Video Game Effects

English

04/07/2012

VIDEO GAMES MAY INFLUENCE ADVERSE BEHAVIOR

If art imitates reality, at what point does it need to stop? Video games may appear to be positive because they can improve a player’s manual skills and computer knowledge, and the technology may also brings better graphics that give a more “vivid” virtual experience. However, it can be more harmful than entertaining. There are many video games that show improper content that increases crime and violence amongst teens, aggressive behavior, and an increase in sexual activity. There should be a stop for these kids to be exposed to inappropriate games by creating stricter video game regulations. Through numerous studies, I am convinced that video games can desensitize gamers and can cause adverse social behaviors to develop.

One of the most controversial effects of video games is that it promotes violence and crime amongst the youth. Several major evaluations on violent or aggressive video games by groups such as The Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health, the Journal of Adolescent Health, and the British Medical Journal have shown an increment in bullying. In a 2010 survey of 40,000-plus teenagers, the Josephson Institute on Ethics asked teens about their experiences with bullying. “About 50% admitted that they had bullied others and 47% said that they had been the victims of bullying” (Swearer, 2011). As an example, in the game "Bully", players control a character in a school setting who abuses and tortures students and teachers, becoming empathetic and depraved bullies for the duration of their gaming session. Kids killing others are another concern, and that is why Lt. Col. David Grossman, a former West Point psychology professor wrote a book called Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill, where he has used the term “murder simulator” (Grossman and DeGaetano, 1999) to describe first-person shooter games. He corroborates that video games train children in the use of weapons and...