...Article Rebuttal: Do Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence? Caren Evans XBCOM 275 Mr. Abel January 30, 2014 There has been much controversy over whether or not violent video games contribute to youth violence. The opposition may point out studies, such as playing violent video games desensitizes players to real-life violence and is responsible for the increase in bullying. In 2007, 32 percent of students aged 12 to 18 reported being bullied at school, compared to only 5 percent in 1999 (Dinkles, Kemp, Baum, and Snyder, 2008). However, this does not show a direct link between youth behavior and violent video games. According to many sources, such as the Bureau of Justice Statistics; Entertainment Software Association in 2005, violent crimes declined as video game sales increased. In 1996, video game sales neared 4 billion dollars and the violent crime offences was approximately 3.75 million; however, in 2003, video game sales was approximately 7 billion and the violent crime offences were just under 2 million. There have even been controlled studies in which Paul Levinson demonstrated the lack of linking violent video games to youth violence and pointed out some fallacies. The example that Levinson used in 2007 was a controlled study. Two groups of kids, chosen at random to ensure the groups were equivalent, participated in a video game study. One group played a violent video game, while the other played a non-violent game. This study gave the kids the chance to play...
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...Video Game Youth Violence Lorren Livingston RES/110 November 20, 2012 Dr. Helen Holt Video Game Youth Violence Many believe video games can majorly contribute to child violence [,] which have caused a great deal of controversy. With violent video game sales climbing, violent games have become a part of a child’s everyday life. Most video games depict some type of violence. One of the biggest selling games in XBOX history, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a violent first person multiplayer game (Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence, 2012). Given the amount of people that are playing this game, seventy-three 73-out of 100 players have stated they are between the ages seven to thirteen (See appendix A). There are also four different types of factors in video games that can contribute to violence. With children playing this game as frequently as adults, could a lack of video game restriction be causing more violence? Have retailers and parents turned a blind eye to this growing problem? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is, as stated before, a very violent military shooting game. There is no incapacitating of enemies or sneaking around a five man squad. It is kill or be killed. This is an obvious form of art, no matter how graphic it may be. Violence like this has been created for a long time now, even before computers. Sun Tzu’s The Art of War was a violent book. Humans have been created in a Darwinian manner, and each person has a want...
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...The Misconception of Juvenile Video Game Violence The Misconception of Youth Video Game Violence A teen walks into a school with loaded weapon in hand. A young boy steals a vehicle and drives recklessly causing severe harm to others. A young girl sets her house on fire with family members inside. What do these seemingly uncommon crimes have in common? Each juvenile in these examples has played violent video games. Our media that covers these violent crimes is quick to make that point known. Often times they also erroneously blame the playing of violent video games as the root cause of these crimes. Research suggests that violence in video games does not contribute to violence in today’s youth because juvenile crimes have declined as video game popularity has increased; they in fact provide an outlet to express aggression without causing physical harm, and juvenile violence has been more commonly linked to exposure of family violence. When looking at research from the FBI, crime rates involving juveniles over the past 30 years have declined. In fact, in most violent crime categories the crime rate among our youth is at an all-time low (Butts, J. 2013). At first, this information may be hard to believe. It shouldn’t however, because violence among youth commonly ends up making headline national news. For this reason, we end up being exposed to the details on many of these youth related violent crimes. This can make it difficult to put actual facts into...
