Violence in Video Games

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at both sides of the debate regarding violent video games and their effect on youth. The paper begins with the assumption that violent video games do not make youth more violent and, in fact, help youths with already violent tendencies channel their aggression in a less harmful manner. The paper thus examines the contention that playing violent video games does not have a negative affect on the behavior of the adolescent as well as the contention that youths that play violent video games do not become more violent.

Table of Content
Literature Review
Methodology
Conclusions

From the Paper:

"No people before or since have so reveled in displays of mortal combat as did the Romans during the last two centuries B.C. and the first three centuries thereafter, nor derived such pleasure from spectacles in which slaves and convicts were exposed to wild beasts and killed in front of cheering spectators. Video games, one of the most prolific forms of violent entertainment in the world today, seems to pale in comparison to the brutality of the Romans. However, critics claim that video games such as Mortal Kombat, Duke Nukem, and Doom are not only inundated with violence, but that playing such games may be having a harmful effect on the youth. Senator Joseph Lieberman stated in 1998, "these games... are part of a toxic culture, that is helping to desensitize them (youths) and blur the lines between right and wrong, and encouraging some of them to commit violence," Despite this growing concern, children still seem to be spending time playing video games. Several studies have examined the impact that gaming has on individual's aggressive tendencies. Some of the research indicated that there was a relationship between playing video games and aggression, while other studies found that there was no indication of increased aggression after playing a video game."

More papers on Violence in Video Games:

• Article Review # 92890 : "Violence in Video Games"
• Essay # 53757 : "Video Games and Violence"
• Research Paper # 64605 : "Video Games"

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