Video Games: A Cause of Violence and Aggression

Introduction

Video games have had the main impact on how children and adults pass their spare time. However, the first stage of technological development or innovation of video games was uncomplicated simple geometric forms in design and decoration shapes, which could be handled and cause to function by the player. Consequently, each invention of video games employs modern technologies, which extends to more exciting graphics and practicality.

With these innovative technologies, there appears to be practical violent behavior and situations. Also with every latest invention of video games, the world populace spends more of their leisure time and cash on them.

Nevertheless, the sudden increase of video games has aroused public interest, thereby, being curious about the information conveyed or area of interest of the games. In relation to this, the most important worry of video games is that of violence and aggressive actions and the most modern invention of video games being practical that the course of reasoning aimed at demonstrating truth or falsehood between the techniques of representing the real world by a computer program and video games has really been indistinct.

The role of video Games in violence and aggressive behavior

The increase in high-school violence or aggressive acts has been blamed on violent video games, with the most destructive being the shelling at one of the American schools in Colorado. This gunfire aroused a sensible alarm that violent video games act physically on the aggression of teenagers and growing teens. In line with this, aggression or violent behavior is very broad and can be relevant to and control the huge number of teens’ character and behaviors. On the other hand, Connor, Steingard, Cunningham, Anderson, and Meloni (2004) clearly characterized two categories of violence or aggression which are reactive violence and proactive violence.

Reactive violence: this is an aggravated, protective reaction to a menace or aggravation.

Proactive violence: this category of an aggressive act is an intentional action that is influenced by an external stimulus that strengthens or weakens the behavior and is generally a way of accomplishing the hoped goal.

Motivational influence of video games, violence, and aggressive acts

With the current revitalization and curiosity about video games in the precedent years, investigation on the focus of video games was negligible. There was hardly any association between video games and violent or aggressive acts, but with the introduction of modern innovation in the recent production of games, several violences, and aggressive acts have been linked to video games, thereby motivating conflicting results.

Accordingly, Dominick (1984) discovered that the number of video games that teens engaged in had a positive link with aggression among lower-level male students. However, Gibb, Bailey, Lambirth, and Wilson (1983) detected no relation in extensive research of developing adolescents aged between 12 and 30. Another research by Lin & Leper, (1987) discovered a link between the use of video games and teachers’ evaluations of violence (Lin & Leper, 1987). On account of the contradictory consequences of these detailed critical inspections, no decisive links could be described. Most collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn seemed to explain a convincing relationship involving videogame participation and aggression, nevertheless, Gibb, Bailey, Lambirth, and Wilson (1983) study proved differently.

In contrast to the debate about video games motivating violence and aggressive act in teenagers, it will be discovered that Video games have become one of the loved forms of social relaxation and learning for children. Approximately 60 percent of teens play video games with friends. While some play it with siblings and some with partners or close relatives. Yet video games created for one player are frequently played socially.

In addition, playing video games exposes students and the world populace to computer and information technology. Some games present training in figuring out a problem and the principles that guide reasoning within a given field or situation. Games can also present chances for close relatives to play in proximity, thereby presenting socialization among peers and family members.

Video games enlighten children about healthy procedures for self-care and have motivated the transmission of information, feelings, values, and dispositions to act in certain ways, together with the conducts that they were taught.

Consequently, video games are made or performed with the purpose and intent of entertaining, motivating, and educational oriented, however, some have violent content. Although playing violent video games enhances violent behaviors, motivates aggressive attitudes, and physical stimulation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, violence is a behavior learned through social interaction. In line with this, most teens acquire aggressive attitudes from their relatives and friends, as well as in the center of the population. These aggressive or violent actions are strongly influenced by what teenagers see in video games. But their experience varies significantly, depending on their age and parental screening.

Despite the consequences of video games violence and aggressive acts fantasy, the consequences of the practical world as opposed to the academic world, such as persistent mental or physical results, are hardly ever integrated into the game. However, video games are not the primary cause of violence among teenagers and parents should curtail children’s experience of violence and aggressive acts at home (Sheff, 1994). Parents should also instruct the children on the satisfactory means of expressing aggravations because every individual irrespective of age gets distressed at times, and children are not exempted.

Works Cited

Connor, Daniel, Steingard, Ronald. Cunningham, Julie., Anderson, J. Jennifer., & Melloni, Richard. Proactive and reactive aggression in referred children and adolescents. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74, 129-136. 2004.

Dominick, Richard. Videogames, television, violence and aggression in teenagers. Journal of Communications, 34, 134-147. 1984.

Gibb, Dennis, Bailey, James, Lambirth, T. Thomas, & Wilson, W. Pat. Personality differences between high and low electronic video game users. Journal of Psychology, 114, 159-165. 1983.

Lin, Sóstenes & Lepper, Mark. Correlates of children’s usage of video games and computers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 72-93. 1987.

Sheff, David. Video games: A guide for savvy parents. New York: Random House. 1994. Print.

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