http://www.mediaed.org/handouts/pdfs/ChildrenMedia.pdf
http://www.democracynow.org/2003/12/24/dc_sniper_lee_boyd_malvo_sentenced
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=351962&in_page_id=1774
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040114/Feature1.asp
http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html
Monday, January 14, 2008
Essay
Ever since the 1990’s, when video games were first introduced into the modern world of technology, violence has been a major concern. Violent video games have had a negative affect on those playing, especially younger children. They also set bad examples for young people as the reach their goal of winning the game; studies have been conducted to prove this point.
Manhunt, Assassin’s Creed, and Grand Theft Auto are three of the many violent video game titles out there. These types of violent games are producing aggressive thoughts and actions in those playing. Although many may not think it, violent video games have a powerful affect on one’s thoughts. Players who play these games often show less sensitivity towards everyday violence. More so, they tend to think that nothing is wrong with the crimes being committed in everyday life. Video games also have a negative affect on the brain. The section of the brain that controls decision making and behavior is not fully developed until the age of twenty-one. This part is affected greatly due to the constant exposure to the violent video games. These people gravitate toward thinking that it is okay to kill people, the same way the character does.
One of the main consequences of violence in gaming is the examples that they set for children. One of the most brutal games, Manhunt, had caused a media stir for this reason. Because a child’s brain is like a sponge, it absorbs everything it can. If they see the previews or are exposed to family members playing games like Manhunt, the brain takes in all of the violence. This shows to be prominent in very young children. There brains are being molded to imitate their parents -those buying the games- or even the characters in the game. It is even more apparent when children themselves are playing these games. When a person interacts as a character in a game, they try to impersonate or embody the character they are role-playing. To use an example that these games have a dissenting affect on the mind, a seventeen year old male, labeled the “DC sniper”, was trained on Halo. This young man, named Lee Boyd Malvo was sent to prison in 2003 for killing ten individuals in Washington, D.C.
A study was done in the Indiana University School of Medicine. Forty-four teenagers were set into groups: Twenty-two playing "Need for Speed: Underground" and Twenty-two playing "Medal of Honor: Frontline". After 30 minutes, MRI's of the kid's brains were taken. It showed that the teens who played "Medal of Honor" had negative effects on the brain that were not present in those who played "Need for Speed". This study also exemplified that those playing Medal of Honor acted aggressively to opposing players. Statistics show that video game violence is especially damaging to children under the age of eight because these children often cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is fantasy.
Violent video games have a great affect on the people in today’s society, especially toward little kids. These games are setting bad examples for young people as well as old.
Manhunt, Assassin’s Creed, and Grand Theft Auto are three of the many violent video game titles out there. These types of violent games are producing aggressive thoughts and actions in those playing. Although many may not think it, violent video games have a powerful affect on one’s thoughts. Players who play these games often show less sensitivity towards everyday violence. More so, they tend to think that nothing is wrong with the crimes being committed in everyday life. Video games also have a negative affect on the brain. The section of the brain that controls decision making and behavior is not fully developed until the age of twenty-one. This part is affected greatly due to the constant exposure to the violent video games. These people gravitate toward thinking that it is okay to kill people, the same way the character does.
One of the main consequences of violence in gaming is the examples that they set for children. One of the most brutal games, Manhunt, had caused a media stir for this reason. Because a child’s brain is like a sponge, it absorbs everything it can. If they see the previews or are exposed to family members playing games like Manhunt, the brain takes in all of the violence. This shows to be prominent in very young children. There brains are being molded to imitate their parents -those buying the games- or even the characters in the game. It is even more apparent when children themselves are playing these games. When a person interacts as a character in a game, they try to impersonate or embody the character they are role-playing. To use an example that these games have a dissenting affect on the mind, a seventeen year old male, labeled the “DC sniper”, was trained on Halo. This young man, named Lee Boyd Malvo was sent to prison in 2003 for killing ten individuals in Washington, D.C.
A study was done in the Indiana University School of Medicine. Forty-four teenagers were set into groups: Twenty-two playing "Need for Speed: Underground" and Twenty-two playing "Medal of Honor: Frontline". After 30 minutes, MRI's of the kid's brains were taken. It showed that the teens who played "Medal of Honor" had negative effects on the brain that were not present in those who played "Need for Speed". This study also exemplified that those playing Medal of Honor acted aggressively to opposing players. Statistics show that video game violence is especially damaging to children under the age of eight because these children often cannot tell the difference between what is real and what is fantasy.
Violent video games have a great affect on the people in today’s society, especially toward little kids. These games are setting bad examples for young people as well as old.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Violence in video games is not just physical.
Sure, we already know the topic of violet video games. Beating people up, shooting them, stabbing them, etc. But what about verbal and mental abuse? In games such as Grand Theft Auto, people in the game are often depicted as a stereotype of their race. As such, women are also depicted in a way that is degrading and bashful. What do you think? Should video game companies have a restriction on verbal violence as well as physical?
Friday, January 11, 2008
No videos this time, just words.
The act of playing violent video games has surely increased over the years. Some may say it is a form of entertainment, but do we have to have blood and intestines flying everywhere? Sure there are games that are violent, but only mildly violent. But, still there are games that are severely and heavily hostile. In today's world, there are violent killing, shootings, and disasters almost everyday, all around the world. Studies suggest that some can be due to over-exposure to violence in video games. How do I know this? Here is an example:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/
Katie Couric and Katherine Blake speak out on violent video games.
Even famous people are speaking out! I hope that I can find more videos accordig to this topic. Hope you can comment.
Example: Manhunt 2
A video game still from Manhunt 2.
The cover of Manhunt 2.*Kids now are very excited about the Wii, but playing games such as Manhunt and Halo 3 can cause them to hit themselves.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Do violent video games promote aggressive behavior?
Do violent video games promote aggressive behavior? I think that they do. Several studies have been conducted in which a number of college students are asked to tell their recent history of aggression. They were next asked to state how many and how long they play violent video games. One of the conductors said that the students who played for longer periods of time and very frequently in junior high and high school often engaged in more aggressive behavior. This study also found that the longer they played these games, the worse their grades in school were getting. A second test was made - at the same laboratory. It was conducting in the following manor: the students played 2 games, a violent one and a non-violent one. It proved exactly how much the violent video games had impacted them. The people playing the violent video game were more likely to lash out at an opponent with "varying intensity" than those playing non-violent ones.Click http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html for more information.
Quote from website above:
"Violent video games provide a forum for learning and practicing aggressive solutions to conflict situations," said Dr. Anderson. "In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise."
"One major concern is the active nature of the learning environment of the video game," say the authors. "This medium is potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television and movies, which are known to have substantial effects on aggression and violence."
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