Senior Essay

Raymond Force
Mrs.Sockey
Eng. 12c c
1/17/13

Violent video games Do you believe that violence in video games can or will cause violence in young children?
Statistics show that juvenile crime rates went down almost fifty percent when video games fist came out. I believe that violence in video games does not induce violence in children.
Violent video games
Do not induce violence in adolescents The topic I am covering is that violent videogames do NOT induce violence in young adults/children. Physicist David Deutsch says that video games are very good for children. He also says that videogames create a world of learning that is better than most books, because of how interactive they are. Video games are a breakthrough in human culture (glazer, 2). Meaning that there was nothing close to videogames in all of human history, there were books, and before that there was no learning device other than speech or doing it yourself.
There is only a history of this controversy as long as video games have been around, but shorter than that because in videogames early years there were almost no violence in most of the games. Like pong for example you would only hit a ball back and forth, sounds boring right but in actuality it were so popular in its day then something better replaced it (glazer, 2). A never ending sequence where video games will only advance as time goes on. This is an arguable issue because of the belief that video games are bad for you but, there was and is no proof that video games are bad for you. This has been an issue for about as long as the N64 has been around.
The two sides of the issue are that violent video games are bad for kids and those violent video games are good/ok for children(glazer, 2). Now I believe that very young kids should not play violent video games because they are annoying during online play. You have to be a certain age to play online as well so they are also being given online accounts. However bad that is I still believe that violent video games are not bad for young children

Biggest con Now the biggest con is the statement that videogames are bad and induce violence in children. Violence in video games desensitizes kids. It makes death to others less scary. It causes men to be mean to women. And some video games have inappropriate sexual content. Also very explicit language. It also creates bad conflict resolution skills (glazer, 2). It measures success through killing. Not always a positive outlook. Little kids have a hard time distinguishing the line between the real-world and the gaming world, as young minds are still forming what is real and what is make-believe. In 2008, 298.2 million video games were sold in the US, totaling $11.7 billion in revenue. Six of the top ten best-selling video games included violence, with four of the games carrying a "Mature" rating recommended for persons aged 17 and older. Increasing reports of bullying can be partially attributed to the popularity of violent video games. In 2008 a study reported that 60% of middle school boys who played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Mature-rated games(glazer, 2). Playing violent video games causes the development of aggressive behavioral scripts. A behavioral script is developed from the repetition of actions and affects the subconscious mind. An example of a common behavioral script is a driving script that tells drivers to get in a vehicle, put on a seat belt, and turn on the ignition. Similarly, violent video games can lead to scripts that tell youth to respond aggressively in certain situations. Violence in video games may lead to real world violence when scripts are automatically triggered in daily life, such as being nudged in a school hallway.
Pro con 1 One con against my argument is the thought that violent video games are bad for children. They feel this way because it de-sensitizes kids. Little kids have a hard time distinguishing the line between the real-world and the gaming world, as young minds are still forming what is real and what is make-believe. To kids, these virtual experiences feel very real, not only because the graphics today are so amazing, but because they are taking on a first-person role in the killing process. Rather than just watching a rated-R violent movie, when kids play a game, they are one of the main characters inside the adventure (espejo, 1). The entire experience becomes a more meaningful -- and deadly -- in their brains, which are forming new connections every day. This is false because video games violent or not are beneficial to children. In a manner that results in no form of reoccurring adult violence of any sort. Video games are often blamed for violent outbursts, as are movies, television and Catcher in the Rye. H. B. Duran lived in the same neighborhood as Columbine High School when the massacre took place. This particular tragedy was the first time she had heard video games being blamed for someone 's behavior. Harris and Klebold reportedly liked playing Doom - as did she(4). She had yet to go on a homicidal rampage, and so it was hard for her to relate to such a simple connection.

Pro con 2 A second con against my argument is video games give bad conflict resolution skills. Violent video games show kids how to express themselves physically, through violence. It 's already way easier for a child to push another child when they 're angry than to express their emotions and resolve a conflict through words. For a child to express themselves violently is more likely to happen because of their video game addiction. There is no clear direct link between violent video games and bad conflict resolution skills. Though it may be a possibility it is not proven and set in stone that it is fact. In Dr. Ferguson 's study entitled, Blazing Angels or Resident Evil? Can Violent Video Games be a Force for Good? He conducted an in-depth analysis of so-called "proof" that violent video games lead to aggressive behavior. What he found was that many of these studies were based on inconsistent findings. In fact, as he took a broader approach to verifying such an impact, Dr. Ferguson noted that violent crime has dropped dramatically during the same periods in which video games have gained popularity (espejo, 1). The study goes on to say that violent video games are associated with improved visual and spatial cognition, not to mention the fact that shy children (or adults) tend to feel empowered by playing such a game, particularly in a multiplayer setting.

Biggest pro My biggest pro is the Sales of video games have more than quadrupled from 1995-2008, while the arrest rate for juvenile murders fell 71.9% and the arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes declined 49.3% in this same period. These statistics are very impressive. The small correlations that have been found between video games and violence may be explained by violent youth being drawn to violent video games (espejo, 1)Violent games do not cause youth to be violent. Instead, youth that are predisposed to be violent seek out violent entertainment such as video games
Playing a violent game won 't turn you into a psycho, a murderer or a serial killer. Most studies show that very clearly on the contrary violent games allow players to express themselves. It 's like an outlet for them in a way(glazer, 2). All these violent actions that are said to have been inspired by playing violent video games are nothing but the expressions of issues unrelated to video games. In children, there is a difference between aggressive behavior like pushing or shoving, and real violence - like hitting - which causes bodily harm. But the key factor regarding video gaming is that we simply don 't have enough research at this point to form conclusions.
I believe that violence in video games does not induce violence in children. Because violence only arises in children who are brought up in violent houses and those who are insecure. We need to stop believing everything that one person or a group of people say. And start doing tests to find out the truth.

Bibliography
Page
1 Espejo, roman, video games. Farmington mills, mi; green haven press. 2003
2 Glazer, sara. “Videogames” cqresearcher. 11/8/12. 11/10/12. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2006111000&type=hitlist&num=0
3 “do violent video games contribute to youth violence” procon. 11/8/12. 11/10/12. procon.org
4 “violent video games are related to real world violence” popculture. 11/8/12. 11/8/12. Popculture.com

Bibliography: Page 1 Espejo, roman, video games. Farmington mills, mi; green haven press. 2003 2 Glazer, sara. “Videogames” cqresearcher. 11/8/12. 11/10/12. http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2006111000&type=hitlist&num=0 3 “do violent video games contribute to youth violence” procon. 11/8/12. 11/10/12. procon.org 4 “violent video games are related to real world violence” popculture. 11/8/12. 11/8/12. Popculture.com