For the longest time violent
video gaming has been a crutch for most arguments when it comes to a violent
outbreak somewhere in our country. Not a lot of people really understand the
concept that is this media. Most of the time the media that I am discussing,
has the most detrimental effect when displayed through televisions or computer
monitors which in this case is the medium being used. Video games are
electronic games that involve a human interaction with a user interface
(sometimes referred as GUI; graphical user interface) to generate some sort of
visual feedback on the device. These electronic games have been around for
almost 40 years but as our technology evolved over time they are just now starting
to cause a controversy.
Why are they just now causing this common controversy
which is that they can cause addiction and potentially lead to or cause violent
behavior? A prime example of this would be an article about a crime committed
by Jacob Hartley while playing video games. His son was crying and
“interrupted” his play session and he shook the baby to make the 3 week old boy
stop. This kind of incident is prime material for advocacy groups such as MAVAV
(Mothers against Videogame Addiction and Violence.) There are other groups out
there that are back by politicians to further support the restriction of
violent video games. Also, there have been studies done on the effects of
violent video games. One such study in 2004 led to evidence showing that video
game violence exposure was related to a wide array of aggression (for ex,
verbal aggression, moderate physical aggression and violent behaviors).
However, no one research study is conclusive and finds definitive results
stated Hal Halpin. I believe the reason why this sudden urge for an answer is
happening now is because we as a society are changing into a culture that we
are unsure of. Older parents now are growing out of sync with current
generation media. What’s a better scapegoat to blame the lack of parental know
how then one that we do not understand? The answer is there is none. This is
the best they have. There are studies that
With
the expansion of technology and rise of the video gaming community more and
more cases of who’s to blame with arise. People need to understand that video
games are not the culprit here yet there is something greater at fault here.
There are also studies that show the beneficial effects of video games like
surgeons playing video games three hours a week decreases mistakes by 37
percent. This goes to show you that it can have great hand eye coordination
building skills. Why isn't this ever brought up? Sadly, it is because at the
end of the day it is easier to blame something for problems rather than take
responsibility.
Bibliography
TELEVISION GAMING APPARATUS AND METHOD. FPO IP Research &
Communities. 2004-2013. 23 Feb 2013.
Video Game Addiction and
Violence in Underground Video Game Cultures.MAVAV. 2002-2006. 23 Feb 2013.
Violent Video Games: The
Effects on Youth, and Public Policy Implications. Handbook of Children, Culture and Violence. 2006. 23
Feb 2013.
Surgeons may err less by
playing video games. Games on
NBCNews.com. 2004. 23 Feb 2013
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