Abstract This paper examines how, like television, video games have been seen to have negative effects on the players - mostly children. It asks how do violent games effect children's behavior; and is there any effect from autonomous play verses cooperative play. Gender issues are also analyzed showing differing levels of violence between boys and girls. The paper provides a general background and history of the development of video games. Commentary on the outcome of these effects are also discussed, primarily the rating system introduced in the early 1990s.
From the Paper "In 1971, Arthur Bushnell, the inventor of Atari, came up with a revolutionary game: Pong. Pong was a lot like Ping Pong with simple rules: Get the little ball passed your opponents paddle. It became extremely popular. After Pong the next hot game was Space Invaders which was released by Taito in 1979. It was a ?shoot "em up" game that also was loved by millions worldwide and soon gained a massive following. Soon after this Pac Man became the most popular game. Pac Man was a simplistic game: Take Pac Man around the maze and eat all of the dots, but avoid the ghosts: Blinky, Inky, Pinky and Clyde. If you get a power capsule you can eat the ghosts. Pac Man was an overnight success that really established the future for video games."
Tags:atari, violence, gender, rating, play, nintendo, playstation
