Sanchez 1 Angel Sanchez Professor Leslie Wolcott ENC 1102 14 November 2013 Literature Review Introduction The media

form of video games is growing to become one of the most popular forms of entertainment, surpassing movies and television. As trends do change in society, so does the different trends go on within the video game community. However, there has always been one factor in the media industry as a whole, not just video games, that has never truly been resolved: does the growing nature of violence in video games (as well as other forms of media) contribute to an increase in aggressive behavior in children and teens, and can the increase in aggression along with the violent video games be responsible for certain actions taken by young people that can cost the lives of others. For instance, the shooters of Columbine were said to have been big fans of the video game Doom. Many people suggest that the violent nature of the game, included with their aggressive behavior, inspired them to cause chaos at the school. Several peer-reviewed journals were created to discuss numerous studies that were conducted to figure out if there was a correlation between games and behavior. Some of these were reviews of studies done by other researchers while others were original research. Although all of these studies came up with results that point to one side of the argument, for the most part, each study showed some sort of methodological flaw that can skew the results; however, this topic is very difficult to study on due to the nature of having numerous variables to consider, many of which are virtually uncontrollable. There are also some articles explaining some resolutions that could occur to

Sanchez 2 pacify this issue, most of which are calls for formal legislation to control the sale of mature-rated content to minors. This issue is mainly aimed towards parents because, until they are old enough to start understanding for themselves, it is the parents responsibility for the childs behavior or actions. For instance, if the parents are successful in informing themselves as well as the children about certain content that is out there in video games thus having some form of control over what their kids play, then how are they going to enact a similar understanding when the kids become exposed to the violent video games through advertisements or through their peers? This, among other issues, is mentioned within several of the peer-review journals, which can spark some debate over the topic. Current Self-Regulation of Games: ESRB Video game content is currently self-regulated by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB). Their ratings range from Early Childhood (EC) all the way to Adults Only (AO); they based these ratings from footage given to the organization from game developers and publishers (Tocci). The current method of rating a video game can be questionable because the ESRB is basically rating content that is given to them by the makers. Although they were asked to send in footage of content, whether it is gameplay or in-game cinematics, which can be considered most objectionable in the game, the developer might leave out something that can become very controversial upon release of the game. One example of this was the Hot Coffee scandal in the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. It was a sexual intercourse simulator that was turned down by the developers by the time the final game was launched; however, the coding for it was still embedded within the game. Sometime after release, some PC hackers exposed the mini-game and caused a huge controversy with the game. This caused the ESRB to re-rate the game into an AO (Adults Only) rating as well as imposing penalties towards the

Sanchez 3 games publisher, Take-Two Interactive. This scandal as well as the questionable methodology of the ESRB rating process could have caused the federal government to intervene to regulate the content. Legal Issues with Violent Video Games Numerous controversies, such as the Hot Coffee scandal, as well as a growing number of violent video games being released per year have caused the formal government to get involved with regulating the content and the distribution of the games themselves. They attempted this by introducing new bills into Congress (Tocci) and by passing a state law in California; the latter has been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (Mott). In Toccis article, he describes the Truth in Video Game Rating Act that was introduced into Congress. It would require members of the ESRB to play a game in its entirety before giving it a final rating. This method makes sense in a way that it would prevent any future mishaps similar to the Hot Coffee scandal. This might affect developers and publishers, though, because it would add some pressure on them to complete the game with the desired rating in mind so that when they submit the product to the ESRB, they would not have to hesitate on reworking the entire game to get the rating aimed for the targeted audience. It would also affect the general public in a way that it might delay the release of the game just so that the ESRB can rate it. In the long term, however, this might be a good starting point towards resolving the issue at hand in a way that it can give the appropriate rating to a video game so that way the public, parents especially, are more confident in their expectations of the game based on the rating. Unfortunately, this bill was tabled for further discussion, yet it was introduced again sometime in 2010, but it was put aside once again and has not been discussed again since.

Sanchez 4 In 2005, the state of California passed a law that restricts the sale of M-rated (Mature) video games to minors without parental supervision. More specifically, it calls for retailers to shelve the Mature-rated games (commonly known to contain violence) separately from the rest of the game stock; however, most retailers just placed a poster detailing the ESRB rating system as well as informing customers, namely parents of young kids, about the rating system (Mott). The law was then challenged on its constitutionality in regards that it violates the First Amendment right of free expression/speech. The process ultimately led to the Supreme Court and was known as the Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association case. It was then decided that the law was unconstitutional and was struck down. This was yet another example of how formal legislation was trying to prevent future aggression in children via violent video games by restricting the process to obtain the game in the first place. James Dunkelberger shares a similar view on the case along with other attempts at formal legislation (Dunkelberger). Although this is a start towards resolving the problem, it would not help in the long run. Studies of Correlation to Violent Games and Childhood Aggression Many studies were done to see if there was a correlation between violent video games and an increase in aggression in children. Studies conducted and/or reviewed by Craig Anderson (2000, 2001, 2006), Karen Dill (2001), Kirstie Farrar (2013), as well as other researchers have led to the conclusion that violence in video games, whether playing it or just being exposed to it, does demonstrate that it can cause an increase in aggressive thoughts or behaviors in children. Although these show promising results, almost every case study article mentioned have noted, in one way or another, how the methodology of their work was flawed in that it might have skewed the results. Mitrofan, Paul, and Spencer mentioned, there is a need for rigorous qualitative and quantitative research, especially of valid and reliable measures (Mirtrofan, Paul, and Spencer).