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...Do Violent Video Games Influence Youth Violence Noel Averruz EN1420 ITT-Technical Institute Ever Since Violent Video Games were invented People have been trying to prove that they influence Violence in Juveniles. Although many prospective studies have been done on video game violence and the affect they have on the youth, none have been able to completely validate the claim that violent video games do influence the youth to become violent in their everyday lives. Out of the many studies that have been done to examined video game violence and the influences it has on player aggression none of the results necessarily tap well into serious aggression or violence. One of these studies was performed by Dr. Ferguson who recruited 302 mainly Hispanic youth between the ages of 10 and 14 years. Dr. Ferguson recruited these youth from some of the most at risk areas for these youth which included places that had neighborhood problems like gangs and rebellion against authority figures. The youth were interviewed twice, once at the beginning of the study and the second time 1 year later. Dr. Ferguson took many variables into consideration like exposure to violence through violent video games and violent TV shows and movies. He also took into consideration the effects of negative life events, negative relationships with adults, negative or delinquent peers. Dr. Ferguson also looked at the youth’s life at home. He took into account how the youth’s communicated with their parents and...
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...Violence in video games and the effects on youth Bilton Lands Com 156 5/26/13 Violence in video games continues to get worse, but what does this mean for the youth of today? As the violence in video games gets more graphic people continue to wonder if the youth of today can understand the difference between fantasy violence and real violence. Some experts believe it is up to the parents to teach the difference between fantasy violence and real violence (Cullotta, 2012). With more and more video games coming out, this is getting harder and harder for parents to be able to shield youth from. But does this mean that the violence is really an issue? There are studies out there that show, as video game sales go up, violent crimes continue to go down (ProCon.org, 2013). “Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. (ProCon.org, 2013). Does this help prove that it is just video games that causes the violence in youth? ProCon.org continues to go on and say, extensive research evidence shows that media exposure to video games, can contribute to aggressive behavior and violence, along with nightmares and the fears of being harmed. Craig Anderson PhD. the director of the center for the study of violence, states through ProCon.org that there is a significant link between violence in video games, and the behavior which causes violence in youth (ProCon...
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...Does Video Game Violence Contribute to Youth crime Contribution towards Video game violence has been the biggest thing in youth crime since 1995. Crime rates are said to have risen and are blaming it upon violence video games such as those rated M for Mature or higher. Others have charted that crime rates dropped due to violent games which is quite right since there are other crimes far more worse then what is done in games. Scans have shown that video games teach youth that violence is acceptable to solve conflicts. When you’re exposed to violence day in and out, it loses its emotional impact on you, once you’re emotionally numb to violence; it’s much easier to engage in violence. Violent games desensitizing players making them more aggressive towards others which increase bullying in schools. It also promotes violence against woman, which we see a lot in today’s society. In 1998 a study founded that 21% of video games involved violence against woman. The number of games with violence against women has increased dramatically since then. Exposure to sexual violence in video games is linked to increases in violence towards women. These games also give kids the idea that the way women dress or act cause them to be assaulted and that it is their fault this violence occurs against them. While many claim to believe crime rates are caused by violent video games, juvenile crimes in the U.S declined as the popularity for violent video games have increased. Between 1995 and 2009...
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...Daniyar Sarzhanov Lacie Meier ENC 1102 5 April 2015 Are Violent Video Games Killing Children? It is a misconception that video games make people violent. One might not usually think of the positive sides of playing video games. However, many examples prove that video games can be beneficial. A lot of people are led to believe that video games make people violent and cause crimes. Even though millions of people are playing violent video games, mass killings are still a statistical anomaly. Politicians and the media utilize the controversy of violent video games for their own interests rather than those of the public. Video games are a form of creative expression and should not be demonized or used as a scapegoat for our population’s deeper mental traumas. Video games have positive effects. A study conducted by Shawn Green & Daphne Bavelier from Center Visual Science, University of Rochester, show that people who play a lot of action video games benefit from improved “hand-eye coordination and visuo-motor skills, such as resistance to distraction, sensitivity to information in the peripheral vision and ability to count briefly presented objects, than non-players” (“Action video game modifies visual selective attention”). Video games that incorporate advanced motion detection, such as Microsoft’s Kinect or Sony’s PlayStation Move, provide both physical and mental exercise. Furthermore, a study conducted by Doctor Cheryl K. Olson, co-director of the Center for Mental Health...
