Are violent video games causing teens to be more
violent? Critics argue that violent
video games “desensitize” teens to violence and are the sole reason for the
increasing rate of bullying in schools.
These same critics believe that video games teach teens that violence is
an acceptable way to solving problems and achieving goals. Yet many supporters of violent video games
believe that the research has failed to show a correlation between violent
video games and real world violence. Statistics
show that video games are not the cause of real world violence. The arrest rate for juvenile violent crimes
from 1995 to 2008 has declined by 49.3 percent, while video games sales have
almost quadrupled over these years.
Critics continue to argue that the violent video games caused the Columbine shootings. Apparently the two teenage shooters were avid players of violent video games such as “Wolfenstein 3D” and “Doom." “Wolfenstein 3D” is a first person shooter, where the main character is an Allied spy trying to escape a Nazi prison. “Wolfenstein 3D” is still a popular game on the PC today. According to this logic, “Wolfenstein 3D” will cause many more shootings and violent teen crimes. The first violent video game that started the debate on whether video games caused teen violence was created in 1976. “Death Race” was an arcade game where the objective of the game is to run over gremlins with a car. Critics believe that running over black and white stick figures will directly cause teens to use cars to murder other people. A recent Pew report showed that 97 percent of teenagers are playing video games. If violent video games caused teens to become more violent then, the world should be in complete chaos right now with young teens running around the city robbing stores, vandalizing buildings and assaulting people. Also the video games now are more violent than in the 1970s. Instead of black and white images of stick figures being murdered, today we have high definition images of normal everyday people being murdered. One of the top rated games today is “Grand Theft Auto V.” In “Grand Theft Auto V”, the main character basically runs around killing, stealing, and assaulting normal citizens around the city. Yet the most of teens stay home and do their homework. Almost all teens play video games yet only a small handful are violent. Maybe there is a lurking variable that causes teen violence?
Critics continue to argue that the violent video games caused the Columbine shootings. Apparently the two teenage shooters were avid players of violent video games such as “Wolfenstein 3D” and “Doom." “Wolfenstein 3D” is a first person shooter, where the main character is an Allied spy trying to escape a Nazi prison. “Wolfenstein 3D” is still a popular game on the PC today. According to this logic, “Wolfenstein 3D” will cause many more shootings and violent teen crimes. The first violent video game that started the debate on whether video games caused teen violence was created in 1976. “Death Race” was an arcade game where the objective of the game is to run over gremlins with a car. Critics believe that running over black and white stick figures will directly cause teens to use cars to murder other people. A recent Pew report showed that 97 percent of teenagers are playing video games. If violent video games caused teens to become more violent then, the world should be in complete chaos right now with young teens running around the city robbing stores, vandalizing buildings and assaulting people. Also the video games now are more violent than in the 1970s. Instead of black and white images of stick figures being murdered, today we have high definition images of normal everyday people being murdered. One of the top rated games today is “Grand Theft Auto V.” In “Grand Theft Auto V”, the main character basically runs around killing, stealing, and assaulting normal citizens around the city. Yet the most of teens stay home and do their homework. Almost all teens play video games yet only a small handful are violent. Maybe there is a lurking variable that causes teen violence?
"Video Games ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.
Seggerman, Suzanne. "Does Obama Play Video Games?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.
Thanks Vincent. This is a good post. As I just wrote to Jackie, there are some topics that seem to be appearing more and more frequently in my students' writing. This exploration of the relationship between video gaming and violence is one of those issues. Your post is strong, and well written. I appreciate your research. Let me just share with you one observation, because I don't want it to be an issue in your research paper. When you include research, you need to cite that research explicitly in your text. Notice how Jackie begins her sentences with "According to..." You include your sources at the end of your post, which is commendable. In the future, please find a way to include these sources in the actual text. Specifically, I am curious about your Pew Research Poll. Did that come from one of the sources you list at the bottom of your post? If so, which one? Again, this does not detract from the quality of your post in any way. I was noticing that students, in their prospectuses, were not explicitly citing sources. This will definitely get you, and most of your peers, in trouble in future writing.
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