by Vilie Farah

Created on: December 10, 2009

Today, the bloodier a computer game is, the better it positions itself. An average person is exposed to huge amounts of violence on a daily basis. Aggression oozes from posters, TV shows, movies, music, computer games and magazines.

The manner in which people responded to violence in the past has changed recently. What was previously seen as unacceptable and inhumane act of aggression is today simply a part of the plot. Thank God we have special effects so that fights, blasts, mass murders and onscreen torture are livelier and more spectacular than ever.

What harm does all this exposure to violence result in? Has it changed the way we think and perceive the world, has it altered our values and beliefs?

VIOLENCE IN MOVIES AND VIOLENCE IN REAL LIFE
The debate has been ongoing for years. Does violence in films provoke violent behavior among teenagers? No connection has been established yet, but many believe that onscreen aggression changes the convictions of young people.

Laboratory experiments show that children exposed to violence are more likely to be aggressive in real life. Kaiser Family Foundation carried out a survey. They questioned parents about child behavior. Nearly 50 percent of the parents responded that children tried to imitate violent behavior that they saw in films and TV shows.

Cybercollege.com quotes other research, which showed that girls who grew up watching violent films were likely to act aggressively whenever a fight with their partner or husband occurred.

COMPUTER GAMES: ESTABLISHING A NEW TREND
Doom is a computer game that is seen as setting the standard in the genre. The game is first person and the aim of the player is to basically kill everything moving and breathing nearby. The player can select among pistols, brass-knuckled fists, chainsaws, shotguns, chainguns, a rocket launcher and a plasma rifle…

A number of computer games follow similar plots. All of these are readily available to teens.

American Psychological Association (APA) carried out experiments that prove the connection between computer game violence and aggressive behavior.

Interactivity makes video games more dangerous than TV shows and films. It puts an individual in the position of the game protagonist and killing becomes first person activity. APA experiments proved that students who spent a lot of time playing violent games usually had lower grades and were involved in delinquency more often than their peers.

Psychologists concluded that teenagers often use the violent

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>