The Danger of Violent Video Games in Children
The Danger of Violent Video Games in Children
The links between increased aggressive and violent behaviour and the content of video games is a controversial subject. Increased scientific evidence demonstrates that violent video games are linked to increases in aggressive cognitions, feelings and behaviours (e.g., Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Anderson, 2004; Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007) However, there is still much resistance to the evidence among the public and by the video game industry (e.g., Entertainment Software Association, 2007). Video game advocates believe video games primarily serve as a way to relax and have a good time, while there are some educational games, the most popular and most frequently played video games are those intended solely for the purpose of entertaining an audience (Anderson & Warburton, 2012). There are both positive and negative sides of the this controversial topic; it can be argued that although there can be some positive effects for children playing video games (e.g., Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2013), they are outweighed by the detrimental issues they can cause, including poor school performance, low levels of empathy, increased aggression and violent behaviour (Anderson & Warburton, 2012).
Literature Review
Before turning to the negative effects of violent video games however, it is important to stress that video games can have many helpful benefits. There have been research studies to correlate the fact that violent video games elicit violent behaviour in children, but the correlation does not mean causation (Granic et al., 2013). Playing video games, including violent shooter games provide youth with immersive and compelling social, cognitive, and emotional experiences (Granic et al., 2013). Certain studies propose that these experiences may have the potential to enhance mental health and well-being in children and adolescents (Granic et al., 2013). Granic et al. (2013) found that video games can have social benefits for
The links between increased aggressive and violent behaviour and the content of video games is a controversial subject. Increased scientific evidence demonstrates that violent video games are linked to increases in aggressive cognitions, feelings and behaviours (e.g., Anderson and Bushman, 2001; Anderson, 2004; Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007) However, there is still much resistance to the evidence among the public and by the video game industry (e.g., Entertainment Software Association, 2007). Video game advocates believe video games primarily serve as a way to relax and have a good time, while there are some educational games, the most popular and most frequently played video games are those intended solely for the purpose of entertaining an audience (Anderson & Warburton, 2012). There are both positive and negative sides of the this controversial topic; it can be argued that although there can be some positive effects for children playing video games (e.g., Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2013), they are outweighed by the detrimental issues they can cause, including poor school performance, low levels of empathy, increased aggression and violent behaviour (Anderson & Warburton, 2012).
Literature Review
Before turning to the negative effects of violent video games however, it is important to stress that video games can have many helpful benefits. There have been research studies to correlate the fact that violent video games elicit violent behaviour in children, but the correlation does not mean causation (Granic et al., 2013). Playing video games, including violent shooter games provide youth with immersive and compelling social, cognitive, and emotional experiences (Granic et al., 2013). Certain studies propose that these experiences may have the potential to enhance mental health and well-being in children and adolescents (Granic et al., 2013). Granic et al. (2013) found that video games can have social benefits for