Violent Video Games – Pro and Con

Researchers, parents and educators are all discussing the controversy around violent video games and their influence on kids. The audience seems to be divided into two large groups: one is in favor of restricting or even banning violent video games as they make children (and, arguably, adults as well) more prone to aggressive behavior, like that seen on the screen. Opponents of this view claim that video games do not cause violent behavior in real life and are, in fact, a safe outlet to natural aggression and frustration. Representatives of the first group such as John Leo, in his article “When Life Imitates Video” argue that watching countless deaths and identifying with killers would undoubtedly lead to people feeling more comfortable about violence and suffering in their everyday life. He even goes so far as to say that playing games that involve shooting people is akin to undergoing training to kill (in other words, it is like a “dress rehearsal” of potential murders).(Leo 1999). On the other hand, there are claims that violent media are beneficial (Jones), because in the present world kids are at a higher risk of growing up passive and weak than violent and riotous, and when they see examples of rebellion, domination and well, violence, they are able to channel their suppressed feelings and deal with issues that otherwise remain unresolved. In my opinion, violent video games cannot be directly responsible for real-life violence but on the contrary they can help release stress and anger in non-violent methods. John Leo agrees that most murders are not directly connected to violent games. However, he says that some murders are. In particular, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, the students who murdered 13 and wounded 21 more people in Columbine high school massacre, enjoyed playing video games such as Doom, and they acted out in real life what they have seen on the screen. Well, even in this particular case, it is not that simple. Obviously, a lot more than

Cited: Jones, Gerard. Violent Media is Good for Kids. June 27, 2000. Web. 24 Feb. 2013 Leo, John. When life imitates video. Apr. 25, 1999. Web. 24 Feb. 2013