Do Video Games Cause Violence in Children?

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As the gaming industry is continually evolving and expanding, there is a question that is equally evolving and expanding. Parents are constantly asking if video games cause violence in children. As readers continue on there will be examples that support this theory, examples that dispute this theory, and at the end of it all a personal opinion. According to Anita Hamilton the author of Video Vigilantes “about 10% of all video games on the market, Grand Theft Auto is rated M for mature by the Entertainment Software Rating Board, a self-regulated group created by the gaming industry, and is recommended only for players ages 17 or older. Yet there is no law preventing retailers from selling M rated games--including other hot titles like Halo 2, Half-Life 2 and Doom 3--to kids”(Hamilton 61). A major problem is how to stop the retailers from selling video games to children. “Nevertheless, three previous attempts to block the distribution of violent games to minors--initially approved in Indianapolis, Ind.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Seattle--have been overturned in federal courts on the grounds that video games are protected ‘speech’ under the First Amendment”(Hamilton 61). Video games are protected under the First Amendment. Therefore, even if a law was passed, how do we stop parents from walking into a video game store and buying a game for their child? These days, best selling games are often about characters ending their lives in horrifying bloody ways, or beating people, or stealing cars. Children seem to be playing by themselves and almost hypnotized by the images and characters in the games. It is understandable that when a child is done playing that kind of a game it is almost realistic to them. In the article, “The bloody bad games” by Peter Mansbridge, he states that when he was a child, his favorite actor was the lone ranger. He idealized him, even
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