Do Violent Videogames Cause Behavior Problems?

Do Violent Videogames Cause Behavior Problems?

"It's not as if this is a light switch that either videogames do or do not cause aggression. You have to think about the strength of that effect. Most people assume it has a really big effect, but what we find from research is it actually has a very tiny effect." said Professor Patrick Markey. Do children become more aggressive after playing videogames or are aggressive kids more attracted to violent videos?

Don't violent videogames help angry people let off some steam? It's a common idea, but it's not correct. The personality of people makes a big difference. People that are extremely angry tend to be more affected by violent videogames than people who aren't angry. It's true that people who aren't angry are virtually unaffected by violent videogames. You're always told if you get upset to just go punch a pillow. Well that's done outside of videogames is when you actually let aggression out, it actually doesn't have that affect. In fact, it usually makes you more upset in the long run.

Behavioral problems in school are also believed to stem from these types of games. There is also a lot of blame for the deterioration of society on violent videogames.
Games such as Grand Theft Auto carry over into society, irresponsible, disrespectful young adults. Violent videogames have been blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying and violence towards women. However, it could be the case that kids who are prone to these behaviors might prefer to choose these games over more age appropriate entertainment. Defenders of violent video games argue that the research has failed to show a causal link between video games and real-world violence. They argue that correlations between video games and violent behavior can be explained by youth predisposed to violence being attracted to violent entertainment. Additionally, if video games do cause youth to be violent, then one would expect juvenile violent crime to increase as more youth play violent video games. Instead, the arrest rate for juvenile violent crimes has fallen 49.3 percent between 1995 and 2008, while video game sales have quadrupled in the same period.

About 90 percent of U.S, kids ages 8 to 16 play videogames and spend about 13 hours a week. 97 percent of 12 to 17 year olds in the U.S. played videogames in 2008, thus fueling an $11.7 billion domestic videogame industry. Six of the top ten best-selling videogames in 2008 included violence, with four of the games carrying a "Mature" rating recommended for persons aged 17 and older. Worldwide sales of video games are predicted to reach $73.5 billion by 2013. As games get more sophisticated and realistic, the debate over whether or not children should be exposed to violent video games continues.