Are Games the Culprit?
Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Mortal Kombat- what do all these games have in common? Violence. In today’s world with all the public shooting happening, many people in the community are pointing their fingers to media and video games. Thus, the public is saying that people who play violent games just copy what they see as in a "monkey see/monkey do" situation and cannot tell the difference from violence in media from real life violence (Bailey par. 5). Instead, violent video games do not cause violence in communities because there is no correlation between violence and the media, no link between mass shooters and background in video games, and no effect on social behavior from violent video game.
First off, there is no correlation between the increase of violence in media and violence today. An argument some people of the community have is that the violence in games, movies and shows have increased and that has increased real world violence too. The research of the Villanova psychologist Patrick Markey show that there has been an increase in media violence as Bailey writes, “...They report that movie violence has dramatically increased in the past 50 years, and that depictions of gun violence in PG-13 movies have tripled in the last 27 years” (Bailey par. 7). However, violence in real life hasn't increased with the violence in movies. As Bailey states that the FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that in the last two centuries, crime rate has fallen close to 50 percent (Bailey par. 7). Likewise, another argument is that gun violence is contributed by video games, but research from 10 countries show “countries with the highest per capita spending on video games, such as the Netherlands and South Korea, are among the safest countries in the world when it comes to guns” (Kain par. 29) . As a result, this notion that “reel violence leads to real violence” has no support (Bailey par 1).
Likewise, linking mass shooters with background in playing violent video games has no real reason. Many supporters of violent video games causing violence use public shooting to prove their point that video games cause violence. An example is when they use school shootings and talk about the troubled teen who was the shooter: “Troubled children, such as those involved in school shootings, might be drawn to violent games to act out the violent tendencies they are experiencing” (Issit and Walker par. 11). As new public shootings have happened, the shooters have had some kind of liking to video games like Call of Duty, but that doesn’t prove a point. As Kain stated, “In fact, the number of violent youth offenders in the United States fell by more than half between 1994 and 2010—while video game sales more than doubled since 1996" (Kain par. 29). Furthermore, video game aggression testing is usually done right after playing the game. In sports and other activities, players get into a zone, a mindset, which lasts after a game is over as in an adrenaline rush. Studies do show that players after playing violent video games become more aggressive, but this will only last less than ten seconds (Issit and Walker par. 12). So, even though some shooters can have a history in playing violent games, there are millions of gamers who have not done such an aggressive act.
In addition, violent video game does not impact social behavior. There has been research done to show playing games increases aggression. Researchers tested if players played a sound more loudly, added more hot sauce, and how they answered to a questionnaire: “Players of violent games will blast noise a bit louder, dollop a bit more hot sauce, and cop to having slightly more aggressive feelings and thoughts” (Bailey par. 5). Yet, this test were done after a game and not letting the aggressive nature to dissipate as it does. Some research from five to seven years ago shows that competitive gaming increases aggression, but in fact was not the case as Kain states, “In 2012, a different study found that cooperative playing in the graphically violent Halo II made the test subjects more cooperative even outside of video game playing” (Kain par. 22). Likewise, another test that proved gaming has a positive effect is researchers tested players of World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, where the players learned how to cooperate after setbacks and achieve the game’s goals (Issit and Walker par. 13). Similarly, a test was done in December 2013 to show that playing from nonviolent to extremely violent video games in a 15 minute format that many game researchers use (Bailey par. 9). They predicted that the more violent the game, the harder time the players would have doing a puzzle and less charitable they would be instead, this was not the finding: “...the researchers reported that there was no difference among the three groups with regard to pro-social behavior, although the players of the ultra-violent games did donate more” (Bailey par. 9). From research now it's easily seen that violent games does not have a negative effect on social behavior, and that if anything has some positive effects.
In short, the false statement that violent games leads to real life violence has no concrete proof. Since there is no link in violence and the media, video games and public shootings and no effect on social behavior; video games do not cause violence. As much as we would like to blame a single thing for violence in our world, this can not be done since it is more complex than just games or media. As Issit and Walker states, “There is merit in the idea that human culture must eventually learn to control and restrict its tendency for violence and conflict. It is fallacious, however, to believe that limiting depictions of violence in video games will create a more peaceful state” (Issit and Walker par. 22).
