When video games first came to the market, they were simple, colorful, and didn’t have a hint of realism in them. As technology improved, the quality of video games improved as well, which also was around the time violence grew in the media. This increase in violence in the media got into the video game world, which caused a sharp increase in violent video games, as well as an increase in the video game market as a whole. The change was very sudden, but it had a massive impact on how kids act. When I was young, we still mostly played Super Mario Brothers, Galaga, and Pacman, whereas my brother grew up more with Super Smash Brothers, Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto; even though there were earlier versions of those games when I was a kid, they were no where near as advanced as they were when my brother was growing up, which is shocking because he is only 3 years younger than me. Even though I’ve played games like Call of Duty, I was in my teens when I started playing them, and I had already understood that the games were fake, and that violence isn’t okay. My brother on the other hand hadn’t gotten anywhere near mature when he started playing, and my Mom only let him play because he was going to see my play anyways. She didn’t realize the impact these games had on his attitude, since she never payed any attention to the games, until he started acting up in school. Granted, he has Asperger’s and already has a temper because of it, but the video games he was playing certainly didn’t help, they just made violence seem okay, and taught him foul language. Despite all of this, I don’t think we should ban violent video games as a whole, because those who are mature can enjoy them without acting like they do in the games, and can even be a stress reliever to some (including myself). However, the industry should be better regulated, and parents need to know what they’re buying their kids, because I’m sure my Mom wasn’t the only parent who bought games that weren’t appropriate for her child without knowing the amount of graphic material in them. In fact, I see parents buy things like Grand Theft Auto and Modern Warfare for their very young children, some look like they are 10, all of the time when I take my brother to GameStop. Parents need to be educated about what their children are playing with, and even though the world as a whole is more violent these days, that doesn’t mean we need to impose more violence on our children.

I played all genres of video games growing up. It seems at times as though the more violent the video game the more entertaining. There is something about putting bullets into your opponents to obtain the objective that is addictive. Although I was always very fond of sports games as well, I was upset when I would lose. Personally I wouldn’t let losing in a video game go to my head and cause me to physically outburst in some way. At some times I do remember being quite upset from a loss. I remember witnessing some of my friends sling controllers at the wall curse at their sisters and even at me after a game did not go their way. I don’t think it is only violent video games that can cause an increase of violent behavior in an individual. I have seen and heard more outburst from relevantly non violent sports games. It seems that video games are taken way too seriously at times. The idea that you could ban an art form is preposterous. That is exactly what video games are, they are an art. Countless hours are put into their creation and admiration. I cannot deny that there is no connection between video gaming and violent behavior. I think the worst part about video gaming is what it does to a persons psyche, attitude, social life, and over-all health. Someone who loves to game yearns for the countless hours in front of the screen where they get lost in the gaming sauce. Throughout their day a video game addict has the persistent thought “I am going to play as soon as I get home.” How can a young adolescent deal with major academic tasks at their best with a game stuck in their mind all day. Someone who takes video gaming seriously is mentally distraught in gaming failures. If this individual has poor coping skills then just because they played a video game their whole attitude will be shifted in a negative direction and this negativity builds from failure to failure. Video gaming, similar to social media has taken friendships out of the physical and into the virtual. This can be positive if the person playing has a healthy social life outside of the game. This can be dangerous in light of cyber bullying which is no doubt a part of online gaming you can’t last ten minutes online without a twelve year-old calling you out of your name. From personal experience I have the understanding that video games induce a higher rate of cursing in most gamers. The cursing that comes from video gaming has a violent undertone, and forms a habit. From what I have noticed from my younger cousins, the online social system of video gaming increases their distance from their family they become glued to the screen and likewise they form an emotional attachment to this virtual world. Studies have shown that sitting still for hours on end is not good for your health. Without a parent or a will power to keep video gaming as an after thought in your life, you will see some negative impact there has to be some control on time and personal value given to the platform. The negative effects of video gaming are very individualized. From person to person the effects will not be seen as strongly in one person as the other. It trickles down to what is most important in your life, if it is gaming then there is going to be bad habits formed because of it. You can game and be a mentally and physically healthy individual, but there is a fine line.

