Do Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive?
Running head: Do Violent Video Games
Do Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive?
November 19, 2012
Do Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive?
Video games are something I have become very accustomed to. I am constantly running to the store to purchase whichever is the current hottest video game out for my husband and children. I do not purchase anything that I would classify as a violent video game. However, I do purchase wrestling and fighting games; which to some, those games may actually be qualified as violent. Many times children will play video games and then act out what they have done in a video game. These thing could range anywhere from pretending they are a super hero to picking up a younger sibling and throwing them across the room like they saw in a particular video game. They tend to want to be and do things that the video games do. It is exciting to them. What we need to find out is if certain video games; in particular violent video games are having an effect on not just children but people in general. After someone sits at home all day playing a shooting game, are they more likely to be aggressive towards someone in any given situation. Many may argue no. They may say that it depends on the person and their upbringing and so forth. While I do agree with that to some extent, I have personally seen firsthand that a lot of the times after playing these violent video games, people do tend to be more aggressive. It may not be something that is being done purposely. Many may not even notice that they are behaving differently after playing these games. I think that the person’s mental state and current situation may also play a role and how they may react to the video games. I have found many sources that have completed studies on this very issue. There are some that are sure that violent video games do in fact cause aggression; while there are
Do Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive?
November 19, 2012
Do Violent Video Games Make People More Aggressive?
Video games are something I have become very accustomed to. I am constantly running to the store to purchase whichever is the current hottest video game out for my husband and children. I do not purchase anything that I would classify as a violent video game. However, I do purchase wrestling and fighting games; which to some, those games may actually be qualified as violent. Many times children will play video games and then act out what they have done in a video game. These thing could range anywhere from pretending they are a super hero to picking up a younger sibling and throwing them across the room like they saw in a particular video game. They tend to want to be and do things that the video games do. It is exciting to them. What we need to find out is if certain video games; in particular violent video games are having an effect on not just children but people in general. After someone sits at home all day playing a shooting game, are they more likely to be aggressive towards someone in any given situation. Many may argue no. They may say that it depends on the person and their upbringing and so forth. While I do agree with that to some extent, I have personally seen firsthand that a lot of the times after playing these violent video games, people do tend to be more aggressive. It may not be something that is being done purposely. Many may not even notice that they are behaving differently after playing these games. I think that the person’s mental state and current situation may also play a role and how they may react to the video games. I have found many sources that have completed studies on this very issue. There are some that are sure that violent video games do in fact cause aggression; while there are
References: Harding, A. (2008). Violent Video Games Linked to Aggression in Children, Teens. In Health. Retrieved Novermber 19, 2012, from http://news.health.com/2008/11/03/violent-video-games-linked-to-aggression-in-children-teens/. Science Daily. (2012). Aggression. In Science Reference. Retrieved Novermber 19, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/a/aggression.htm Steinberg, L. (2007). Risk taking in adolescence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 55– 59. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8721.2007.00475.x Willoughby, T., Adachi, P. C., & Good, M. (2012). A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 48(4), 1044-1057. doi:10.1037/a0026046 Wrenn, E. (2012). Violent images in movies, TV or computer games CAN act as triggers for aggression. In Mail Online. Retrieved Novermber 19, 2012, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2195206