Sanchez 5 In other words, research for this topic is crucial yet it would be very difficult to conduct a proper study due to the many variables at play, some of which are uncontrollable. One particular study, though, conducted by Akiko Shibuya, among others, was more accurate in its results due to the mentioning of one of the most important variables to consider when doing this type of experiment: the subjects perception of violence. They recognized that each child has been brought up differently and therefore can be exposed to different kinds, or different levels, of violence that can change their perspective on what is violent. They also noted that quality and contexts of video game violence can be more important than the presence and quantity of violence in the long term (Shibuya et. al). Conclusion and Research Gap The current self-regulation of video game content, utilizing the ESRB, has been considered successful; however, in the recent years, their practices along with controversies and scandals have caused them to be a topic of conversation among formal legislations. It is debatable whether or not formal legislation should be involved with regulating video game content but there is a clear call for having serious discussion over the topic. For a start, there can be improved public relations to the target audience of parents from the game developers as well as game publishers to better inform them of the ESRBs ratings, their respective rating characteristics along with their explanations, and their rating process. That way the issue might be resolved before the child can even play the game. Project Proposal Although studies have been done that shows a relationship between an increase in childhood aggression and violent video games, no true scientifically accurate study has been done to demonstrate this. There are too many variables to consider, such as subjects background

Sanchez 6 knowledge of video games, or the media in general, and any prior knowledge of violence and aggression within the media. Since there are these virtually uncontrollable variables along with already completed case studies that were as close to being truly accurate as possible (albeit not 100% accurate), I plan on focusing more on resolving the issue before it can even occur: find a way to provide better public relations towards the parental audience to better inform them about the current regulation of video game content from organizations, like the ESRB, and discuss the ratings, the different categories that fall onto the ratings (such as Violence, Language, Suggestive Themes, etc. along with their descriptions), and how current retailers are already preventing the distribution of violent video games to minors. I would set up surveys and interviews with a random sample of adults asking questions that would relate to their current knowledge of the video game industry, such as if they heard about the many mature-related games that were recently released based on their popularity as well as any prior knowledge about the ESRB and their ratings. Some examples of questions might include: Do you know what the ESRB is or what are they responsible for? If so, do you know their practices (specific processes to achieve their goal)? Describe, in your own words, what a game might contain to be considered popular? Are you a parent of a young child (age below 17)? If so, would you buy your child a certain video game that he/she cannot purchase on their own? Based on the results I will receive, I will find a way to isolate the target audience, mainly parents who know little about the ESRB or any form of content regulation and compare them to

Sanchez 7 the people who have prior knowledge of the regulations. I would then try to create a form of visual aid that can help give out better information regarding the ESRB and their content ratings.

Sanchez 8 Works Cited Anderson, Craig, and Brad Bushman. "Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature." Psychological Science. 12.5 (2001): 353-359. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Anderson, Craig, and Karen Dill. "Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 78.4 (2000): 772-790. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Dunkelberger, James. "The New Resident Evil? State Regulation of Violent Video Games and the First Amendment." Brigham Young University Law Review. 2011.5 (2011): n. page. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Farrar, Kirstie, Marina Kremar, and Rory McGloin. "The Perception of Human Appearance in Video Games: Toward an Understanding of the Effects of Player Perceptions of Game Features." Mass Communication and Society. 16.3 (2013): 299-324. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Mitrofan, O., M. Paul, and N. Spencer. "Is aggression in children with behavioral and emotional difficulties associated with television viewing and video game playing? A systematic review." Child: Care, Health, and Development. 35.1 (2008): 5-15. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. Shibuya, Akiko, Akira Sakamoto, Nobuko Ihori, and Shintaro Yukawa. "The effects of the presence and contexts of video game violence on children: A longitudinal study in Japan." Simulation & Gaming. 39.4 (2008): 528-539. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.

Sanchez 9 Tocci, Jason. "Seeking Truth in Video Game Ratings: Content Considerations for Media Regulation."International Journal of Communication. (2008): 561-586. Web. 12 Nov. 2013.