Video games over time have become better and better, not only has the content of the various video games become better but the technology of the game itself has gotten better. This is just from the technology in the society getting better. When I was younger I remember playing a lot of RPG games which are role playing games but they all generally consisted of Disney characters or something that was very calm. Todays culture and game playing society still has RPGs but a lot of them are directed towards violence and graphic displays. As an avid video game player, I personally don’t think that they should be banned because of a couple different reasons. Firstly, these games sometimes portray real world events and gives the young player not only a stimulating game but a way to learn about what has happened in our world. I think that this way the player gains important knowledge that may not be taught in the school curriculum. Lastly, I believe that the act of playing the video games teaches the player the concept of multitasking. There are so many meters and gauges to worry about when playing these games, to worry about all of them together and still shoot with proper aim is in my opinion a skill and talent. I don’t believe that children are becoming more and more violent because of these video games. I think that video games are only letting the child see, gain some knowledge, and/or learn multitasking skills.

Violent video games have rose to be a hot topic discussed in the media. The subject has dwindled down from public headlines compared to years ago, however, it is still a sensitive subject. Some argue that violent video games are negatively impacting developing children’s minds, whereas others say they have no effect. There is also great debate as to whether or not they should be permanently banned. I have the belief that these video games are not the sole case in effecting the young gamers mind. There are more factors that go into it rather than just the video games, which is very important to consider when trying to create a reliable correlation between the two. Such factors would be how the child is raised at home, how educated they are about the violence that goes on within the game, what other violence they are exposed to (home life, movies, songs, etc.), how old the child is, and how the parents/guardian(s) of the child go about when discussing the violent nature of video games and other sources of violence. Because of all of the other possible variables that go around the development of children, I do not think that violent video games are to blame. I do believe, however, that the games should stay restricted to certain ages. I also believe that parents and other sources should educate their children about the violence that goes on within the world we live in. I do believe it is good to expose children to some sort of violence (to an extent) in order to prepare them to not be too naive for the real world.

I think violent video games can definitely have a effect on children’s and adult’s personality and behavior, but only if they are not being stimulated by other things in the world. From a young age, we are taught the difference between right and wrong. So if you are playing a video game where you have to kill someone or something, most people still know that killing is wrong even if they choose to do it in a video game. But if people get consumed in the games that they are playing, then it is much easier for it to influence their behavior. I think that if people are being consumed by their actions in video games then there is a larger problem at hand than the video game itself. Banning all violent video games isn’t a bad idea per se but I think it is unnecessary.

In the last couple decades, video gaming has advanced rapidly with the development of new technology. With these technological changes, there has also been a shift towards more violent video games. Many are concerned about children playing these violent video games, and it seems to me that this concern is justified in some situations. There is a system of rating video games similar to the ratings on movies, for example M rated video games can only be purchased by those 17 years and up. This means that a parent must be present to buy a violent game for their child, which makes it hard for kids to get video games that are deemed too graphic/violent for them. This obviously doesn’t stop kids from getting these games if their parents are unaware or simply don’t care about the content of the games. In circumstances such as these, it is up to the parents to teach their kids the difference between games and reality. It may be okay to point a gun at someone in a game, but that is not okay in reality. I think for the most part this is not emphasized enough today. When I was growing up in a household full of hunting rifles, I was never allowed to even make my hand into a gun and point it at my friends. My dad always told me that the only time you should point a gun at someone is if you are ready to kill them, a principle that I adamantly believe in. I think this is much more important for young children than for teenagers or adults, for example I am not opposed to playing paintball if you fully understand that it is only okay in the context of the game. I do not think violent video games should be banned, but I do believe there is a responsibility to the parent (as there should be) to instruct their child how to distinguish between a game and reality. It is also important for parents to emphasize the implications of pointing a gun at someone in real life, and how big a deal it really is. This being said, I do not believe that violent video games make children more violent, I think that, when not instructed properly, kids can lose sight of what is acceptable in every day life due to their ventures in virtual reality.

