The Influences of Video Game Violence on Children

Taelor Coleman

The Influences of Video Game Violence on Children

Children have become the target of many evils. Marketing from alcohol companies and cigarette companies focus kids to welcome these things into their way of life. Along with alcohol and cigarette exposure, children are being targets of violence. Video games are a marketable good for violence. Children want to play violent games and this is what they will buy. The first home video game was created in 1975 by Al Alcorn, Bob Brown, and Harold Lee. The game was called Pong. It was a two player game in which you bounced a ball off of a bar. By the end of that decade, [video games] had become preferred childhood leisure activity (Cesarone). Violent video games consume children's time, exposes them to violence, and alters their behavior.

Children are more impressionable because their world view is not stable yet. Girls and boys are spending more and more time playing video games. The American Psychology Association states that, "Research shows that children are spending increasing amounts of time playing video games. 13 hours per week for boys and 5 hours per week for girls" ("Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect").

The time spent by children on playing video games could be spent doing something more beneficial and educational. Children could be reading a book or writing poetry instead of playing violent video games.

Some may say that playing hours of video games a week is beneficial to a child. One [positive] view Is that youngsters who play video games can enhance their social relationships through doing so (Gunter 115). Though it does get children to interact with others, it leads into another problem of video game, the violence that is exposed to children each time they play them. When children get together and go t the movies they are just watching the movie. While playing a video game they are taking part in what the outcome of the ending is. Research on learning shows that when one becomes actively involved in something, one learns much more than if you only watch it (Gunter 115).

Even in the games that are rated "E" for everyone, there are still acts of violence. 35 of the 55 E-rated video games (64%) reviewed contained a t least one act of violence (Thompson). Anyone no matter how old or young is able to buy "E" rated games. Injuring characters was rewarded or required for advancement in 33 games (60%) (Thompson). Rewarding aggressive behavior makes being aggressive towards others seem okay, especially to younger people who may not know the difference between right and wrong.

It is also extremely easy for children to go into a store and buy any video game they want, no matter what the rating is. Research has shown both the deleterious effects of violent video games on children and the ease with which children can purchase mature-rated games ("Violent Video Games- Psychologist Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects"). If the government is going to censor what is inappropriate viewing for certain age groups, it should be enforced by everyone. A few stores can't just follow the rule and then all the rest not, the laws then become ineffective.

The violence that is exposed in video games has been proven to effect children's behavior. Craig Anderson graduated with a PhD in psychology from Stanford University and states, "Violent video games are significantly associated with increased aggressive behavior, thoughts..." (Anderson). Children playing video games are emotionally involved. In a study of third through fifth grade children, playing a violent game increased frustration levels... (Gentile 141). They get into the games and want to do the best they can.

This mentality indicates repetition. The desire to play the game over and over again to become the best a person can be at it. The games are usually played repeatedly, thus giving a great deal of practice repeating the violent game actions (Gentile 136). Repeating something over and over again increases learning. If one wished to learn a new phone number...one will often repeat it over and over...(Gentile 136). This is where children learn from their observations. What they see is how they will act in their daily lives. Children imitate the behaviors they see, and children deduce what is right and wrong from what they see (Huesmann). Children playing violent video games are more inclined to act out violently because this is what they see for a significant amount of time during the week.

It is hard to see the solution to the problem of overly violent video games. It has been proven that it has negative effects on children, but what more can the government do without breaking the first amendment? Censoring things has become a touchy subject. People want to make sure their freedom is not being hindered in any type of way, shape, or form. Censors have already been put on video games to alert consumers of the content.

Parents need to take a more active roll in controlling what Is appropriate for their children to see. Parents need to judge for themselves the appropriateness of the material, using information available from the current rating system, information about the game genre, and first-hand experience with their children playing the game (Thompson). Parents can research games before they purchase them, and also play with their children to see if the material is appropriate or not.

Concern about video game violence is a fairly recent problem, but has been proven in studies that it is an increasingly growing problem. Children are spending way too much time being emotionally involved in violent video games. IF educational video games were as