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...Effects of Violent Video Games Over 90% of youth in Canada aged between 12 and 17 play or have played a violent video game throughout their life. The industry is now a 91.95 billion dollar market with the top selling series being “Call of Duty” a violent, gruesome, but entertaining first person shooter. A study conducted by Harvard Health Publications says that, “Youth exposure to violent media (including video games) can contribute to real-life violent behavior and harm children in many other ways.” Recently debates have been sparked as to whether violent video games are actually as bad as they seem. Realistic graphics technology, first hand engagement and behavioural changes are all effects as to why an older generation will respond negatively to a widely popular video game while a younger generation who engage in these video games will not. Graphics have improved significantly through the years of gaming and it has become very hard to tell the difference between fake and real. From blasting out enemy brains with an automatic machine gun to stabbing innocent bystanders, this is what the gamers have always wanted. Gamers have complained about how graphics were never good enough. Is it really healthy for our youth to be witnessing these gruesome events in such realistic situations? An article written by Tech Times states that, “The research evidence clearly indicates that the violence can make them (gamers) numb to the pain and suffering of others.” Can a video game really affect...
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... Do violent video games contribute to youth violence? There was a time when children were always playing outside during sunny days, but that was until video games were invented. Video games provided people with countless hours of entertainment at the comfort of their own home. People enjoyed it because it was a temporary break from reality. People played video games so much that it raised a lot if concerns. One of the concerns is violent video games affecting children’s behavior. Violent video games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty have often been blamed for school shootings but do they really affect children’s behavior or are these just hasty generalizations? There are different studies saying that violent video games affect children’s behavior. One study says that there has been an increase in bullying cases because of mature video games that are sold to children. Psychologists say that children may think that violence is a solution for their problems. They will think that the world is a hostile place and violence is normal. ( Harding,2009). Some kids may also develop trust issues and become aggressive to protect themselves. Christopher Barlett, a psychologist at Iowa State University wanted to test if students become more aggressive after playing a violent video game. He made 47 students play Mortal Kombat for 15 minutes. Afterwards, he tested whether they became more aggressive or not. There were compared to a group who played a nonviolent video game. Obviously...
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...brought up against those who enjoy the appeal of video games are that the violent games contribute to violence in society. The stereotype is that by playing so many violent games, especially now with so many games with more realistic graphics and more blood and gore that it is influencing the many that play these games into becoming violent people, violent people such as murderers,...
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...Youth Violence: What is the cause of it, and how can we prevent it? Violence happens everyday, not only in the U.S. but the rest of the world as well. In the 20th century violence was common among adults, but not a real big issue among youths. With violence among youths increasing in the mid to late 1990’s, many people have asked one question “What would cause today’s youth to commit an act of violence against another person?” There are many factors that can cause youths to commit an act of violence. Bullying is the most common factor that usually results in youth violence. Peer to peer bullying seems to be the most effective among youths because the bullies can physically or verbally abuse someone. Studies show that 20% of all children say that they have been bullied while at school. Bullying Statistics. Proactive Behavioral-Management.com. As youths get older they tend to stop the physical and verbal bullying and move to indirect bullying. Indirect bullying is mostly associated with teenagers and it involves gossiping, spreading rumors, excluding someone from social groups. Youths and adolescents that have been bullied directly or indirectly have committed an act of violence against their peers. From 1979 through 2001 youths that were bullied committed acts of violence at schools all across America that resulted in 45 deaths and 90 injuries. “Bonilla, D. M. (2000). School Violence. School violence (pp. 378-391). New York: H.W. Wilson Co.” Two-thirds of school shootings...
