Kearn Kurbanali

Professor Brendan Hawkins

ENC 2135

2 Nov. 2017

Quote
If you were to listen to politicians and critics, the relationship between video games and crime

is blatantly clear: children who play video games will either become more aggressive or actually

commit real-world acts of violence (Dickinson 224).

Citation
Dickinson, Chase. Researched Arguments: Are Kids on a One-way Path to Violence? The

Bedford Book of Genres, Bedford/St. Martins, 2014, pp. 223-227. Print.

Exegesis
In Are Kids on a One-Way Path to Violence? Chase Dickinson discusses the different

ways that violent video games can affect the minds of younger generations as they grow up.

After working as a video game vendor for Play N Trade, Dickinson wrote a paper that identified

some violent games that are popular amongst younger generations to inform readers about the

harm it can do to a childs mind. When children are growing up, it can often be difficult for them

to understand that there are consequences to their actions. By allowing them to play video games

that encourage violent acts without repercussions, it instills the wrong idea of what is good vs

bad.
In order to justify his claim, Dickinson introduces a popular video game called Grand

Theft Auto (GTA) to show how the components of the game can lead children to make bad

decisions in the real world. GTA is a game where players can roam the virtual world of Liberty

City and do whatever they want. In the game, players are encouraged to complete missions that

kill cops, rob banks, and steal from citizens. The way that this game rewards players for breaking

the law is not realistic and it negatively influences the mindsets of children into thinking that
these violent acts are acceptable. The things that children learn within their homes is often

reflected whenever they are in a public setting. If a kid is learning about killing people and

robbing citizens from a video game, then there is a high chance that the kid will have a problem

obeying the laws and functioning in society. Scientists have also proven that children who play

violent video games tend to be more aggressive as they grow up. The skills that are taught in

GTA are meant to make players feel like they have power. If a kid ever feels like they do not

have power, they may resort to physical violence because that is what the game taught them.
The quote stated above highlights Dickinsons reference to politicians and video game

critics idea that violent video games has a direct correlation to increased aggression and violent

acts toward others. On page 224, Dickinson references the infamous Columbine shooting to add

insight about the connection between violent video games and real-world crimes. Dylan Klebold

and Eric Harris were high school students that killed their fellow classmates out of spite. During

the investigation, officers found out that these teenagers were avid players of the video game

Doom. Doom is a first-person shooter game that encourages users to kills demons to level up.

After their parents took the game away, Klebold and Harris felt the urge to recreate a level of

Doom in real life using their fellow classmates. They killed 13 of their classmates because they

thought it was just a game. They did not realize the repercussions of their actions because they

were never faced with repercussions in the video game.

Overall, Dickinson sheds light on some interesting ways that violent video games can

affect the minds of children growing up. The violent acts that are encouraged in certain video

games can cause children to become aggressive or even commit serious crimes. This piece of

writing by Dickinson should be viewed by parents nationwide to raise awareness about the

negative effects of violent video games. Hopefully, video game companies start to decrease the

amount of violence in games and teach younger generations something valuable.