Violent Video Games Should Be Banned In The United States

Countless people love to sit down and get away from their stressful lives by playing video games. Some people use it as a way to interact with friends. But in the midst of some of these games there are some they have some violence in them such a killing, profanity, drugs, and explicit content. The U.S. targets these games saying they contribute to violent behavior making parents think that these games are evil. Some countries have already started to consider whether or not the video game should be banned all together and the government is acting upon this and is banning some games. "Most countries have systems of self-regulation in place but sometimes are banned by government authorities because of the game content" (Griffiths). In reality

This is a contributing factor to school shootings being on the rise, as well as teenage sex and rape, and drug use, and violence in general. It all has its roots in violent video games" (Roberts). The accuracy of this statement is way off when in reality the violent behavior in the late years has dropped when video games popularity has gone through the roof. "In fact according to FBI statistics, youth violence has declined in recent years as computer and video game popularity soared" (Gallagher). So to even think games violence causes violent behavior is unrealistic, improbable and a unprovable statement. "In his recent book, What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy, James Gee describes game players as active problem solvers who do not see mistakes as errors, but as opportunities for improvement" (Jenkins). Video games actually increase learning and literacy in people, it encourages gamers to solve problems that others wouldn't be able to because they aren't afraid to fail. "Most studies found a correlation, not a causal relationship, which means the research could simply show that aggressive people like aggressive entertainment." (Jenkins). So the people that are actually being said to be influenced by video games aren't really even being influenced at all but had a already past aggressiveness and bad behavior problem and

Video games are making teens socially isolated. Teenagers who play too much video games are also less likely to indulge in extracurricular activities like reading, writing and participating in sports"(5 Positive And Negative Effects Of Video Games On Teenagers). The adults saying that games make children isolated have never witnessed anyone play one video games before. Games are meant to be played with others online who have video games also and you can also talk through your mic connected to your control. "Much video game play is social. Almost 60 percent of frequent gamers play with friends. Thirty-three percent play with siblings and 25 percent play with spouses or parents. Even games designed for single players are often played socially, with one person giving advice to another holding a joystick. A growing number of games are designed for multiple players — for either cooperative play in the same space or online play with distributed players" (Jenkins). This proves that almost anyone who plays games interacts with others. Even games meant to play by yourself are still played with friends. I use games as a way to connect with my friends that I don't see as much from my old school. So instead of loosing contact with them I get to use games as a way catch up with them and see how they have been doing