Violent Video Games
Repeated exposure to violent video games can increase children’s aggressive behavior. Many studies show that the relationship between video game playing and aggression result in short-term aggressive behaviors, with children tending to imitate the behaviors portrayed in the theme of the game. Researchers have found that there are many ways to prevent children from displaying such aggressive behavior.
The promotion of violence by today’s media, especially video games, has caused violence and aggression in reality to become a major concern. As gaming graphics and special effects are becoming more realistic, this portrayal of violence is one of the many important concerns in society. These days, a person can pick up a controller, move a joystick around, press a few buttons, and totally devastate an entire city. The recent uproar about this kind of entertainment is based on the debate of whether or not violence is affecting children who spend countless hours playing violent video games. Some people claim that the violence in the media has influenced horrible acts, such as many recent school shootings.
Video games have been available to consumers for the last 30 years. Video games are unique, as compared to other games children and adolescents play, because they encourage players to become a part of the game's script. Players are encouraged to actively participate as a character by choosing how they will interact with other characters including which weapons will be used while fighting or attacking other characters. Weapons often include guns, knives, pipes, bombs, etc.
Due to consumer demand over the last three decades, the majority of video games produced and sold today are violent. Today's sophisticated video games require players to pay constant attention to the game as compared to passively watching television or a movie. As active participants in the game's script players strongly identify with violent characters portrayed in violent video games. This...
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