Shoulsd Violent Videogames Be Banned

By Mr Satler

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If you were God for a day, what would you do?

Should violent video games be banned?

97% of 12-17 year olds in the US played video games in 2008, thus fueling an $11.7 billion domestic video game industry. In 2008, 10 of the top 20 bestselling video games in the US contained violence.

Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying, and violence towards women. Critics argue that these games desensitize players to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts.

The controversy over violent video games resurfaced following the massacre of 13 people at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, CO on Apr. 20, 1999. The two teenage shooters were revealed to be avid players of weapon-based combat games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. Following the shooting, 176 newspaper articles across the country focused on the allegation that video games were the cause of the tragedy.

Within hours of the Virginia Tech shooting on Apr. 16, 2007, attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson appeared on Fox News to blame the tragedy on the violent game CounterStrike. Other high-profile figures such as television host Dr. Phil McGraw and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney argued that video games were to blame for the shooting. However, it was later revealed by the Virginia Tech Review Panel that the shooter did not play video games.

Critics of violent video games argue that playing violent games desensitizes players to real-life violence and is responsible for the increasing rates of bullying. In 2007, 32% of students aged 12-18 reported being bullied at school, compared to 5% in 1999. Some researchers are concerned that violent video games teach children that violence is an acceptable approach to solving conflicts and achieving goals.

Defenders of violent video games argue that the research has failed to show a causal link between video games and realworld 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% between 1995 and 2008, while video game sales have quadrupled in the same period.

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Gamers may imitate violent maneuvers practiced in a violent video game. Researchers from Saint Leo University, in Florida, told the American Psychological Association’s 2005 annual conference that young people who played violent video games — even for a short period — showed an increase in aggressive behavior afterwards. They said that players of violent video games "tend to imitate the moves that they just acted out in the game they played". They found that children who play violent karate games on screen may then use the same behavior when playing with friends.

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Studies suggests that kids who are more immersed in violent video games may be more likely to get into physical fights, argue with teachers, or display anger and hostility. Violent video games may desensitize gamers to violence, making it more emotionally conceivable to perform violence Studies that draw the conclusion that exposure to violent video games results in poor academic achievement

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Many researchers conclude that there is no causal link between violent video games and aggressive behavior. The new study found that players' exposure to a highly violent online games did not cause any substantial real-world aggression Even if video games might create violent thoughts, there is no reason for these thoughts to display themselves in action more than the aggressive thoughts caused by frustration in non-violent video games.

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Violent games act more as a type of catharsis, allowing people with aggressive feelings to vent them in the game rather than in real life. While violent gameplay among youth has increased, youth crime rates have fallen, weakening the causal link between violent game play and violence. Video games are a useful outlet for childhood aggression. Play violence has always been a natural part of growing up, especially for boys.

YES!

NO!

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