Do Video Games Cause Real World Violence

Does Graphic Video Games Cause Real World Violence?

Isaac Pooley

Madison High, English 12

Intro

It is very popular belief that video games are a direct cause of violence in teenagers. Mainstream beliefs are not always true. Simulated graphic virtual reality does not cause real world violence. Violent video games do not cause real life violent behavior because, violent video games are rated for mature adults that know how to distinguish real life from simulated reality, 97% of children between age 12-17 play video (need to add source, 2016), many players use these virtual realities to stay busy and off the streets, also to release their own aggression in a safe and non-harmful way.

Subtopic I

Not all video games are violent.

There are studies done that have proven that video games can cause increased aggression in people. (When was the last time a game of monopoly was ended without hurt feelings?). The military used a game called DOOM to increase the aggression in their troops. Doom is a very violent and gory video game, with bloody cutscenes. It is pretty obvious if you consume these games for prolonged amounts of time you will see an increase of aggressiveness. Most of these people are teenagers. 97% of teens within the age of 12-17 play video games (need to add source, 2016). There is 25 million people aged 12-17 in the United States in 2017 (need to add source, 2017). That means that 24,742,268 people that play video games in the United States alone. Most of these players are not playing violent video games. The top three best selling video games in order are, Tetris with 100 million copies sold, Wii Sports with 82.69 million copies sold, and Minecraft 70 million copies sold. (need to add source, 2015). None of these are rated mature. No depictions of blood, gore, or excessive violence, and people still point the finger at video games. Only two of the top 10 best selling video games are rated for 17+. There are people that are the proper age to purchase and participate in such video games. Video games today have become a scapegoat for other problems in society. There was 48 school shootings in 2016 only 22 were in a high school. That is .00008% of teen population that play video games. There is no substantial evidence that show school shootings are directly related to video games consumption. Most of the shooters had other major significant factors that attributed to their devastating actions. Video games were not a significant