The Consequences of Playing Violent Video Games Essay Example

Playing video games has become more rampant in the modern era, especially with the advent of more sophisticated technology. Due to weak restrictions with accessing these games and the lackadaisical attitude of parents in controlling what their children have access to, many adolescents are exposed to a variety of content, including violent video games. Even older adults are not exempted from these statistics. This essay will discuss the consequences of playing violent video games. Exposure to violent video games may result in bad consequences, including aggressiveness, violent actions, non-violent intended accidents, anti-social behaviors, and poor performance, or good consequences such as improved thought processing and survival skills. The next paragraph will expand on the issue of aggressive behaviors as a possible consequence of playing violent video games. 

As with many habits, when an individual constantly plays violent video games, they get desensitized to violence which may translate to unknowing aggression in how they relate to people around them. This learned behavior is most likely to suffice in young children and adolescents because they are very receptive to stimuli from the environment. Most importantly, it is the phase in which the character starts to build up. One may argue that playing violent video games does not correlate with an individual's ability to be aggressive or violent. However, these violent video games can still act as catalysts to individuals highly susceptible to violence and cannot be overlooked. It is important to note that the expression of violence in these individuals may differ with context, which will be discussed in the next paragraph. 

The social context of each individual plays a role in the way they enact these aggressive behaviors. For example, an individual from a wealthy background who plays a game that teaches how to operate ammunition may see the gun as a means to intimidate and show dominance amongst their peers. A practical example to support the above statement would be suggesting that mass shootings in the United States are partly linked to violent video games due to the perpetrators' desire to exercise dominance. On the contrary, a less privileged individual who plays the same game may see the gun as a tool to enable them to burgle the convenience store two blocks away in order to satisfy a need. Although most violent actions are perpetrated intentionally, other incidences may not be intentional, as discussed in the subsequent paragraph. 

The saying “monkey, see monkey do” has led to several unintended actions. Violent behaviors may not have triggered these incidences, but factors such as obsession with game characters and eagerness of the individual to act out or replicate the game in real life. For example, a young child who plays shooting games may be excited to re-enact what they have been playing without knowing the consequence of such actions. This curiosity may prompt the individual to fire a gun carelessly kept in the house. Therefore, any fatality resulting from such an act will not be caused by aggression but merely out of curiosity or even excitement. Regardless of the motive, a person may suffer serious injuries or lose their life as a result. 

Whether violent or not, newer generation video games have been designed to give an almost real-life experience, making them more interesting. Therefore, an enormous amount of time is spent indoors, reducing chances of social interaction and may result in anti-social behaviors, especially in growing children. In addition, the time wasted on game playing can affect overall performance and productivity.

On a positive note, most video games require a quick and conscious engagement of thoughts to identify and resolve complex problems and eliminate a potential threat. Therefore, one may also argue that such exercise can enhance an individual’s acuity and problem-solving skills in performing normal day-to-day tasks. In addition, skills learned from playing violent video games may be used as self-defense mechanisms when an individual is faced with a life-threatening situation. 

The culture of playing violent video games has become increasingly rampant in adolescents and older adults. Based on the points discussed in the preceding paragraphs, one may conclude that the result of playing violent video games may be more destructive than beneficial to individuals and society at large. All things being considered, one may be left wondering if mere virtual engagement with violent games directly translates to an individuals' behavior in the real world and, more so, why such negative consequences may seem to be more common in today's world. Then again, the advent of social media and the degenerated moral decadence in the newer generation may be the underlying factor, and perhaps many individuals would rather shy away from taking responsibility for their actions by conveniently blaming these possibly harmless video games. This discourse has explained the consequences of playing violent video games, specifically looking at the negative effects such as increased aggressiveness, acts of violence, unintentional accidents, and poor social and performance skills, while also highlighting the positive consequences such as improved thought processing and survival skills.