Virtual Reality vs Reality: How Kids Get The Two Mixed Up

428 Words2 Pages
Violence is very common today in movies, television, and music. Any person can turn a TV on, go to a local video store, or get on the internet to see some sort of violence. However, one of the newest forms of violence comes on video games. Studies have shown that there are three main reasons why it is likely that violent video games may have very strong effects on children’s aggression. The first reason is because of how highly engaging and interactive the games are. Secondly, the games reward violent behavior (site). For instance, in a game called Grand Theft Auto, there are many missions where the player has to perform some type of violence, ranging anywhere from beating some other person up, to murdering several people at a time. After they have completed the task, they receive a reward, which is usually money. They can then use this money to buy weapons, ammunition, cars, clothes, jewelry, ect. The third reason is because the kids then perform these behaviors repetitively as they play (site). An example of this would be the game Halo. In Halo, there is a game type called Team Slayer. Two teams of four square off against each other with guns and grenades. The first team to 50 kills wins. Boys on average spend about 13 hours a week playing video games, compared to only 5 hours for girls (site). I own an Xbox 360, and all of the games I own have some sort of violence in them. To me, these are the most fun games. The game I play the most is Halo, and I kill several people in the virtual world every time I log on. I have never felt more aggressive or felt like hurting somebody in real life. I’m 19 years old and I have never once been in a fight. However, I can see the point of Dr. Anderson and colleagues’ research. The psychologists’ research has shown that due to playing several violent video games, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are related to being
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