I-Search 1: The possible effects of video games or violent toys on children
This topic can be researched or studied in a class that deals with prosocial behavior. In such a class setting, it would be possible to study the effects of media violence on a person’s behavior.
What I knew about this topic
I have known that violent video games affect how children deal with their fellow children. Most children tend to copy what they see in the video games. It is easy to find children using the vulgar language they hear in these games. The fact that most children copy the actions of their favorite characters in their daily lives makes me believe that prolonged playing of the games can make the child-gamers aggressive and violent.
Why I would be writing about this topic
I am writing this topic because I am interested in knowing the association or relationship between violent video games and children’s behavior. When growing up, I used to play with children that were violent and non-violent. We always avoided playing with the violent children because we were taught to always avoid trouble. We later came to learn that the violent children spent most of their time indoors playing violent games such as GTA Vice City. Even though I talked to my parents on the same, the parents to these violent children rejected the idea that the video games were making their children violent. I feared to play the violent video games in fear that I would also become aggressive. Thus, getting the chance to study the relationship and link between the violent video games and one’s behavior provided me with the perfect opportunity to confirm what I believed.
The search
Researching on whether violent video games make children aggressive was an interesting one. Even though violent video games are linked to increased aggression in the players, there is no enough evidence that these games lead to criminal violence. As such, I had to rely on reliable sources such as the American Psychological Association. The reason I settled on the APA organization to research on the issue is that the American Psychological Association is the largest professional and scientific organization that represents psychology in America.
I then researched the effects of violent video games on youths on the journalist resource organization website. This website was helpful because it provided me with enough articles that discuss aggression, violence, and video games. The several articles provided in journalists resource organizations had helpful information on the topic.
What I have learned
I also learned that violent toys and video games make children develop anti-social behavior. Video games are very addictive (Berald et al., 109); they entail a child sitting in the house for the whole day playing. This minimizes the time that they have to interact with other children. Since most video games are full of conspiracies and friends turning against each other, the children who play such violent games lose the capability of developing trust among their friends. This ultimately leads to anti-social behavior which is not good for their overall growth and development (Mercer, 68).
Works Cited
Asmi.Ideas & Thoughts: THE EFFECT OF VIOLENT TOYS ON CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR. 2009. Asmiworld.blogspot.co.ke. Retrieved 12 June 2016, from http://asmiworld.blogspot.co.ke/2009/05/effect-of-violent-toys-on-childrens.html.
Berard, A., Cain, M., Watanabe, T., & Sasaki, Y. Frequent Video Game Players Resist Perceptual Interference. 2015. PLOS ONE, 10(3), e0120011. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0120011.
Jayasinghe, Y. Secrets of Successful Learning: The possible effects of videogames or violent toys on children. 2013. Yuganthijayasinghe.blogspot.co.ke. Retrieved 12 June 2016, from http://yuganthijayasinghe.blogspot.co.ke/2013/09/the-possible-effects-of-videogames-or.html.
Fromme, J., & Unger, A. Computer games and new media cultures: A handbook of digital games studies. Dordrecht: Springer 2012.
Grossman, D., & DeGaetano, G. Stop teaching our kids to kill: A call to action against TV, movie, and video game violence. 2014.
Toppo, G. The game believes in you: How digital play can make our kids smarter. 2015
Mercer, J., & Mercer, J. Thinking critically about child development: Examining myths, mistakes, and misunderstandings. 2016.
Mercer, J. Child development: Myths and misunderstandings. Los Angeles: SAGE. 2010.
Tear, M. & Nielsen, M. Video games and prosocial behavior: A study of the effects of non-violent, violent and ultra-violent gameplay. Computers in Human Behavior, 41, 8-13. 2014. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.09.002.
Ferguson, C. Research on the Effects of Violent Video Games: A Critical Analysis. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 3(3), 351-364. 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2009.00175.
