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some type of social media device. These social media devices include but are not limited
to, phones, Ipads, computers and televisions. From all these gadgets and with social
media all around us, one of the most popular social media that children and teens spend a
great amount of time are Video Games. The real definition of a video game is an
emphasizing fast action. Unfortunately on video games there is more than just
fast action. They are some games that contain profanity, weapons such as guns,
and even have some sexual content. In overall some video games obtain some
type of violence.
The social media world has caused a huge controversial on parents, teachers and
politics. Everyone always criticizes how much children and teens spend a lot of time on
social media, and how it attracts that particular age group. In this research I have created
an investigation on how much is violent video games really affect children and teens
behavior? It is very common for children and teens to play video games and it is the hit
for this era. Although ultimately parents and caregivers are responsible and allow for their
children to play, certain limitations should be set. Based on my research I have found
evidence on how violent video games has caused a negative behavior affects on children
and teens and what are experts really suggesting. In this paper I will discuss how much
time do children and teens really spend on video games, why are video games and
technology so attracting to children and teens, how much is it really affecting their
behavior and which games are considered the most violent ones for children and teens. I
have also put together a set of questions and interviewed two kids and a teenager on how
they really feel about video games and if they feel video games has caused any type of
behavioral changes.
The social media world has become part of our daily lives. Adults use social
media all the time but so do children and teens. It is not a surprise that parents are also a
big factor on how much their kids really spend on playing video games. Parents now a
day have to be working full time jobs in order for them to maintain a household. Many
parents work from home and all they really need is any type of screen to keep their
children entertained while they are busy doing other things. In other words, it is
convenient for parents to have a device to baby-sit their kids. In the article of A Review
of the Effects of Violent Video Games on Children and Adolescents, at the very beginning
of the introduction it states based on research the real amount of time children and teens
really spend on social media and video games. On this article it explains:
Children and adolescents today spend most of their time going to school and consuming
media. On average, children spend about forty hours per week watching television and
films, listening to music, playing video games, and spending time online. In a nationally
representative sample of U.S. teens, 99% of boys and 94% of girls play[ed] video
games, and 70% of nine-to eighteen-year-olds report playing violent M-rated (for Mature
Based on this evidence it proves the amount of time that children and teens spend
on social media itself, but also on the countless hours of playing video that contains
violence. In many occasions, parents and adults purchase these violent video games
without even knowing the type of content their children are playing simply because its
the most popular game at school and the kids and teens do not want to necessarily feel
left out about not knowing what games are the ones their friends are playing. These hours
of time that these kids spend are the beginning to major other issues to what parents
encountered. The fact that chores are not being done at home, they get less hours of sleep
time and how playing games and being on social media is reflecting on their school
academics can be a big concern for many parents and educators. Even with the lack of
sleep some of these kids may be lacking on, some people ask themselves what is it so
Goldstein, he explained that they are different kind of levels of attracted violent video
games and why children and teens are so attracted to them. Goldsman describes that they
are three different levels of attractiveness to media violence. On page 90, Goldstein
describes that one, is enjoyment, as the viewers are being observed as they are
watching the games on the screen. Second, selective exposure which means how much
of the violence contains of the violence program it actually contains. Finally, genre
popularity, which is mainly compared to other types of programming there is. What can
be really alarming to most is not the fact that children and teens are watching violent
video games, but to realize the actual amount of time that these kids are spending on a
There is some evidence that children and teens spend countless hours on playing
violent video games. Video games take up on their time such as studying time, doing their
chores and distract them completely. But why are children and teenagers even addicted to
playing violent video games in the first place? In the book of Grand Theft Childhood:
The Surprise Truth About Violent Video Games, shares information and a graph on why
children and some middle school kids play violent video games and what makes these
violent games so attracted to play. In chapter 5 page 112 there is a total of 17 reasons
from kids and teens on why they like to play and here are some of their responses: 1.My
friends like to play 2.Its something I like to do when Im bored, 3. I like the guns
and other weapons, 4.I like to compete with other people and win, 5. It helps me feel
less lonely. In addition to the survey research it states The survey results showed that
both boys and girls find inspiration, joy and relief in video games.
