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Video Game Violence and the Developing Mind

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Video Game Violence and the Developing Mind

Ripping the spine from a headless combatant, murdering hookers to reclaim money, riddling demons with countless rounds only to be rewarded with buckets of blood… these were all staples of my childhood and that of the many schoolchildren who ever pick up a video game controller.

According to the National Coalition Against Censorship, video game violence has been a topic of intense debate and scapegoating ever since “Death Race” was pulled from arcades in 1976 for depicting vehicular homicide. Many people argue that violence in interactive technology is detrimental to the minds of adolescents, so much so that it creates violent criminals from innocent youths. Fortunately for the droves of gamers who enjoy a little violent entertainment, video game violence in itself has never been proven to create violent tendencies during adolescence.

In 1993, the 16-bit fighting game, Mortal Kombat, came under scrutiny for depicting an array of bloody animations at the end of each battle. During that controversy, Senator Joe Lieberman was quoted as saying, “We’re talking about video games that glorify violence and teach children to enjoy inflicting the most gruesome forms of cruelty imaginable.” Unfortunately for the Senator and all the parent groups that follow his opinion, video games have been proven only to aid in childhood development. For instance, in his article “The Therapeutic Use of Videogames in Childhood and Adolescence”, Mark Griffiths states “[Videogames provide] the visual patters, speed and storyline that help children’s basic skills development.” He goes on to outline the positive effects of video game entertainment in various studies including the development of communication skills in children with Down Syndrome and the calming effects of them on children coping with Chemotherapy.

When considering the adverse

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