Polston

Brian Polston
Zarah Moeggenberg
EN 111
3/21/2016

Violent video games

How many kids/ teens do you think are influenced by video game? Children and teens
are both positive and negatively. Most of the violent video games have a negative influence on
children and teens because they see how life like the video games are and most kids that play
violent shooting games have an aggression problem or a short temper and they just have to let it
out on the video games because they dont want to injury someone or if someone is picking on
them they will have aggression on them because they are sick of getting picked on.
These kids that play violent video games tend to be more aggressive towards others.
According to Violent Video Game Effects on children and adolescents by Craig A. Anderson, the
kids and teens that play first person shooter games have a high percentage to get in a fight when
they are exposed to Video Game Violence (VGV). If they are exposed to low VGV the kids have
a 49%, if they have a moderate VGV then they have a 55%, if they have a high VGV then they
have a 78% probability of getting into a fight. (126). The VGVs are caused by human
aggression. Human aggression can be defined in three ways. A behavior that is intended to
harm another individual, the behavior is expected by the perpetrator to have some chance of
actually harming that individual, and the perpetrator believes that the target individual is
motivated to the harm. (13). With the rise in first person shooter game and the advancements in
graphics to the point that it looks like youre really there shooting the person. And with that
more and more people that play those games types of games especially the children and teens
tend to be violent then nonviolent. With the teens being more violent and more aggressive
towards one another fights break out and bulling is an issue because one or a group of people
will single out and pick on a single person and pick on them and pick on them until they break

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down and fight back because of the aggression inside them will just slip and then the person that
is getting picked on but the bully will have to face the price. This is all because of the one or
group of people that have aggression from playing violent video games.
According to the report in Technology: Violence and Video Games, the video game
industry has "already won 30% of the U.S. toy market, earning $8.8 billion in the U.S. alone - a
share which is larger than the Hollywood box office gross ($5.2 billion) and 10 times the amount
spent on the production of children's television."3 Participants in the B.C. study ranged in age
from 11 years old to 18 years old, although 80% of them were between 13 and 15 years old.
"Eighty percent of the teens said they played [games] at least occasionally, and the average
amount of time spent gaming for the sample was five hours per week." The survey also revealed
that video games were largely a male pastime. Boys, for example, said they spent twice as much
time playing (six hours per week) as girls (less than three hours per week).(173). More that the
toy is influenced by the video game market the more that the companies are going to produce the
consumers is going to buy and that is shooting games. When the consumer buys the game that
has the best graphics and the one that interest them the most and that just happens to be shooting
games. Men are the ones that spend the most time play video games. When they play violent
videos for long periods of time they will feel that the game will become their life and that will
disrupt the community because if you have a good community then the community will become
more on edge because more of the young adults will have more aggression towards one another.
Also there has been a gun threat at Northern Michigan in 2010. In the article Northern
Michigan University Threat Resolved there was a threat of a guy with a gun on campus.
According to the article Michigan University Threat Resolved Spokeswoman Kristi Evans said
on the closure that the online threat was directed at faculty members, students and staffs of the

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university. She said It didnt identify any particular part of campus, so the university decided to
close the whole campus for the day. She did not reveal the details of the threat though. The
threat did not mention any school but the school administration took no chances. As a matter of
fact, Marquette Senior High School is very close to the university campus. The University Police
said that there was nothing to worry by Wednesday afternoon but they still asked the students to
stay in their rooms. The situation was declared to be normal soon.( Bhaduri). There has been
threats at NMU and the whole campus was shut down and the Marquette cops and the campus
police worked together to make sure that the students are safe. Students were asked to stay away
from campus for their own safety. And for the students that were on campus the cops ordered
them to stay in their rooms or classrooms that they are in.
I propose that the students at Northern Michigan University should be allowed to
only play violent video game only four hours a week if we dont do something now then we
wont be able to control their kids in the future because the game seem so realistic because of all
the technology that makes the graphics seem like youre in the game.
The college students that are playing the first person shooter games are the ones at risk
for getting in fights, or doing a violent crime because they are getting influenced by the video
games. College students are influenced by the video games because they are so realistic and feels
like you are in the game. In Grand Theft Auto the game teaches you how to steel cars, run from
the cops, and shoot at random people for money. This game is corrupting the teens and childrens
minds because then they think that they can just steel a car and run from the cops and they will
just get off without a slap on the wrist. But in the real world when the kids grow up and become
adults they will be sent to jail, because unlike in the game, the cops stop chasing you but in the
real world and they will catch you and throw our son or daughter in jail. I know that most all
parents dont want to see you go to jail.

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Some question that came up was, the students have the right to play however long as
they want?
That is true but the students are only be limited to just the violent video game. But, not all
sorts of video games like adventure games, racing games, and sports games. Northern Michigan
University is only limiting the time that the students can play violent video game because of their
behavior toward having a better campus life and better campus atmosphere. The students here at
Northern Michigan University can play any other type of video game out there but all that the
school is asking is that the students just limit their time playing violent video games.
Another question that got asked by a parents asking, How will Northern Michigan
University regulate the amount of time and what if they go over the four hours a week?
First off the Residents Advisor will monitor how much they play the violent video games
by having all of the kids in their hall turn in all of the violent video games at the beginning of the
year and also if they buy a new game they will have to give that game to your RA. Your RA will
have a cabinet that will have the students name on it. Also the RA will be giving a card that will
be for logging hours to see how much time you are spending playing those violent video games.
You only get four hours a week so that will give the student more time to do more things around
the campus and get involved in a sport or with the community. If you go over your four hour
limit a week then the following week you will have less time to play and if you keep going over
your limit twice then you cant play any violent video games the following week. And if you
keep going over the limit then you will not be able to play the violent video games for a month.
To do this it will cost nothing except adding another job for the RAs will have to do but
in the end the RAs will have more control and more power over there house that they look after
the students. The RAs that are on duty will have the cabinets with all of the students names and

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games. All that the students have to do is find the RA that on duty or their RA that has the key to
open the cabinet.
The steps that Northern Michigan University will have to take is that they will have to
make sure that the RAs will not be lenient and let a student that they like get more time to play
the violent video games. Also the RAs will have to keep up on their paper work so they dont
mess up on the students times. Also the RAs will have to follow the rules too. And they have to
punish those who dont follow the rules.
Or if the RAs are cheating the system the front desk will hold on to all of the violent
video game. The front desk doesnt have a TV to play the videos. Also the front desk will be a
better option because the RAs can play favorites to the students in their house.
If Northern Michigan University does the following ideas then it will lead to a less
violence on the school grounds and also less vandalism to school grounds or students property.
Everyone that plays those violent video games can also be happier and less aggressive towards
others.

Works Cited
Anderson, Craig Alan, Douglas A. Gentile, and Katherine E. Buckley. Violent Video Game
Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford:
Oxford UP, 2007. Print.
Bhaduri, Ranjan. "Northern Michigan University Threat Resolved." Thaindian News. 3 Feb.
2010. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/northernmichigan-university-threat-resolved_100497785.html>.

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"Technology: Violence and Video Games. - Phi Delta Kappan | HighBeam Research." Research Articles - Journals | Find Research Fast at HighBeam Research. Oct. 1999. Web. 25 Oct.
2011. <http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-56201164.html>.