Draft Issue

Kyle Holtry

Everybody has a hobby, some people have many but one hobby that is becoming more
and more popular is video games. Video games of some kind are in almost every home in
America. The video game industry has grown to enormous size and growing every day. Some of
the most popular games are Call of Duty, Halo, and many more. The thing that is a common
theme among these games is violence. These games involve killing and military themes. The
controversy about these games is if the violence is affecting the children that play them. Many
people are blaming videogames for the rising crime rates in young people. They think that the
violence is giving them violent tendencies. Zoe Kleinman said, "The playing of violent video
games is often cited as a factor in motivating shockingly violent youth crimes such as high
school shootings in the US. (2016). Now is this true that video games are causing children to do
such horrible crimes? Many studies show that this is not true. Researchers suggest that the
content of the games does not necessarily turn children to violence. In fact, children and youth
feel most aggressive when they cannot play the game rather than what is on the game itself. For
example, when a childs game system is breaking down or cant connect to the internet, this is
when a child is most aggressive.
What is a parents point of view in this situation? It really depends on the parent but some
parents have left comments like,
We do not allow any videos that are overtly violent, but even with the milder
ones, theyre usually shooting ray guns or driving and crashing cars plus listening

to very loud music. Im not sure why, but these fast-paced videos seem to make
them more prone to acting out when the action is done. They get aggressive with
each other, and as a result, they usually overdo it, then get in trouble by hurting
one another (Wilkins, 2016).
Parents spend more time than most other people in a childs life, they can see how a
child reacts to situations and what affects them the most. Research for the most part has stated
that video games do not cause violent tendencies in children but some parents disagree. A parent
would be more trustworthy in this situation because they spend more time with the kids and have
a firsthand experience with letting the kids play the games. Studies can shove facts into the
readers face and a parent can say how they feel, but it is totally up to the parent about what
video games a child plays and if they think it is good for them or not.
Why do developers of video games even make violent games? The media flags video
games as a menace to society and parents across the nation are against the message they have, so
why are they so successful? Recent studies have shown that just the Call of Duty franchise itself
has, Sold over 140 million copies worldwide (Kleinman, 2016). Each new game is sold for $60
dollars per copy. The amount of money that the developers make is monumental. The reason they
dont stop producing these games is because every time they produce a new game they make
outrageous amounts of money. Call of Duty is just one of many franchises that are extremely
successful. The fan base is also enormous, so the developers can make merchandise, promote the
game with tournaments and worldwide competitions. The main reason for developers to make
such violent games is because of how successful they are and the amount of profit they generate.
What is violence? Is violence a word that has a solid definition? For some this would be a
simple question but others would have a hard time describing what that word actually means.

Especially in video games, violence is subjective. Some people would say that just games like
Call of Duty are violent, but many people also say games that are simple and marketed for kids
like Pokmon Go are also violent. Just the fact that you battle other players Pokmon is reason
enough to believe that the game is violent. For some the line is drawn at killing. Today every
game now has a rating system, ranging from E for everyone to M for mature, but according to
the Pan-European Game Information System, Violence is hard to classify (Kleinman, 2016).
They also state that a mature game is limited to gross violence (Kleinman, 2016). They
continue to define the phrase by saying, "Gross violence is the most difficult to define since it
can be very subjective in many cases, but in general terms it can be classed as the depictions of
violence that would make the viewer feel a sense of revulsion (Kleinman, 2016). Can the rating
systems even be trusted on a game? That is up to the player and in some cases the players
parents to decide. Violence can be subjective and a loose term when it comes to talking about
video games and how they affect youth.
The issue with video games is that they are subjective. The player can play a game and
not be phased by it at all, but a parent might watch their child play the game and be appalled that
they are playing something violent. Dozens of studies have been done and replicated to prove
that videogames dont promote violent behavior. The developers will continue to make the
games if they are successful. Because they are a gold mine, millions of people play them. A child
should discuss with their parents what is appropriate for them to play and what they think they
can handle because everyone is different and is going to have a different reaction to the things
they allow their mind to respond to.

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