Violence in video games not stopping people from playing
Violent video games (Photo by nikcname/flickr CC BY-ND 2.0)
Violence in video games is a constant staple in popular culture, being played by gamers every day. But there is a certain demographic that is not suppose to play violent video games, and those are young children that are under 17 years old.
For American college students, especially ones here in south Orange County, games are as much as a part of life as it is for studying and the occasional partying.
An online study from the American Psychological Association finds that 70 percent of college students play video games at least “once in a while.” However this is misleading as there are some college students that are likely to stay up and play video games all night and for days on end.
Almost half of college students who play video games, like console, computer, or online games, admit that it keeps them from studying, an APA study stated.
It is not good to play these kind of video games for lengthy periods at a time, as it causes aggression in college students. This aggression could lead to them hurting themselves and others that they care about.
There are some video games that encourage inappropriate uses of guns and weapons. One example of a violent video game is Grand Theft Auto. Video games such as GTA can really make a negative impact on young kids and college students.
Video games like these could possibly influence students to commit a possible crime in reality.
Playing violent, graphic video games like the Doom series, the Tekken fighting games, and the ever popular fighting game: Mortal Kombat may increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in normal settings and in actual life.
Furthermore, violent video games may be more harmful than violent television and movies because they of the direct interaction, engrossing game-play, and usually requires the player to identify with the aggressor.
“One study reveals that young men who are habitually aggressive may be especially vulnerable to the aggression-enhancing effects of repeated exposure to violent games,” said psychologists Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D. and Karen E. Dill, Ph.D. “
The other study reveals that even a brief exposure to violent video games can temporarily increase aggressive behavior in all types of college students.
There are many controversies on whether video games cause violent acts and who is truly responsible for underage children playing mature rated video games. We are encouraged to react in this manner by misleading information provided by media, enraged parents and social activist.
“In my opinion, contrary to these disputes playing a violent game cannot turn you into a murderer. Someone who commits such crimes has other mental issues, says Marisela Montes, a customer on Amazon.com forum. ” I believe that those who commit violent acts and blame video games are simply seeking a scapegoat.”
Ratings on video games are examples of warning labels such as those on medications, cigarettes, alcohol and even cleaning products. The entertainment industry and retailers are not going to stop production so it is up to the parent to be fully engaged in their children activities.
Although some video games are extremely violent, there is absolutely no 100 percent conclusion that excessive playing causes violent behavior, it really depends on the age of the child that is playing the game and that parent that is letting them play.
There is no question that some of the video games in the market are highly violent, but are video games truly the cause of violent acts.
The best thing to do is have the parents being the ones that should keep an eye on their children’s activities and make sure that they are not doing anything dangerous and stupid.