Introduction
Playing video games is one of the most popular activities among many people, especially children, adolescents, and young adults. The average rate spent playing these games is one hour per day for girls and at least two hours every day for boys. Many games have evolved to become sophisticated and realistic and even allow players to network through the Internet. Video games, in particular, have resulted in real-life depictions of simulated violence and have led to parents and policy makers raising various concerns about the potential for actual violence being embedded into the minds of children and teenagers. The Electronic Software Rating Board was formed to evaluate and decide the appropriateness of video games to children and teens. This is done to ensure that children don’t become numb to violence, imitate this violence, or show aggressive behavior after playing these games. Young children may develop emotional, behavioral, or learning issues due to influence by violent graphics.
Summary
The court case battle between the prosecutor Steven Gruel and defense attorney Patricia Millett is based on the influence that video games have on the youth and children and the probability of real life violence due to playing these games. When California drafted a law to prohibit the sale of violent video games to minors, many game enthusiasts and free speech supporters took to the street in protest of the move. The law was later rejected by the USA Supreme Court citing the limitation of freedom of expression. In his argument for abolishing sales of violent video games to minors, Steve Gruel stated that neuroscience indicated that these games increase violent behavior and adverse outcomes such as physically aggressive behavior, lowered school performance, loss of proactive control to inhibit impulsive actions, damaged high-level thinking, and reduced emotional control. On the other hand, the defense attorney Patricia Millett argued that such information was a result of flawed research which did not have any facts to back up the data. Millett argues that the correlations that may or may not be present in the use of video games and violent behavior may be subject to additional factors such as family violence at home, anti-social issues, and peer influence and cannot be supported by any reliable data or substantial evidence (Gantt and Slife).
Analysis and Response
The studies carried out in these articles are comprehensive and articulate the effects of video games on children. The critics of these studies try to document relative flaws with minimal attention being paid to the broader theoretical framework within which the studies were carried. However, no study is perfect, and each study design has its strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, it would be prudent to consider the empirical evidence disregarded by the state of California and Senator Yee (Gantt and Slife).
Aggressive behavior is defined as behavior meant to hurt or harm another person. Many models used in assessing the effect of violent video games on the mind are particular on the neurological process of the mind and center their study on the consequences of violence on the brain. Many studies collaborate that exposure to media violence leads to priming of aggression, higher physiological arousal, and development of aggressive beliefs. However, I don’t believe that video games are the cause of aggressive behavior among children and teenagers. Some of these studies by Gruel employ dependent variables, which are not true aggressive behavior variables because they only measure short-term effects of playing violent video games. There is no reason to expect that playing a game for some twenty minutes or so will change a person’s traits. These studies also consider hitting inanimate objects as a portrayal of aggression, but given the definition of aggression, this is not true.
Many violent and non-violent games are not particularly different from one another in terms of the effects they have on the individual. What matters for most players is the adrenaline rush, the excitement, and the fulfillment that comes with playing the games. There is no reason that any of these emotions should be associated with aggression rates in individuals. In fact, if nonviolent games are annoying or frustrating, then the person might become more aggressive after playing than he or she would be after playing a violent game. Millet adds that there are many factors in play when it comes to children exhibiting violence and aggression. Some of these factors include domestic feuds, anti-socialism, and peer influence. When exposed to these elements during growing up, children and teenagers are mentally affected, and they may experience emotional disturbances including signs of aggressive behavior. Parents who beat their children or bullying in school may also affect these persons to become aggressive.
Concerning school performance and cognition, any game whether violent or nonviolent can be associated with drastic drops in school performance if the player does not study. Spending too much time playing video games can affect school performance and cause the children to fail. Video games also affect the way the brain develops and can either build or destroy the brain, for example in the case where children play these games for long periods of time without rest. Alternatively, solving important video games missions and puzzles may be a great scheme to cognition development and enhance the way our brain develops. In any case, this is not a direct cause of aggression and as such should be addressed separately as a ramification of playing video games too much.
Conclusion
Video games have become part of our culture and many people don’t see the need fight against them. Instead, many people are embracing them and using them constructively to teach children and adolescents about various issues in society and also help them in solving homework problems. Violent video games, however, may insert graphic images in the minds of children and affect the way they think about ethical issues, for example, life and death. As to whether issues like aggression will come up when our kids are playing these games, it is prevalent that violent is everywhere, and we should teach children and teenagers that violence and aggression are not good. I think that we should be more concerned about bigger issues such as underage drinking and promotion of sexual activities by these video games. Such matters hold more weight when it comes to regulation of behavior and affecting children and adolescent brain development. Other issues of similar weight include the abuse of drugs and alcohol, influenced by characters found in games such as the Grand Theft Auto. Playing games recommended for one’s age can become healthy and enjoyable especially with educative video games that promote learning, problem-solving, and motor and cognition skills development.
Work Cited
Gantt, Edwin, and Brent Slife. Are Violent Video Games Harmful To Children And Adolescents? Brigham Young University. Print.
