Video Game Violence Research Paper

Final English Essay: The Negative Effects of Video Game Violence

The violence that is depicted in video games for the past 20 years has been on a steady climb. From games such as 1993's Doom from ID software to Grand Theft Auto V by Rockstar Interactive in 2013, the glorification of violence and slaughter in video games have left their mark on today's generations. That being, video game violence negatively effects the way children in the 21st century interact with the world. These effects manifest themselves in the form of children becoming more violent, desensitized from violence, and becoming more aggressive as a whole.

Violent video games make those who play them more violent. Some video games such as the iconic Grand Theft Auto series and

An article on the TIME website that analyzes the violence in video games says that "lots of exposure [to violent video games and television] over time causes young people to react more aggressively compared to kids who [are] not" (Sifferlin). This article directly links aggression with violent video games and television. That is to say, violent video games and television cause children to become more aggressive than those who are not exposed to these forms of media. The British Journal of Social Psychology also reinforces this idea stating that, "children do become more aggressive after either playing or watching violent video game[s]" (Griffiths). This shows that the research data supports the notion that aggressive behavior is not just an occurrence of long term exposure, but even light to moderate exposure leads to the immediate outcomes of increased aggression in children. It is an astonishing revelation in that the correlation between television and video game violence bring about an increased outward expression of aggressive behavior which is evident in both short-term and long-term exposure

Whether or not someone agrees with the notion that violent video games negatively affect children, experts who research the topic of violence in video games consistently point to the violence in these games as a major risk factor in the degeneration of today's youth who grew up playing these games. That being, though they may not be the root cause of the violence in today's youth, it cannot be denied that the violence in video games plays a major role in the outcomes found all research that involves video game violence. On a final note, the risks to the future of our children as a result of exposure to video game violence cannot be swept aside or overlooked. As such "society should begin a more productive [and proactive] debate about whether [or not] to reduce the high rates of exposure to media violence" (Anderson) because it is up to the older generations to Shepard the younger generations towards the right path, and it is a not a matter that can be sat on for further deliberation since the effects of video game violence can already be seen in today's