Video Games and Violent Children

photograph Games and Violent Children Brittany Hern 02/02/2011 Critical Thinking and Composition Home television set farinaceouss, an intentness worth $11 billion domestically that is now 30 historic period old, underwrites to be thrown into legal and moral public debates regarding what age is deemed appropriate to participate. film highs, especially those deemed to be wild or rated mature, atomic number 18 at the core of the controversy. There argon two sides to this debate. television receiver patch companies and their supporters lead unmatchable side arguing that depiction games have no affect on baby birdren, and maintain that video games deemed mature be meant for those ages.The some other(a) side of this debate consists of psychologists and parents who argue video games are responsible for what they feel is a maturement epidemic of increasingly uncivilized and desensitized children. Video game companies continue to cuss that the ratings issued by The Ent ertaining Software Rating Board (ESRB) are to be followed and any results stemming from games being purchased against those ratings fall back on parents. There are five rating categories Everyone, Everyone 10+, Teen, Mature, Adults Only. The ESRB rates every video game that is to be sold in the United States.Companies like Rockstar Games, which produces some of the some controversial video games, continue to maintain that their video games are produced for adults and are not marketed towards children. Rockstar developer Lazlow Jones was quoted in 2010 as saying Our games are not designed for young people. If youre a parent and buy one of our games for your child youre a terrible parent This quote came after the bounce of the release of another Rockstar Games title that was attacked for being too baseless for children.Parents and psychologists arrest the ratings are a first step in the right occupyion, and insist these titles should be pulled from shelves because the continuan ce of accessibility by children across America. Although the ratings are in place, children in most states are able to buy video games rated Mature. In those states where identification is necessary, parents argue that homes often filled with adult gamers let on children in the same household to inappropriate video games. They contend that an epidemic of violence and desensitized children are the product of crazy video games and not complete supervision.Numerous video game companies have turned to national crime statistics to substantiate their opposition wrong. Video games have been blamed for several noble compose cases. One of the most infamous cases linking violence and video games is the massacre of 13 people at Columbine High domesticate. Jerald Block, a looker and psychiatrist in Portland, concluded that the two teenage stabs, both avid gamers, went on their shaft rampage after their parents took their weapon-based video game away.Linking video games to high profi le violence around the country has not been uncommon. The Virginia Tech shooting was wrongly attri yeted to video games by several news stations and TV personalities around the country before it was concluded that the shooter did not licentiousness video games. Video game companies continue to point to crime statistics to repel these links. Gaming gained mass appeal in the mid 1990s and since because sales domestically have quadrupled. From 1995 to 2008, when the industry took strides, juvenile violent crimes barbarous 49. 3%.With these statistics in hand, video game supporters maintain that violent video games are not to be blamed for any acts of violence perpetrate by underage gamers. The Federal government has played its own intent in the debate on relating violence in video games to violent tendencies in children. In 1996 the US Marine Corps licensed a version of the then popular game Doom in narrate to train soldiers. Psychologists argue that if violent video games play no social function in training children to become violent, why would the US Marines use a violent video game to train adults.Those against violent video games propose the question If these adults are trainable via video games then why wouldnt children, who are far more persuadable, take the things in the games as instructions or guidelines. In 2002, the US Army released a first-person shooter Americas Army in order to recruit soldiers and hold those recruits for what the battlefield is like. Those against violent video games see this as a direct link between violent video games being a instructor and influencing rather than just being used as a ferment of entertainment.Furthermore, Americas Army, has been pointed out to look very similar to other first-person shooting games. There have been numerous studies conducted and while the results often are different, video game companies insist there is no formal research that shows any type of link that violent video games cause aggres sion. A analyze conducted in 2007 and published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, consisted of 1254 participants, which were pre-teens in demographically diverse develops. The results showed that playing a Mature rated video game was a positive way to manage anger in half of the participants.While the study does say this could be an unhealthy way to manage emotions depending on the child, the participants jibe positivity with the Mature rated video game. Other studies have either been unreasonable and those ruling that violence is linked to violent video games have been reject by video game companies and supporters as being blind to other factors. The studies, they explain, do not divulge other contributing factors like a predisposition to truculentness, exposure to violence, and family dynamics all factors that could contribute to violence.Those who oppose violent video games point out a 2000 FBI report entitled The School Shooter A threat Assessment Perspective, which doc uments likely characteristics of a school shooter. In their research, the FBI concluded that a fascination with violence-filled entertainment is a happen factor associated with a assertable school shooter. The report lists the student spends exuberant amounts of time playing video games with violent themes, and seems more interested in the violent images than in the game itself. Another study conducted was based on short-term effects of violent video games. The 2009 study conducted by members of the incision of Psychology from both Iowa and Kansas State University, had 91 participants and not only surveyed those participants, but monitored the heart rate to see if there was any deviation. The study added to brisk literature that shows violent video games in fact increase aggressive behavior, aggressive feelings, aggressive thoughts, and arousal from baseline to post video game play.Whichever side of the argument you may land on, the opposition is fierce. The debate of whether v iolent video games produce violent children will rage on, both sides doubtless not losing any momentum with their opinions. Video game companies will continue to protect their multibillion dollar investment while parents and psychologists will continue pose pressure on lawmakers and the media to dive further into the numerous studies conducted on the possible link. References Barlett, C. , Branch, O. , Rodeheffer, C. nd Harris, R. (2009), How long do the short-term violent video game effects last? Aggressive Behavior, 35225236. Whitworth, D (2010, May 01). bolshy Dead Redemption hoping for emotional response. BBC. Retrieved 02/01/2011, from http//www. bbc. co. uk/newsbeat/10136311 Nizza, M (2007, July 05). Tying Columbine to Video Games. The New York Times. Retrieved 02/02/2011, from http//thelede. blogs. nytimes. com/2007/07/05/tieing-columbine-to-video-games/ OToole, M (2000) The School Shooter A Threat Assessment Perspective. p. 0. Retrieved 02/01/2011, from http//www. fbi. go v/stats-services/publications/school-shooter Olson, C et al. (2007). Factors Correlated with Violent Video Game riding habit by Adolescent Boys and Girls. Journal of Adolescent Health. Retrieved January 29, 2011, from http//www. jahonline. org/article/S1054-139X(07)00027-4/abstract. Croteau, S. (2010, November 26). Virtual emphasis Video game developers say blame misplaced. Telegram. Retrieved 01/31/2011 from http//www. telegram. com/article/20101126/ parole/11260474/0/eworcester