Jeffrey Goldstien, on page 91 it states that there is no doubt that children do enjoy
watching violent video games. They are more games that they enjoy to watch and play
more than others. A study had been done on face observations of emotional reactions of
preschool children on watching different type of violent games. The researchers found
that while watching cartoon violence children showed a joy expression, but when
watching realistic physical violence showed a negative affect. Some of these violent
video games can and will have a negative affect on childrens behavior. Based on some
research aggressive behavior is one of the main behaviors that children and teenagers can
There has been many kind of research for effects on violent video games and the
effect on children, teenagers and even adults. On the book of Media Violence and
Gentile summarizes each of the potential effects of playing violent video games on
children to adults. Meta analysis is a type of study that has been conducted on four main
effects from watching violent entertainment. The four potential effects are categorized as
follows:
1. The aggressor effect, potentially children through adults can become meaner,
2. The victim effect, see the world as a scarier place and tend to become more
protective by carrying weapons such as guns to school. This increases the chance of
school shootings.
3. The bystander affect, children through adults tend to become more callous, and
4. The appetite effect, increases more appetite for watching violent entertainment.
As the research continues they is more data on how much more affect on violent
video games may potentially have an effect violent television. On page 135-136 from the
book of Media Violence And Children: A Complete Guide For Parents And
Professionals, they are 6 reasons why violent video games have a bigger impact effect on
children trough adults than watching violent TV. These are the 6 reasons:
play they have a character that they focus on throughout the whole time children play a
video game. Based on research children vision themselves in the image of the character
and even identify themselves as they continue to follow the game as they continue to play
(pg135).
2. Practicing an entire behavioral sequence is more effective than practicing only a
part, based on this observation the child needs to be able to take several steps in order to
accomplish the violent video game she or he is playing. These steps generally are 1.
decide who to kill, 2. get a weapon, 3. get ammunition, 4.load the weapon, 5.
stalk the victim, 6.aim the weapon, 7.pull the trigger. (pg.135).
3. Violent is Continuous, The player will repeat these steps many times and as long as
they are playing the game, this is what is the main purpose of the violent video games (pg
136).
Playing violent video games is alos more than just watching screen animation and
moving fingers at a fast pace. It is also a full concentration that the players may not loose
focus. The more the player kills the enemy, the higher they get to win the games. Most
of the time the players are not playing alone. They get to compete with other players that
are playing the same game. The players get to also not only watch the games, but as they
play they get to hear the sounds of the bullets and see fake blood from the characters they
aim to kill. I have decided to attach some images of the most violent and yet most popular
video games on the market played by hundreds of children and teenagers. Theses games
are considered the most fun for youth groups but yet violent because of the purpose of the
Video games are mostly played in two types of electronic devices. These games
are known as The XBOX 360 and Playstation. Once purchased these gadgets, they
are a number of games that are saved in the memory for the children, teenagers and
grownups to play. idoe game has been a popular game in children and teens. The XBOX
carries a variety of games in its memory box, and violent video games are always
included. The following images are violent video games that have been played by young
players. These games are considered violent but yet remain incredibly popular.
The Grand Theft Auto is a violent video game that its purpose is to focus
on where the player can choose missions to progress an overall story, as well as engaging
occasional role-playing, and racing and stealing car. The series has gained controversy for
The Call of Duty is also a violent video game that was created for the audience to
have an experience of the World War II, and is with soldiers in the battle field. The
purpose is for the shooters to Kill the enemy, As the shooter kills the enemy, the image
teenager and ask them questions about violent video games in general. I would like to
collect data on their experiences on playing video games and what they feel about them
games when they play. I have decided to utilize the Methodology research so I can
interview a total of three participants. Using these research I will be able to collect data
based on the information and compare and contrast my participants answers. I have
The first participant is an 9 year old girl, who lives in La Canada. I have taken the
opportunity to ask her parents if she was okay with me to conducting an interview for her
daughter in relation to violent video games. The participants parents and I have a personal
friendship and they were okay with me asking her questions so that I can collect my data
Participant 1:
Q1. When did you become interested in playing video games? I have been playing for
Q2. How much time do you spend playing? Like about 1 hour.