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...Juvenile Delinquency American Intercontinental University Online ENGL107-1101B-36: English Composition II Dr. Julie Pal-Agrawal, Instructor By: Charles Inabnitt Abstract The definition of a child that has emotional outrage of pain or anger as defined in society today is suggested to become a trouble youth. Living the life of a challenged child hood is some of the factors that may contribute to the factors of juvenile delinquency. The children of the future are in trouble of being locked up before they get a chance to live their life. “Today, Juvenile facilities nationwide hold some 104,000 offenders” (Cannon, Beiser, 2004, p.29). Out of the 21 million that live in the United States the stated number from above is questionable. Why are there so many, is there a reason for this, and what is being done to understand this? These are questions that may pop into your head as read the first statement. Technologies, pressure from parents, acceptance from society are three factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency. First we begin with the pressures of parents or the pressures that they may apply to their children. I read an article that the author says it best. We live in a society that often puts too much stress on financial success and not enough on personal well-being. Because of this parents understandably can over-focus on guiding their children towards a lucrative career rather than giving them time and space to find their own path in life. (Steve, 2008) ...
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...Youth Violence Ever since the horrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a number of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a main issue in today’s society. Many people fear what causes youngsters to be so violent, committing atrocious. There are many wonders that go around about why young adolescents commit such violent crimes. These questions vary from why kids take guns to school, or how do we know if they are putting others in danger, what signs are there, what should be looked at, and what can be done to stop these acts of violence. I remember watching the MTV special “Warning Signs”; it explained the violence in our society today. In the video they talked with young adolescents and asked them questions dealing with crimes they have been institutionalized for. The video also explained warning signs of someone who may be planning to commit an act of violence. Study has shown that anger plays a major role in ones behavior problem. Aggression is any form of behavior intended to harm or injure another living being. There are many reasons why someone acts in an aggressive way. First, many people have an instinct of being aggressive towards certain individuals, second genes are another factor that can develop from a complex interaction of biology, social experience, and each individuals behavior, t... The potential influence of violent video games on youth violence remains an issue of concern for psychologists, policymakers...
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...Violence in Video Games There has been a debate for years on whether or not violence in video games cause behavioral problems in kids. In this Essay we are going to attempt to take a look at this debate and try to find out once and for all which side has the more legitimate case. The debate over this issue spans back more than two decades and with technology improving leaps and bounds over the past ten years games have become more realistic and violent. In a study in 2013 Doctors Christopher Ferguson and Cheryl Olson discovered violent video games such as Grand Theft Auto, HALO, and Mortal Combat did not cause High Risk Teens those with depression or an attention disorder to become more aggressive or delinquents (Nauert). In fact this study did show a slight calming effect on children with attention disorders. It also showed that it helped calm aggression in those high risk teens as well. This study was important because it goes against the belief that violent games have an effect on teens to become more violent and act out it shows that Societal Violence plays a bigger part on the influence of kids than video games do (Nauert). Ferguson and Olson studied 377 teens with an average age of thirteen from all different backgrounds and economic circumstances. Ferguson goes on records as saying “Statistically speaking, it would actually be more unusual if a youth delinquent or shooter did not play violent video games, given that the majority of youth and young men play such games...
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...The media is a powerful tool that doesn’t always teach a positive lesson. Media have provided the means and opportunity for children to distort reality into fallacies through television and video games. While media programs have a negative effect on children, there are some positive programs. The largest amounts of violence are found in children shows. Children between the age of 2 and 18 spends 6 hours and 32 minutes on an average a day using media with the exception of sleeping this is more than they spend on any other activity. When multiple media is stimulated, this time is increased to 8 hours a day. Big parts of media exposure are violent acts that are also witnessed in video games. On an average, a young child will have viewed 200,000 acts of violence on television (TV). Exposure to violent media wrecks havoc on thoughts, feeling, and most importantly, behavior. “The Influence of Media Violence on Youth,” a report appearing in the December 2003 edition of “Psychological Science in the Public Interest,” points to strong evidence points to the exposure to media violence causes boost in physically and verbally aggressive behavior in children. “Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed,” according to the AAP. A negative effect of physiological desensitization is that a person can become less helpful to a person in need because they are...
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