Video Games Influence on American Youth

Joseph Waits
Professor Longoria
WRC 1023.059
4 Feb. 2013
Influence of Video Games on American Youth:
Corruption or Improvement?
Parents across the nation are dumbfounded with the amount of violence and sexual content that lies in modern video games. Companies such as Microsoft and Sony are selling millions of copies of video games every year; with the quality and graphics getting better, children are continuously exposed to gore-filled violence. Enraged parents believe that Xbox and Playstation are the ones to blame for their child’s disruptive and troublesome behavior. However, regardless of race, age, gender, or religion, it is the parent’s responsibility to approve or disapprove what games their children are playing. The massive corporations behind the games aren’t at fault; the blame belongs to the game itself. As a result, video games have a negative influence on American youth because they promote an unhealthy lifestyle, they encourage physical aggression, and they contribute to emotional complications. Overall, video games promote an unhealthy lifestyle for American youth. Video games have been clinically proven to cause sleep deprivation, dietary irregularities, and time consumption conflicts. “Play time” was once considered when friends got together and had fun in the sun. Nowadays teens “play” by picking up plastic controllers and staring at a TV screen for endless hours. Gaming has induced an epidemic of laziness; which has consumed gamers, causing a major lack of personal ambition. Not only have kids become incredibly lazy, but they’ve also isolated themselves from being involved in group activities like sports and clubs. Health concerns are of up most important; those who replace exercise with video games are often overweight and most likely regret their decisions when they’re older. Living an unhealthy lifestyle is fallacious due to many reasons. An unhealthy lifestyle means more illness and more money spent on treating those illnesses. Poor health also means more time lost at school or work, less time with friends, and even shorter lifespan. Life is full of stress on its own, and adding health issues makes things harder. Without proper diet and exercise humans are susceptible to numerous conditions such as diabetes, stroke, cancer, heart attack, osteoporosis, immune system deficiency, and even mental health issues. Furthermore, video games encourage aggression among children and teens. “Consumption of media violence is the most common of all of the major risk factors for aggression in most modern societies” (Anderson 446). Due to the constant exposure to physical violence and sexual content, aggressive thoughts have increased in young adults and children. Alongside aggression, there has been a horrific increase in the dominant behavioral tendency. Dominance is typically acquired through aggression. From a psychological standpoint, dominance is simply the disposition of an individual to continuously seek control in dealing with others. Young adults and children have acquired these new forms of aggressive behaviors and try to reenact them; this alone is enough to cause a widespread fear of violence. Aggression in the early years of a child’s life is atrocious. Bad habits can form which can eventually cause unsolvable problems. Children and teens exposed to violent video games are more likely to commit crimes when they’re older. Personally, I’ve seen the impact that video games can have on someone. My older brother Josh grew up independently, and never listened to what my Mom thought was best for him. He played all sorts of violent games; his favorite was Gran Theft Auto: San Andreas. The influence he received from this game caused him to act out in school and get in trouble with the law. The game gave him a false sense of reality which led to numerous social conflicts. The aggression he showcased was specifically rooted from the violence he saw in the game. Above all, video games contribute to emotional complications within the gamer’s personality. Some games create positive attitudes toward aggressive solutions to personal problems. They can decrease accessibility of nonviolent ways to handle conflict. They can also desensitize children and teens to aggression and violence. Basically, video games are corrupting American youth; kids are turning into mindless drones that reenact what they see on TV. Emotional instability can cause people to lose their grasp on reality. Their views of what’s right and what’s wrong are tampered with. Most unstable people are socially awkward; while others completely isolate themselves from society. Emotions must be controlled in order to keep even the smallest glimpse of sanity. Video games can specifically target the gamer’s emotions, making them feel as if the virtual world is identical to the real world. As a final point, the majority of people feel that video games negatively influence American youth. Some, however, feel that gaming can create positive vibes in one’s life. “In today’s society, [games] consistently fulfill genuine human needs that the real world fails to satisfy” (McGonigal 465). Certain games such as Dance Dance Revolution can improve health; dancing to pre-recorded songs burns calories. Games based on heroism benefit teens by giving them a sense of optimism. Due to the constant trial and error, gamers have become incredibly resilient in the face of defeat. This skill set can be used in the real world, which causes success and professionalism.
Video games have a negative result on American youth because they can cause addiction, laziness, and create an overall unhealthy lifestyle. Violent video games containing gore and sexuality are corrupting kids in drastic ways only imaginable for the twenty-first century. However, not all video games are vulgar and blood drenched. Games rated “E for everyone” are typically free of violence, inappropriate language, and sexuality. E-rated games can potentially improve learning techniques such as memorization. For example, the leapfrog game console specifically teaches valuable skills and information that helps prepare kids for school. Regardless of whether or not the game is corruptive, it is the parent’s responsibility to dictate what their kids are exposed to.

Works Cited
Anderson, Craig A. “Violent Video Games and Other Media.” Ramage, Bean , and Johnson 445- 447.
Greenberg, Daniel. “Why the Supreme Court Should Rule that Violent Video Games Are Free Speech.” Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 454-457.
McGonigal, Jane. “Be a Gamer, Save the World.” Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 464-466.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson, ed. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.

Cited: Anderson, Craig A. “Violent Video Games and Other Media.” Ramage, Bean , and Johnson 445- 447. Greenberg, Daniel. “Why the Supreme Court Should Rule that Violent Video Games Are Free Speech.” Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 454-457. McGonigal, Jane. “Be a Gamer, Save the World.” Ramage, Bean, and Johnson 464-466. Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson, ed. Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings. Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.