The first negative effect caused by exposure to violent video games is an increase in aggressive behavior of adolescents. “Young adolescents who play violent video games report frequent aggressive behavior, such as arguing with [others], getting involved in physical fights [and even committing crime]” (Gentile). For instance, a 17-year-old male shoots his parents after they take the game Halo 3 away from him. Another negative effect caused by exposure to violent video games is an increase in hostile biases of adolescents (Gentile). Guo 2 Take Call of Duty, a very popular first-person shooter video game in America, as an example.
With the simple click of a remote control, children can virtually get involved in violent acts of shooting and killing. All of the violence in the media can have a negative effect on children, and impact them in many different ways. An example of violence in the media can be seen in video games. Video games were first introduced to us in the 1970s as a source of entertainment, but have taken a turn for the worse in recent years. "Today, most children play real-time, first-person shooter games in which the player views the world through the eyes of the video game character that they control" (Signorelli 2).
The media revealed that the students played a lot of violent video games, including "Wolfenstein 3D," "Doom," and "Mortal Kombat." (Howstuffworks.com) In today's ultra-violent media world, it appears there's plenty of blame to go around. There are documented cases on how they were high school shootings and that the teenagers who went on that rampage, played video games before they did the horrible act; But that is all that they said. No background about their physical health, or any physiological things that are in their mind. Those kids could have anger problems, schizophrenia, depression, ect.
Parents should realize this problem and talk with their children about negative effects of gun violence and to instruct on how to deal with the child’s emotions. Video games are rated by the ESRB, The Entertainment Software Rating Board, by how violent the game is and rates them accordingly to the appropriate age level that can handle the material. M-rated games require the buyer to be 17 years of age or older because of its violent and/or sexual content. In 2003 a survey shows that 69 percent of teenage shoppers were able to buy M-rated games (FTC). This percentage of youths that can buy violent to extremely violent games is mind
Violent Video Game Exposure Violent video games have become risky and harmful to children in today’s society because it increases aggressive behavior, affects their social life and increases laziness. Children today are playing many different kinds of violent video games that seem to have an impact on their behavior and mental abilities. Video games need to be restricted to the more mature age groups that can handle the aggression and entertainment held in games. If parents around the world limited their children’s time playing video games would it have a positive effect on them? Researchers have given that answer in their survey’s and facts that they have found.
In this day and age, video games are high and on the rise. They have become the second most sought after way of entertainment, next to television. But sadly, a high percentage of video games contain some sort of violence. The power to kill another human being is not indented into a person’s DNA, but rather it has to be evoked. Individuals entering the armed forces have to play certain video games to wear down their guard to killing other people.
This scenario happens too often in the United States. America’s youth is unable to cope with difficulties in their lives and subsequently they are able to acquire a firearm and shoot fellow classmates in schools across the country. If students were unable to obtain a firearm due to stricter gun control laws, then the school shootings would seize to happen. However, in the present day United States, people seem to be able to obtain a firearm easier than obtaining a car on a car lot. Every day eight American children and teenagers die from gun violence.
Vulgar language is just one of many issues that are vulgar about violent video games. They teach children it’s accepted to swear at people when they get angry, or if they are just trying to help. Dr. Phil McCraw says "But they do use more aggressive language, they do use more aggressive images, they have less ability to control their anger and they externalize things in these violent ways. It's absolutely not good,” Instead of getting yelled at in the game kids from all over world are getting rewarded with trophies in the game for killing another person. “Exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts” says Daniel Willens.
Many people wonder how this type of exposure to violence as an adolescent effects social behavior. The rise in violent shootings by teenagers, many of whom apparently play violent video games, is helping the argument that video game violence translates into real-world situations. But other people aren't convinced and insist that video games are a scapegoat for a shocking social trend that has people scared and looking to place blame. In modern popular game Golden Eye 007 bad guys no longer disappear in a cloud of smoke when killed. Instead they perform an elaborate maneuver when killed.
Children are facing physical and emotional damage. They are missing their education. According to statistics reported by ABC News, 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of being bullied (Bullying Statistics, 2013). The worst consequence of bullying, by far, is suicide, now being referred to as “bullycide.” Children as young as nine years old are taking their own lives. So why do bullies bully?