Critique on Do Video Games Kill? This article “Do Video Games Kill” by Karen Sternheimer addresses the wide spread idea; video games are the cause for “young killers” (210). Sternheimer believes concern for the influence video games may have on youth is spiraling out of control. She put most of the blame for this out of control concern on the media. She also writes some about politicians and the Juvenile Justice system.
Effects of Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior Leslie De La Rosa COM/156 University Composition and Communication II October 28, 2012 Monica Desir Effects of Violent Video Games on Children's Behavior In 1999, students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold began firing weapons at fellow students and teachers at Columbine High School, killing 12 students and one teacher. One of the reasons blamed for their behavior was playing the video game Doom. Other violent acts and deaths have been blamed on other video games with a high content of violence, such as Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto. This started a national debate on several topics including the effects that violent video games have on our children. Violent video games can lead to an increase aggressive behavior in children if parents do not make it clear that the behavior exhibited in these games is inappropriate.
Individuals entering the armed forces have to play certain video games to wear down their guard to killing other people. Games such as this are used to develop a person’s “will to kill” by doing the task over and over again until it feels natural to the individual.These types of games are often referred to as “murder simulators” (Grossman). The school shooting at Columbine High School also happened as a result of two boys playing a video game known as, Postal. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris were known gamers and on April 20, 1999, they decided to act out all the terrors they had been playing in their video games. The two boys murdered twelve students, one teacher, and injured 21 other people.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2000, Vol. 78, No. 4, 772-790 Copyright 2000 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 0022-3514/00/$5.00 DOI: 10.1037//0022-3514.78.4.772 Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life Craig A. Anderson University of Missouri----Columbia Karen E. Dill Lenoir-Rhyne College Two studies examined violent video game effects on aggression-related variables. Study 1 found that real-life violent video game play was positively related to aggressive behavior and delinquency. The relation was stronger for individuals who are characteristically aggressive and for men.
Aggression is the reason behind gun-violence and video games bring that aggression out,”(Studies Suggest Complex Link Between Guns, Violent Video Games). Those with mental problems, such as the Columbine shooters, are thought being influenced more through media. Video games are a huge portion of media and have been for years. “One such game, Grand Theft Auto, has been seen as the starting point of influencing children involving gun violence. More parents everyday don’t give a damn anymore whether their kids play games like this anymore.
“Guns, Lies, and Video” Summary Rhetorical Analysis In Karen Wright’s “Guns, Lies, and Video” she addresses several arguments about the topic of violence in video games and the affect that they have on children and young adults. One of Wright’s opening statements is about how parents distinguish between virtual violence and physical violence and actually justify their children’s interaction with video games. She also states that there are studies that actually show the link between violence in the media and the aggressive ways their viewers respond to their messages. Wright also mentions how there was a time when video games truly were harmless, but now that they are more aggressive, people tend to get the message that violence is tolerable and funny. She also admits that one of the problems with video games is that there is no standard for rating video games, so any content that is profitable is acceptable.
In many games, kids are rewarded for being more violent. The act of violence is done repeatedly. The child is in control of the violence and experiences the violence in his own eyes including killings, kicking, stabbing and shooting. This active participation, repetition and reward are effective tools for learning behavior. Indeed, many studies seem to indicate that violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior (Main #2) Too much video game playing makes your kid socially isolated.
The two shooters were avid gamers; they were fans of the game Doom. This game consisted of one player trying to fight off demon like characters. The levels in the game were called episodes. The third and final episode was titled “Hell.” Their fixation on these video games and the violence in them desensitized them to the point of them plotting out this horrible massacre and acting out in aggression. Just like these two kids, Michael Hernandez mimicked his killing from something he had seen.
Are you tired of old hags, who were abused in their childhood by their drunk dad, censoring video games because they believe it makes people as violent as their drunk dad was? We are! Since the beginning there was crime, deadly and non-deadly, but since the release of violent video games the people have finally acquired something to blame. If anything should be banned due to unsafety and violence is medicinal drugs (marijuana), fire-arms possession and the easily accessible alcoholic beverages such as beer, spirits and cocktails. There are other forms of media that are just as violent, graphical and sexual as video games, these range from movies and TV shows to music videos and even news.
We hold on to stress and anxiety instead of getting rid of it with enjoyment. Seven out of ten adults in the United States say they experience stress or anxiety daily, and most say it interferes with their lives as reported by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). Video games can provide that fun for us all. Or can be an escape from reality. When it was eight years old my parents went through many custody battles over my brother and me.