Right at this moment, millions of people around the world are playing video games. Video games are a radical and unique form of media entertainment. The appeal of video games is that they enable users to immerse and involve themselves in the story-lines and action of the games, rather than passively watching a video or listening to the radio. Researchers believe video games are more harmful than violent television as users are playing on an interactive platform and the player is required to act as the aggressor or ‘criminal hero’.
There is so much research focused on representations of crime in popular media such as on television and in books yet video games are a medium which are relatively ignored. Everyone knows video games are violent; the main objective of most video games is to kill in a violent and horrific way. With so many of today’s youth accessing this form of media it can create issues as to the effects this violence has on video game users.
Violent video games may increase levels of aggression in players and can desensitize players to actual violence. There are also the conflicting ideas as to whether or not video games encourage aggression, on one hand some may argue that video games may cause aggression in users as they want to satisfy their hunger for more violence and on the other hand, violence in video games may be perceived to be cathartic to some users as they are able to purge their longing to express and release their strong emotions and angers (Silvern, Williamson & Countermine 1983).
I believe modern youth are especially susceptible to these effects as they are generally at the stage in their lives where they are trying find their true selves, any major alteration caused by video games in this critical life stage may have adverse effects for many years to come. In 2003, 20 year old Devin Moore, killed 3 police officers and during trial his lawyers argued that playing Grand Theft Auto was the reason for his violent behaviour, also, while police questioned him he said that “Life is a video game; everybody has to die sometime.”
Some users may even develop an addiction. A video game addiction is just like any other addiction, Gunter (1998, p.51) defines it as when players display a compulsive behavioural involvement with the games, accompanied by a lack of interest in other activities. He even goes on to explain that addicts can suffer withdrawal symptoms when trying to cut-down on their video game use. As video games are evolving so too are the tastes of the video game users, they require and expect a more stimulating challenge out of their video game experience
Violence in the media has always been a major concern over the effects it may have on youth, however with video games they are perceived to take the concept of violence in the media to new heights as the users can directly engage in this violence through the game, without any real-life consequences, therefore making users much more ‘psychologically involved’ rather than just passively witnessing the violence.
Finally, feel free to gorge yourselves on this video of the most violent video games. Enjoy!
References:
Gunter, B (1998). The Effects Of Video Games On Children: The Myth Unmasked. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.
Silvern, S, Williamson, P & Countermine, T (1983). ‘Video Game Playing And Aggression In Young Children’ (paper presented at the Annual Meeting Of The Educational Research Association), Montreal, Canada.
Good topic and discussion. I guess the issues around the impact of game playing on actual violent behaviour is debated, but interesting analysis.
ReplyDeleteAlyce
According to recent research by Ofcom, 37% of adults and 60% of teens admit to being ‘highly addicted’ to their smartphones, with users checking their smartphones on average, 34 times a day. Additionally, 51% of adults and 65% of teens use their smartphones while socializing with others, and 22% and 47% respectively, confess to answering their smartphones even while on the toilet.
ReplyDeleteSo the International 'Moodoff Day’ is encouraging people around the world to avoid using smartphones for a few hours on February 26. The organization is urging adults and teenagers to spend from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. that day without using their smartphone. This events will celebrate each year on last Sunday of February.
if you feel you could benefit from a morning without smartphones and mobile devices and want to encourage others to follow suit, go to www.MoodOffDay.org and pledge your support. You can even post your personal experiences of smartphone addiction or upload funny images showing smartphone addicts in action at www.facebook.com/MoodOffDay .
Moodoff Day is aiming to raise awareness of smart phone addiction and to minimise the impact on relationships, work/life balance, reduce risk of injury in traffic and improve quality of life.