” can improve eyesight. Dr. Daphen Maurer of the Visual Development Lab of Ontario’s McMaster, said she made a huge discovery. She said this increases eyesight because the game itself was very fast paced, making players faster, more aware, and more precise.

So for those you who have been scoping headshots, congrats! You are more aware of you and your surroundings.Stressed out by all this knowledge yet? An article from TrueStressManagement.com says: “Video games help manage stress because it gives you a break from your real life.” This also goes for people with Type A personality and Autism. Do you think teens playing violent video games is worth it? No, it’s not. It’s not worth the violence that teens do, like the shooting at Sandy Hook that happened because of the violent video games that teen played.

Works Cited “Do Violent Video Games Cause Behaviour Problems Media Essay.” Do Violent Video Games Cause Behaviour Problems Media Essay. N.p., n.d.

Web. 13 Feb. 2015. Guarini, Drew. “9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You.” The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.

2015. Guarini, Drew. “9 Ways Video Games Can Actually Be Good For You.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015. “Raising Children to Resist Violence: What You Can Do.

” Http://www.apa.org. N.p., n.

d. Web. 13 Feb. 2015. “Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting.

” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

“Violent Video Games and Mass Violence: A Complex Link.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, n.d. Web. 11 Feb.

2015. “Violent Video Games ‘weaken Morality'” BBC News. N.p., n.

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