One thing I would like to briefly discuss is the role of online interactions kids can have with people through video games. Every game has some attempt at censorship for online interactions, whether there be a capability to report a user or a censor in the in game chat that doesn’t allow profanity. Even with these methods of censorship, there is no way to completely stop potentially profane or graphic interactions with older users. I bring this up only because I have been disturbed by hearing a child no more than 10 years old playing call of duty who swore more than my south Dakota born father. This is in part because it is over the internet and people are much braver over the internet than they would be if speaking directly to someone, similar to social media. I think again this ties back into the responsibility of the parent to teach the child what is acceptable, because exposure does not in itself cause behavior, it is the lack of understanding of those interactions that causes it. I do not consider myself a violent person, nor do I consider myself vulgar or profane, and yet I played graphic video games in middle school and was around swearing since I was born. It seems that lack of understanding of both the difference between games and reality, and what is acceptable are the factors that will cause violence not the game itself.

Video games don’t cause violence, lag does. This statement is one I always held to be true ever since I started playing video games. Everyone has seen the argument that violence in video games causes children to become more violent individuals, but I believe that the wrong stimulus is being blamed. Anyone who has played video games can tell you that people can get angry when playing video games, but it is not the violent nature of the video games that is at fault. Whenever people get frustrated or angry while playing video games , it is usually more about the competitive nature of the game and less about the actual content. People get pissed about video games because they feel that they lost for unfair reasons, and this same feeling of frustration can occur in other games that are not violent in nature such as board games like monopoly. There are also other forms of media that are just as violent, if not more violent than video games, such as movies and books, yet most people target video games due to their popularity rather than any scientific evidence. The argument that children are becoming more violent because of the graphic nature of video games is nothing more than children relieving pent frustrations at what they believe is an unfair loss.

I know it’s not certainly helpful to give a single experience from someone who played violent video games or has watched horror movies from a young age, but I personally didn’t have any behavioral issues from playing mature video games, mostly because I wasn’t allowed much time playing them at all.  I wouldn’t put this result on any kind of child since they all differ in experiences and how they handle said experiences.  The main issue I see with young children, around the age of about 6 or 8, is that they’ll start to form habits that will eventually stick with them, especially if they play it again and again on a video game.  Not there’s anything wrong with shooter games and most can be without blood and gore, but a lot of children could develop a certain attitude that comes along with playing multiple violent video games.  Maybe they could start using more vulgar language, not focus on their schoolwork as much, act out without thinking about the consequences and become desensitized over time to accidents and environments that are similar to the video game’s environment.  I would rather my child be sticking to entertainment that would help develop problem-solving skills and dealing with emotions in a more healthy manner, rather than sitting in dark room mashing controller buttons all day.  I don’t want to put the blame fully on the video game industry since the parents can influence their child’s tastes, so it would be a good idea for parents to monitor what kind of games their child plays and how often they play them, and then observe if there are any slight mood changes.

I disagree with the majority when discussing the effects that violent video games have on children. I believe violent video games can serve as an outlet for children and adults. As humans, we need stimulation, excitement, and also an outlet to help release tension that builds up over time. Violent video games are not making children more violent, they are revealing our true human nature and what it is that we find exciting.

Video games can be seen as a healthy mechanism when coping with anger and frustration. Rather than destroying the source of your pain, you can turn to a video game and release your anger out on a fictional being. Video games are not introducing children to violence– they are ridding them of their potential violent attacks. Children and adults are well aware of the violence and misfortunes that life presents. So a video game should not be blamed for the introduction of crime. We know life is crappy and video gaming has provided a way to cope with it.

According to Obama, there has been “huge drops in the murder rates” in major crime cities such as Dallas, New York, and Los Angeles. What does violent video gaming have to do with the declining long-term crime trend?  Well gaming has become one of the many activities that humans can turn to to release stress or frustration. Other activities that are useful would be practicing the art of boxing, karate, football, and etc. Contact sports and violent video games all involve the interaction with a “human” form that allows us to relieve ourselves by being physical.

Source: Robertson, Lori. “Dueling Claims on Crime Trend.” FactCheck.org. The Wire, 13 July 2016. Web. 19 Mar. 2017.