First off, there is no correlation between the increase of violence in media and violence today. An argument some people of the community have is that the violence in games, movies and shows have increased and that has increased real world violence too. The research of the Villanova psychologist Patrick Markey show that there has been an increase in media violence as Bailey writes, “...They report that movie violence has dramatically increased in the past 50 years, and that depictions of gun violence in PG-13 movies have tripled in the last 27 years” (Bailey par. 7). However, violence in real life hasn't increased with the violence in movies. As Bailey states that the FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that in the last two centuries, crime rate has fallen close to 50 percent (Bailey par. 7). Likewise, another argument is that gun violence is contributed by video games, but research from 10 countries show “countries with the highest per capita spending on video games, such as the Netherlands and South Korea, are among the safest countries in the world when it comes to guns” (Kain par. 29) . As a result, this notion that “reel violence leads to real violence” has no support (Bailey par 1).
Likewise, linking mass shooters with background in playing violent video games has no real reason. Many supporters of violent video games causing violence use public shooting to prove their point that video games cause violence. An example is when they use school shootings and talk about the troubled teen who was the shooter: “Troubled children, such as those involved in school shootings, might be drawn to violent games to act out the violent tendencies they are experiencing” (Issit and Walker par. 11). As new public shootings have happened, the shooters have had some kind of liking to video games like Call of Duty, but that doesn’t prove a point. As Kain stated, “In fact, the number of violent youth offenders in the United States fell by more than half between 1994 and 2010—while video game sales more than doubled since 1996" (Kain par. 29). Furthermore, video game aggression testing is usually done right after playing the game. In sports and other activities, players get into a zone, a mindset, which lasts after a game is over as in an adrenaline rush. Studies do show that players after playing violent video games become more aggressive, but this will only last less than ten seconds (Issit and Walker par. 12). So, even though some shooters can have a history in playing violent games, there are millions of gamers who have not done such an aggressive act.
In addition, violent video game does not impact social behavior. There has been research done to show playing games increases aggression. Researchers tested if players played a sound more loudly, added more hot sauce, and how they answered to a questionnaire: “Players of violent games will blast noise a bit louder, dollop a bit more hot sauce, and cop to having slightly more aggressive feelings and thoughts” (Bailey par. 5). Yet, this test were done after a game and not letting the aggressive nature to dissipate as it does. Some research from five to seven years ago shows that competitive gaming increases aggression, but in fact was not the case as Kain states, “In 2012, a different study found that cooperative playing in the graphically violent Halo II made the test subjects more cooperative even outside of video game playing” (Kain par. 22). Likewise, another test that proved gaming has a positive effect is researchers tested players of World of Warcraft, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, where the players learned how to cooperate after setbacks and achieve the game’s goals (Issit and Walker par. 13). Similarly, a test was done in December 2013 to show that playing from nonviolent to extremely violent video games in a 15 minute format that many game researchers use (Bailey par. 9). They predicted that the more violent the game, the harder time the players would have doing a puzzle and less charitable they would be instead, this was not the finding: “...the researchers reported that there was no difference among the three groups with regard to pro-social behavior, although the players of the ultra-violent games did donate more” (Bailey par. 9). From research now it's easily seen that violent games does not have a negative effect on social behavior, and that if anything has some positive effects.
In short, the false statement that violent games leads to real life violence has no concrete proof. Since there is no link in violence and the media, video games and public shootings and no effect on social behavior; video games do not cause violence. As much as we would like to blame a single thing for violence in our world, this can not be done since it is more complex than just games or media. As Issit and Walker states, “There is merit in the idea that human culture must eventually learn to control and restrict its tendency for violence and conflict. It is fallacious, however, to believe that limiting depictions of violence in video games will create a more peaceful state” (Issit and Walker par. 22).
Works Cited Page
Bailey, Ronald. "Video Game Violence: A Scientific 'Consensus' Cracks." Hit & Run (2014): 34. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2015.
Issitt, Micah, and Katherine Walker. "Point: Video Games Should Be Celebrated And Improved Rather Than Prohibited." Points Of View: Video Games
(2015): 2. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2015.
Kain, Eric. "Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence." Violent Video Games. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At
Issue. Rpt. from "The Truth About Video Games and Gun Violence." Mother Jones (11 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.
Issitt, Micah, and Katherine Walker. "Point: Video Games Should Be Celebrated And Improved Rather Than Prohibited." Points Of View: Video Games
(2015): 2. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 9 Dec. 2015.
Kain, Eric. "Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence." Violent Video Games. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At
Issue. Rpt. from "The Truth About Video Games and Gun Violence." Mother Jones (11 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 19 Nov.
2015.