Does Violent Content Video Games Increase Violence in Players?
The controversy over violent content video games has increased over the years but has violence also increase in the players? Video games have become a media phenomenon that individuals of all ages participate in. From adolescents, teenagers, to adults, video games have become a source of entertainment. Along with the evolution of video games, violence has also made an impact by being incorporated into all the excitement. Although previous research has concluded that violent video games increased violence and aggression in players, current studies argue otherwise.
According to Ferguson (2007) "studies related to playing violent video games did not support the hypothesis that it was associated with higher aggression" (p. 309). The attitudes and behaviors of players are easily blamed on and linked to the violent content of the video game because 98.7% of adolescents play the video games (Griffiths, as cited in Ferguson, 2007, p. 310), which predisposes the assumption that because a large amount of adolescents play violent video games, that must be the reason for their violent acts. Research that has been provided to support the link between violent video games and violence has been analyzed using unstandardized measures that actually amplify the relationship between violent video games and violence (Ferguson, 2007, p. 310).
Publication bias favors the correlation between violent video games and violence when in fact, violent video games and violent criminal activity do not have a correlation relationship. Violence acted out by the individual may actually be a side-effect of family violence (Ferguson, 2007, p. 310). Ferguson's meta-analysis supported the conclusion that violent video games do not increase violence in players; instead it has a positive impact (2007, p. 313). Video games with violence are associated with increased visuospatial cognition (Ferguson, 2007, p. 314). Visuospatial cognition is related to visual rotation, visual memory, visual attention and the ability to analyze objects in surroundings (Ferguson, 2007, p. 314). In summary of Ferguson's (2007) article, violent video games do not cause violent behavior, but it they may prompt existing violent tendencies (p. 315).
According to Unsworth, Devilly & Ward (2007) "exposure to violent video games had no relation to aggressive temperament" (p. 391). In Per Unsworth et al (2007)'s article, the effect of video games on individuals is difficult to analyze because there were various methods, techniques, and assessments used to measure violence (384). (Always cite the source person(s) and not where what was said got printed.) An implication for the correlation of violent video games to violence has grown in relation with high school shootings and the increasing trend has become a reason why research studies assert that violent video games are to blame (384).
The violent content in video games does not increase violence in the players. Players could already have a developed violence - prone personality (Ferguson, Rueda, Cruz, Ferguson, Fritz & Smith, 2008, p. 314). According to Ferguson et al.'s (2008), article, individuals with "violence - prone personality occurs through a biological pathway that leads to aggressive child temperament and aggressive adult personality through maturation" (p. 314-315).
Individuals who are genetically disposed to violence, respond violently after playing a video game with violent content because the individual is expressing what was observed in the media (315). However, violent video games alone did not increase the violence in the player; it simply influenced the individual with high in violence proneness to decide to act violently (315). In Ferguson et al.'s (2008) article, No link was found between violent content video games and violent acts or behaviors (p. 330). Don't use ampersands unless published as ampersands.
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Other sources of violence exposure to the individual are possible reasons for their violent acts. However, according to whom? violent video games are not to blame (page). You need a source for this statement of fact.
According to Olson (2004) "it's very difficult to document whether and how violent video games contribute to violence" (p. 148). Documentation becomes a difficult task because test conditions are difficult in experimental settings (147). Most studies that are conducted to support the research correlation relationship between violent video games and violent acts are tested by analyzing subjects as they play video games for a couple of minutes (148). "Single game exposure, cannot reasonable represent the effects of playing a video game" (Griffiths, as cited in Olson, 2004, p.147). In summary of Olson's article, research, the amount of findings from studies propose that appropriate documentations are difficult to attain and that the impact of video games on violent acts still has to be further studied.
In conclusion, current studies regarding violent video games and an increase in violence and aggression in players have concluded that there is no corelational relationship. Experiments have supported the conclusion that violent video games do not increase violence in players; instead it has a positive impact. Video games with violence are associated with increased visuosptial (spelling) cognition. The violent content in video games does not increase violence in the players. The players could already have a developed violence - prone personality that eventually leads to responding violently after playing a violent video game. The violent content of the video game simply influences the individual who is already at high in violence proneness to decide to act violently. The findings from studies propose that appropriate documentations are difficult to attain and that the impact of video games on violent acts still has to be studied further.
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