In recent years video games have been used as scapegoats for issues that include child and adolescent violence. Too many people are quick to point their fingers at the gaming and virtual reality industry whenever a young adult or child is involved in a violent crime. I believe that it is the individuals themselves and poor parenting that are the under lining cause for these occurrences . In order to stop this more emphasis should be put on identifying mental problems amongst teens and children.
Research that has been done on the psychological effects of playing violent video games has proven that they do cause increased aggression, but it only affects a small part of the individual’s emotions. In other words, it won’t turn you into a trained killing machine like many anti- gaming activists believe. As video game sales have continued to rise from 1995 to present day the number of adolescent crimes has dropped. This is surprising because video games have come a long from the simple blocky-looking textures to a sort of realism that isn’t too far from reality. Far more violence is depicted in today’s video games then the games of yesterday. It comes down to the ability of an individual to distinguish between virtual reality and the real world. It they don’t express this idea then there is a far deeper issue at play and appropriate measures must be carried out to identify the person’s problem. Parenting comes into play as well because who else knows the child better then the parents. They have the authority to decide what their children should and should not be playing. The ESRB rating system provides good information on the content that certain video games exhibit to help parents to decide what games are appropriate for their children.
I for one indulge in video game entertainment from time to time, and I would have to say that I have never had the slightest inclination to go out and commit some violent crime after playing a violent game. For the most part I think there are far more positives to this sort of entertainment. Such things as XBOX live and Playstation Network allow people the ability to play with other gamers across the globe and participate in social chats. I’ve met many new people through playing online as well as being able to play with some of my best friends. Virtual reality has also helped improve many industries such the Medical field and the Air force in training new generations for the sort of work they demand. Children with attention deficiencies have also benefited from video games because they are allowed the opportunity to stay fixed on a certain objective they must complete.
Instead of being quick to judge, people should pay far more attention to the mental state of an individual. Schools and Institutions should take it upon themselves to identify individuals with mental problems and act accordingly to solve the problems. Parents should be able to control what their children see when comes to virtual reality.
References
Anderson, Craig A. "Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered
Questions."American Psychological Association (APA). Web. 09 Sept. 2011
<http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2003/10/anderson.aspx>.
Anderson, Craig Alan, Douglas A. Gentile, and Katherine E. Buckley. Violent Video Game
Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford UP
What's in a Game? Regulation of Violent Video Games and the First Amendment : Hearing
before the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights of the
Committee on the Judiciary, United States Senate, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Second
Session, March 29, 2006. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 2006. Print
"22 Charts & Graphs on Video Games & Youth Violence - Video Games - ProCon.org."
Video Games ProCon.org. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://videogames.procon.org
/view.resource.php?resourceID=003627>.
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