Running head: VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES

Violent Video Games and Their Effects It has on The Youth Jasmine Marion Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES Video games have a big influence on children today. Not all video games are bad for children only ones that tend to have a lot of violence in them. What they may see in the games such as fighting, guns and etc. they think it is okay to act these scene out, and it will not be a consequence they will have to face in reality. They might be too young to know, but they do know right from wrong, and should know what is expected and what is not. Although video

games can be beneficial, violent games have a big effect on children today. What they see on the games they think its okay to act in those kind of behaviors. These video games should be a concern not all to the parents of these children, but also to the general public. Many kids today play some type of game that has some violence in them. These kinds of games can be very harmful to children; most children learn or pick up bad habits from the things they might see on tv, or in their everyday life. All games teach something different, depending on what it requires to teach the player. If the players think in violent ways, solves conflicts whit violent actions, then these actions are being reinforced from the games (Anderson, 2010). Its all about what you gain from these gains. Parents should be more concerned about the games they let their children play. Parents should be more involved with the games, before they let their kids play it, they should sit down and play the games their selves to see if it is appropriate for their children to play. 75 percent of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game consoles are useful in controlling what games their children play. In addition, 80percent of parents impose time usage limits on video games more than any other form of entertainment (Belanger, 2011). Even though parental control was created for parents they should still play the games for their self.

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According to small studies suggest an association between exposure to or playing violent games and negative actions such as aggressive thoughts and aggressive behaviors (Belanger, 2011). Playing violent games children tend to become more violent and have a lot of aggression. Video games can be away for the player to get all his or her frustration out and aggression depending on how they use it. If they decide after playing the game and they lose for instance, they could take it out on a younger sibling, and become very aggressive towards others. Even though it can be just a game to us and might not be a serious matter if we lost or not, but to the person playing the game may take it the extreme. This has an effect more so on children younger rather than children older. According to the article Video Games: An Overview. The most compelling evidence for a positive association between video game violence and aggressive behavior in youth occurs in children younger than age 10 years, but when older children were evaluated, the evidence was not as strong, perhaps indicating that effects are not long term (Belanger, 2011). In 2006 according to the article Counterpoint: Video Games are Addictive and Promote Irresponsible Behavior three psychologists published a study showing that exposure to violence in video games results in a lack of empathy in response to incidences of violence in real life (Lee, 2011). Children become violent to others around them in school, or in public. For example is somebody was to bump into them they would act in aggressive behavior, and would act out some fighting techniques theyve seen in the game. They dont know how to distinguish what is fake and what is reality at such a young age. Video games are an addictive activity for children to play, once they get into the game they think that is the only thing they are supposed to. Some might say that video games dont have an influence on children but it is one of the many things that does stated in article Counterpoint: Video Games are Addictive and Promote

VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES Irresponsible, Besides encouraging violence, video games also foster extremely antisocial behavior, since they allow people to remain cooped up in their own homes instead of getting

them out and involved in their communities (Lee, 2011). They should be outside having fun with friends, doing homework, helping out around the house other than playing the game all day. Most of the games out today have violence in them, according to Counterpoint: Video Games are Addictive and Promote Irresponsible nearly 90 percent by some estimates, contain violent scenes (Lee, 2011). Every time they play a game they are learning something new good or bad, it all depends what they take in from it. Study shows that elementary kids who played many violent video games were found to 263 percent more likely to be judged aggressive by their peers, teachers and compared to other children that do not play violent video games (Lee, 2011). Young children should not be playing games with any kinds of fighting, at that age and stage they pick up fast and are easily influenced by anything and everything that is around them or the see, and might like. By them being exposed to violence at a young age they will pick up on it, and think it is okay for them to behave like this in public, or anywhere. Being exposed to fighting, guns, and all the other negative things that is going on in games should not be allowed for young children to play, they tend to become more aggressive when playing games. Research falls into three categories: short-term laboratory experiments; longer-term studies, often based in schools; and correlation studies - between playing time and aggression, for instance, or between video game sales and trends in violent crime (Benedict). Everything becomes more aggressive to them. In school playing with friends, they might practice fighting moves theyve seen on the game on their friend or friends and hurt somebody. Showing aggressive behavior towards teachers and parents more than before playing video games.

VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES In conclusion, some might say that these games dont have any effects on children but they do. How many young children you know after playing a game and losing get angry and aggressive once theyve lost? Once they get worked up and the aggression builds up they dont know how to control their emotions, and feelings. Violent video games have so much influence on young children today. Becoming aggressive towards peers because theyve lost a game, or

even want to practice moves on them. Parents need to be more hands on with what their children are playing, and also what they are picking up from these games.

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References: Anderson, C.A. (2010). Violent Video Games and Other Media Violence Part II. Pediatrics For Parents 26 (3/4), 21. Belanger, C. (2011). Video Games: An Overview. Points Of View: Video Games, 1. Retrieved from
http://www.nclive.org/cgibin/nclsm?url=%22http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy154.nclive.org/l ogin.aspx?direct=true&db=pwh&AN=28675348&site=pov-live%22

Benedict, C. (n.d). STUDYING THE EFFECTS OF PLAYING VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES VIOLENT GAMING CAN STIR HOSTILE URGES, BUT DOES IT LEAD TO CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR?. Hamilton Spectator, The (ON). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy154.nclive.org/pov/detail?sid=28095313-4f08-4914845853364f00079e%40sessionmgr111&vid=15&hid=120#db=pwh&AN=Q4K09995089 7013
Lee, M. (2011). Counterpoint: Video Games are Addictive and Promote Irresponsible Behavior. Points Of View: Video Games, 3. Retrieved from http://www.nclive.org/cgibin/nclsm?url=%22http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy154.nclive.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db =pwh&AN=28675350&site=pov-live%22