Violence and Videogames

Annotated Bibliography
Topic: Violence and Videogames
Research Question: Do violent videogames cause violent tendencies?

References:
1. Craig A. Anderson, Douglas A. Gentile and Katherine E. Buckley (2007). Violent videogame effects on children and adolescents.

This study found that kids that played violent videogames early in the year changed to see the world in a more aggressive way, and became more verbally and physically aggressive later in the school year. Even after controlling how aggressive the children were at the beginning of the study.

2. Kamy Akhavan. Santa Monica Calif. Jan. 19, 2010. PRNewswire-USNewswire. Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence? Pros and Cons

Violent video games are blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying violence towards women and other violent criminal behavior. Critics say violent games reward players for simulating violence and teach children that violence and teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts.

3. Phillips Helen( 2005 December 12) Violent video games alter brain’s response to violence.2006 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

This study showed that people who played violent video games show diminished brain responses to images of real-life violence, such as gun attacks , but not to other emotionally disturbing pictures, such as those of dead animals, or sick children. The brain activity they measured called the P300 response, is a characteristic signal seen in an EEG. The team recruited 39 experienced gamers, and used questionnaires to assess the amount of violent games they played, They then showed them real life images, mostly of neutral scenes, but interspersed with violent or negative scenes while recording EEGs.

4. Gentile, D.A, Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22,

References: 1. Craig A. Anderson, Douglas A. Gentile and Katherine E. Buckley (2007). Violent videogame effects on children and adolescents. This study found that kids that played violent videogames early in the year changed to see the world in a more aggressive way, and became more verbally and physically aggressive later in the school year. Even after controlling how aggressive the children were at the beginning of the study. 2. Kamy Akhavan. Santa Monica Calif. Jan. 19, 2010. PRNewswire-USNewswire. Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence? Pros and Cons Violent video games are blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying violence towards women and other violent criminal behavior. Critics say violent games reward players for simulating violence and teach children that violence and teach children that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. 3. Phillips Helen( 2005 December 12) Violent video games alter brain’s response to violence.2006 in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. This study showed that people who played violent video games show diminished brain responses to images of real-life violence, such as gun attacks , but not to other emotionally disturbing pictures, such as those of dead animals, or sick children. The brain activity they measured called the P300 response, is a characteristic signal seen in an EEG. The team recruited 39 experienced gamers, and used questionnaires to assess the amount of violent games they played, They then showed them real life images, mostly of neutral scenes, but interspersed with violent or negative scenes while recording EEGs. 4. Gentile, D.A, Lynch, P., Linder, J. & Walsh, D. (2004). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescence, 27, 5-22, www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html This study uncovered that most kids do not have a time limit on the amount of time that they are allowed to play video games. Adolescent girls play video games for about 5 hours a week, whereas boys play for an average of 13 hours a week. The authors found that teens who play violent video games for a long period of time tend to be more aggressive, prone to confrontation with their teachers and may engage in fights with their peers. The rating system is also shown here where video games are given ratings by the ESRB or Entertainment Software Rating Board that was established in 1994 by the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA). The ESRB looks at a number of factors when rating games such as violence, sex, controversial language and substance abuse. After these factors are looked at the game is given a age recommendations. Early childhood is the lowest one meaning that the content of the game is suitable for kids 3 years old and older. Adults only is the highest rating a game can get with means a person has to be 18 years or older to purchase it. 5. Pike Lynn (2009) Do violent video games result in more aggressive teens? May 5, 2009 www.missourifamilies.org/features.adolecentarticles/adolesfeature1.htm This showed that some parents think violent video games foster violent behavior. It also showed that some parents believe that aggressive play is natural for boys and it helps them practice dealing with issues they may face in real life. Also some parents believe that playing violent video games provides a boy with an outlet for intense feelings that might otherwise result in destructive acts or fights. Parents are asked to pay close attention to their teens and watch for signs that video games are taking the place of other healthy activities such as sports, clubs and schoolwork.