Q3. How do you feel when you play? I like video games because they are a lot of fun. I
Q4. Have you ever played any violent video games? Not really. I once tried playing one
shooting game that my step brother was playing but it only made me frustrated.
Q5. What do you think about games that have weapons, such as guns and other violent
tools? Umm, I dont like those because their sad and mean. I dont like to play games
that have those things on them because I dont see the point in them and they look scary.
Q6. Do you ever get upset or aggressive when you play? I get sometimes upset when
The second participant is an 12 year old boy who lives in Pasadena. I asked his
parents if it was okay for me to stop by their home so I can conduct some questions for
their 12 year old son. They were okay with me going over. These are the responses my
Q1. When did you become interested in playing video games? When I was about 6 years
Q2. How much time do you spend playing? Like about 2-3 hours almost everyday.
Q3. How do you feel when you play? I feel good when Im winning but when I loose
Q4. Have you ever played violent video games? Yes I have, like with swords and guns.
Q5. What do you think or games that have violent weapons such as guns or other violent
tools? I like guns in the game but if those guns are in real life I wont like them, they
Q6. Do you ever get angry, or aggressive when your playing? Yes I do, but I dont throw
Angeles. I was invited to a birthday party when I saw my friends 15 year old brother and
I decided to ask him a few questions in regards to violent video games and these were his
responses.
Participant 3:
Q1. When did you become interested in playing video games? Since I was very young
Q2. How much time do you spend playing? It depends, right now that Im in summer
Q3. How do you feel when you play? I really like it. I sometimes tend to get a little
Q4. Have you ever played any violent video games? I play them all the time, Call of Duty
Q5. What do you think about games that have weapons, such as guns and other violent
tools? Well on video games is not for real, its just cartoon images so their fun, but of
Q6. Do you ever get upset or aggressive when you play? I dont consider myself that I get
angry or aggressive, it dont like it when I loose, but its just a game. I have come across
with other players on the internet that they sound very angry because I could hear that on
the microphone.
Based on the research from my three participants I was able to gather data that all
of three participants began playing at the age of 6. All three of the participants also shared
that playing video games are fun. Two of the participants who are males shared that they
like to get competitive with others. The male boys also share that they dont mind the
violent weapons because its only a game and the girl said she prefers not to play the
violent games because they are too scary. This research helped me get a better insight on
information of how the children and youth feel about violent video games in general. I
In overall based on all of my research I have found out the effects that video
games can have on children and teenagers. Although ultimately parents and or legal
guardians are responsible for the video game purchase and for the time consumed that
their children are playing, Violent video games also have a lot of profanity words that is
inappropriate for children and teenagers to listen to. The world of Video in geneal is
currently right now, and everyone that takes the time to investigate what the games are
Kutner, L., & Olson, C. K. (2008). Grand theft childhood: The surprising truth about
violent video games and what parents can do. New York: Simon & Schuster.
boyd, . (2014). It's complicated: The social lives of networked teens. London: Yale
University Press.
Gentile, D. A. (2003). Media violence and children: A complete guide for parents and
professionals. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Whitaker, J. L., & Bushman, B. J. (September 06, 2009). A Review of the Effects of
Violent Video Games on Children and Adolescents. Washington and Lee Law
Review, 66,3, 1033-1051.
Student Learning Outcomes
SLO1: Students will synthesize theory and practice about development change based
on integrating and evaluating theories of developing and constructing ways insights
are applied to practice across all age groups.
In this class I was able to learn different theorists and apply to every age group from
infants through senior age. I am now able to integrate the developmental changes
throughout the lifespan and the stages that go along with the theory.
For my personal reflection based on the theory developments I have learned in this
class, it is important to integrate theorists and apply to cultural and societal context in
everyday life because as an educator I need to be able to educate others who may
struggle with personal cultural biases in society.
SLO3: Student demonstrates an enhanced ability to asses and evaluate others through
observing and analyzing the impact of cultural differences and societal bias on
development.
I have been working with children for about 10 years and I have observed different
cultural backgrounds. I have also taken the opportunity to be open to parents and
families about cultural differences and societal differences because it is important to
address these topics and respect to colleagues who have same traditional culture values.