Does violence in video games contribute to real life violence?

No

9 of 218

by Pooka

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Video Game Violence

From Pac-man to Counterstrike, from Atari 400 to Playstation II; certain people have always urged that video games do increase violent tendencies in children and young adults. It is still being debated whether or not this is true. Some are urging the government to make laws to control the outflow of dangerous video games, while others are convinced this is just a large overreaction. This essay will take a brief look at both sides of the controversy, and the psychological evidence supporting it.

All the time people say to me, "Vlad, how do you do it? How come you're so good at killing people? What's your secret?" I tell them, "There is no secret. It's like anything else. Some guys plaster walls, some guys make shoes, I kill people. You just gotta learn the trade and practice until you're good at it." (Victar, 1994)

The above fictional dialogue was used to describe the motivation and skills of a favorite video game character. This shows how intense the admiration and realism in which people view the characters of their favorite violent video games. Children are very impressionable, and plagued with a vivid imagination that allows them to really put them in the same mindset of the fictional characters they worship. Some of the stars of recent video games include hired assassins and drug barons.

The problem with video game violence as opposed to movie or media violence, is that in video games violence is often directly rewarded. Killing certain people or monsters often grants more points for a higher score, improved ability, better weapons, or to unlock a certain game feature. This direct reward for violence reinforces a child's belief that violence is not only okay, but that it is something that should be rewarded. And seldom does a video game expose realistic consequences for violence. In these games, killing is often the main goal. Where in real life, murder is one of the worst and most punishable crimes anyone can commit. Furthermore, these videogames often stereotype women as helpless victims, which is particularly distressing when one considers the fact that the majority of people who play video games are young impressionable males.

Many people do not even realize the stunning amount of reality portrayed in video games today. Unlike the two dimensional cartoonish looking games of the past such as Q'bert and Duckhunt. Today the player is immersed in a realistic three dimensional world where she can move and look in all directions and interact with objects and computer controlled people with uncanny realism. When a pedestrian is shot in the leg, he will clutch his leg and fall over as a pool of blood slowly forms underneath him. And from chainsaws to sniper rifles, these games include realistic weaponry that a child may have access to. An unlocked gun cabinet has always been a known danger, but not many think having an unlocked tool shed would become a real threat. Many of these games are now even based on real historic events and references. Today's children are able to see a world in which they are flung into the past and have to kill hordes of mutated nazi's with a flamethrower to win.

There was one study of eighth and ninth graders done by Anderson & Dill that found a relationship between playing violent video games and real life aggression. The students were questioned how much violent games they play, and how often they get into physical fights. They were classified as having little hostility, or a lot of hostility. Clearly in this case there is a relationship between video games and aggressive actions.

In 1987 Silverman and Williamson conducted an experiment to try and find a link between television and video game violence, and real life violence. In this experiment children from ages four to six were observed in free play, then exposed to a short amount of violent media. This included a Roadrunner cartoon, and the game Space Invaders. There was no noticeable increase in violent tendencies. But as everyone who has played Space Invaders or watched a Roadrunner cartoon knows, these things pale terrible in comparison to the violence children are exposed to today.

There are other possible problems of playing video games. Some claim that video games lead to antisocial behavior. Everyone hears stories of people who let video games control their lives. They lock themselves in their rooms like hermits and neglect school, work, and all social matters. There are very few people like this, most do have the sense not to let themselves become so fully immersed in video games that they avoid all social behavior. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo said "...the video games that are proving so addictive to young people may not only be socially isolating but may actually encourage violence between people."

What exactly do video games teach children? There are some games such as the infamous Grand Theft Auto series, where the hero of the game goes around stealing cars and committing crime after crime with no repercussions. But far more popular are the games where the premise is to save, rather than destroy. Classics like Donkey Kong, where Mario quests to save a princess, and Frogger, where you have to guide a frog safely across a busy street. How can a game that promotes kindness to small animals be bad?

There are also games that involve violence, but include a variety of mind-stimulating puzzles and tasks. These games are often found in the role-playing genre. Games like Zelda and the Final Fantasy series, where the hero has to use his mind and make friends who use their own unique skills together in creative ways to reach their goals. There are many mind-stimulating benefits of playing video games that often get lost or overlooked in the conflict of video game violence.

There is the obvious benefit of improved hand eye coordination that comes from video game practice. This increase in fine motor skills can be useful in a wide variety of situations, especially in a world run by computers, like today. No one questions the superior typing speed of an experienced gamer.

Video games serve as a gateway to get children interested in computers. In the modern world, knowledge of computers is essential to succeed. Even children who are unfamiliar with computers know that it is computers that make video games work. Thus children who enjoy such games will likely develop an interest in how they work and may go on to inquire about programming; a multi-billion dollar industry.

There are also many video games based solely on education, containing little or no violence at all. These games give children intrinsic motivation to learn. Relying on themselves to use computer games as a tool to further develop their own minds. It is always the child who plays the game, not the other way around.

Many people believe that video games serve as a healthy medium in which to expel violent emotions. There are things that happen in real life that cause people to be far more violent than anything a video game can reproduce. Rather than express these aggressive feelings in potentially harmful ways, they can be channeled into harmless entertainment. It is the same debate that has existed since television. Is it the video games that make violence in the real world, or is it violence in the world that reproduces it in video games?

When an anonymous gamer was asked if she thought video games induced violent thoughts and actions she replied by saying "Absolutely, but no more than religion." It is a clear fact that when violence is represented in any form, thoughts of the observers and those partaking in the event will involve violence. To say that video games influence behavior enough to make someone actually commit violent acts is just foolhardy. Any crimes that could even be remotely linked to video games, pale in comparison to the suffering caused by holy wars like the crusades, or the jihad currently happening in the Middle East.

Many hold the view that video games are being used as just another scapegoat. Parents who make wrong choices in raising their child or allow them to be exposed to improper situations always look for something to blame before themselves. They claim their son brought a gun to school because he was playing a video game in which the main character uses a gun to kill bad guys. Never mentioning the fact that the father goes to a shooting range twice a week and leaves his guns in a place where the child can easily get to them. It is environment and surroundings that influence the actions of every human. Video games are a part of this, but only a very small part. A larger portion of the blame should be put on family, education, and friends.

Two Tennessee boys in August of this year killed a Canadian tourist and wounded a woman by shooting a sniper rifle at a highway. In court they claimed that their attack was inspired by the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto III. The families of the two victims have filed a $246 million-dollar lawsuit against the boys and their parents, Wal-Mart Inc., who sold the game, Sony Entertainment, the makers of the PlayStation 2, Rockstar Games, the publisher, and Take-Two Interactive. Interestingly enough, they don't bother to even question the maker of the rifle used, or the bridge they stood on, or the woman one of the victims was on her way to meet. Video games are an easy scapegoat that is forced to take a lot of unnecessary blame. Those two boys were inspired by a video game to make a sniper attack, but if it weren't for the video game is it really possible that they would not have committed a similar crime? A game may instill ideas, or methods to commit crimes, but there is no evidence at all that violent video games create the desire to commit aggressive crimes.

Computer technology is doubling every eighteen months. Video games are becoming more realistic than ever. Unfortunately humans are still as untrusting and arrogant as ever. Video games are never a cause of real life violence. In the end, it is always a conscious decision of the individual. In large, people will continue to play video games, despite the unfounded claims of dangerous aggression.

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