Video Games: Deadly or FunVideo Games: Deadly or FunDo violent video games influence teen behavior? If one were to Google the words “Teen Violence” they would find articles, journals, websites, blogs, and publications stating several opinions on the issue at hand. They all come down to two main arguments: those that feel that video games directly correlate to teen violence; and those who oppose the idea that any video game could cause such actions.
Proponents of the idea that video games could directly cause teen violence hold one core belief: video games encourage and or promote teen violence directly, and that inherently violent children are only encouraged further by such intensely violent games. The American Medical Association (AMA), in a statement before a House of Representatives subcommittee in 1994, stated this: “Like violence depicted elsewhere in the media, video game violence has a horrifying potential to coarsen society, promote acts of violence against real victims, and desensitize children to the real thing” (Anderson, et al.). Their report mentioned some preventative measures such as the rating system as well as the “inclusion” of statements warning players of the “real life” effects of killing fellow human beings. The AMA also added the following, “Scenes should be incorporated into games in which the consequences of violent acts are depicted…such as an ambulance rushing the character to a hospital or cemetery, and other characters represent the family and friends of the injured or killed character crying and grieving.” (Anderson, et al.) The AMA feels that such definitive “warning labels” could at least educate young teens about the horrors of killing live human beings, and assure them that such behavior is not enjoyable. Another proponent of the idea that media and games cause teen violence is the American Psychological Association (APA). Countering claims that some children are merely “prone to violence”, the APA states that, “Violence is learned behavior, and it is often learned in the home or the community from parents, family members, or friends” (Anderson, et al.). It is APA’s belief that, in fact, the violence seen on video games can and is learned by those who play them.
The most common argument against video games is that of video games promote violence, killing, crime, sex, and drugs etc. A counter argument commonly used by the video game community is that playing these games does not encourage such abhorrent behavior; playing a “shoot-em-up” game does not cause most people to go out and actually kill. If it did, the effects would be overwhelming by now. Many gamers accuse critics of overreacting and imagining effects. While most gamers do admit that there are occasionally violent or horrifying incidents tied to video games, they maintain that it is an extremely small percentage. While millions of people play video games everyday, only a few hundred people have been affected by violence as a result. Gamers claim that they are being used as a scapegoat for occasional tragedies with no hard evidence to support the accusations against
[…]
What it is about the video game scene that has made us believe that violent video games are really important, as it shows a level of intensity that no one could ever have imagined as games.
I agree with the video game community that video games in some instances encourage violence. For example, many games in the popular “90s” do not promote violence. But I don’t agree with the argument that the video game scene is actually creating violence, as most players already have plenty of experience playing with violence. Some simply do not enjoy violence. So, why is this one argument so different?
The video game scene is the story of a generation of gamers. They saw their passion and dedication for playing games, and their need for a community to share and share it.
The gamers of today also have their own unique, unique world of desires to play games like they did during the ’00s. And they love watching a video game they love, and watching its “game” and its moments of glory for the good. Not only do they love seeing great images of their favorite artists and game creators being played by the very people who created the games, but they also love watching video games by the people who created characters like themselves. The video game scene is where the generation comes in with their favorite games, and this relationship extends to a large portion of the country. This is why in my view, it is the video gaming scene that has spawned that passionate, and more passionate, community.
Let’s face it, the video game scene, being a part of the culture of today, is not just for those who grew up playing video games. The game scene is also a great inspiration for many of our older people. Many of us grew up not playing games and not trying to change the entire culture of gaming. As we do now, we are seeing video games that we have not enjoyed during our lives and have no memories of in front of us, not even for ages. As a society, we see young people creating and enjoying video games such as Angry Birds, Angry Birds 2, and most recently Minecraft. This is not just because we are all looking forward to life, but because the culture of video games and video games is so much greater than our youth. There are many young people who grew up playing video games and would like to continue playing and playing and watching the game when they grow up, or the culture they feel is too strong and overly strong to be enjoyed by others.
It is important to remember that this generation, is different from most the gamers I have discussed in past posts. They do not embrace video games as being of any kind (or even worth the same attention given to their current genre). It looks like they might take this as a sign of the times when they are getting into video games and they already have other hobbies; however, they do not enjoy the media they get to experience on a regular basis. It seems very unlikely that most gamers will get a chance to spend time with others when they are on their games schedule, but given gamers make up so very different cultures, I think that the video game scene is a great source for a lot of our younger generations to look for their passion and interest in video games. It is a testament to our growth ability that video games grew in number and popularity. Most of the young gamers who came of age before the rise of video game consoles
[quote=FrostyBark]
Why are you so upset about that
“It is important to remember that this generation, is different from most the gamers I have discussed in past posts. They do not embrace video games as being of any kind (or even worth the same attention given to their current genre). It looks like they might take this as a sign of the times when they are getting into video games and they already have other hobbies; however, they do not enjoy the media they get to experience on a regular basis.”[/quote]
Why are you so upset about that
“It is important to remember that this generation, is different from most the gamers I have discussed in past posts. They do not embrace video games as being of any kind (or even worth the same attention given to their current genre). It looks like they might take this as a sign of the times when they are getting into video games and they already have other hobbies, but they do not enjoy the media they get to experience on a regular basis.”[/quote]
And I suspect there are many that are, too; the number of people who have played video games is increasing, and I find ourselves wondering why at least some of these people aren’t playing video games anymore. It’s not like they’re enjoying it!
The only people that seem to enjoy it are the very least because of what happens with the media nowadays. Even the people that played video games that are popular nowadays have become very much a part of the new audience, and people are simply still interested in the old games.
[/quote]
But in the end I think all of this speaks for itself, you see, “The gaming community is changing so quickly that the amount of information that can be downloaded by people without having to actually read a website is simply not available anymore,” and of course, everyone says it and people just want new games. Some of the “new” games tend to be too “serious” that people may not enjoy, while others are simple little hacks like “Call Of Duty 2” that are simply too much for me to pick up on, and “PokĂ©mon Go” that might just be too much for me. This also means that the demand for games like “Grand Theft Auto V” and “Rocket League” may just be too much for many people.
So, I feel there are some of the “real fans” in these games that don’t really have much love for them, yet do like them, so I think most of you really do enjoy the entertainment and the variety of videos (that you see on these youtube channels at all times, for example):
[/quote]
It’s not simply that many of those people do enjoy video games, it’s that the amount of information that can be downloaded by people without having to actually read a website is simply not available anymore, but also that we all want to go to that games and buy something new and enjoy what we do, like “PokĂ©mon Go”. That being said, of course there always are many reasons WHY games are still a great source of information and play, but that is it!
[/quote]
So even though I have no personal connection to these games right now and it is absolutely clear that it goes without saying that gamers that are very excited for them still have a lot of questions that they still have to answer, so I hope that you, will take that as no surprise that you will not be doing any of these things in the future; this doesn’t feel like a situation for you any more than