The Effect of Violent Video Games on Children and Young Adults

In 1976, video game manufacturing company Exidy released what is regarded as the first overtly violent video game Death Race. In the game, players of all ages were encouraged to run over human like “gremlins” in order to score points, having the opportunity to acquire a “kill streak” if they ran over a certain number of characters in a row. Many organizations, including the National Safety Council (and even the surgeon general of the time), accused the game and its manufacturer of glorifying violent and rebellious behavior. Consequently since 1976, psychologists, politicians, and parents alike have been trying to illuminate the link between violent media and aggressive behaviors. Some believe there is no link whatsoever, citing multiple environmental causes that could lead to the violent behaviors. Many others believe the rise in violent media consumption since 1976 could be caused by the relaxing of our rating systems and, much to the dismay of society, this lax grading system could lead to a higher rate of violence and deaths amongst children and teens. I agree with this point, and throughout this semester, I will be attempting to provide statistical and clinical research that supports my claim, and shed some light on the opposing views which may challenge my claim.

There is already a plethora of research that has been done regarding the consumption of violent video games and the effects they have on behavior, however none of them have produced a concrete result. While this could be due to multiple reasons, the main problem presents itself in the way the research is done. The different researchers and research programs compare multiple different variables, such as age, gender, game rating, length of exposure, and even the distance of the subject from the screen. While all of these methods could lead to interesting and unforeseen results, it is important to look at each variable individually, as to not skew or bias the data. The multiple and unrelated research constraints produced multiple, and often unrelated results. Although these different results are all focused around a central point, no definitive conclusion has successfully been drawn around any variable independently. As I gather research and form my own opinions, I will try to keep the focus on only 2 factors; those factors being age and game rating. While it is narrowed down to only 2 variables, it is still a complicated research topic, as rating standards vary from country to country. For the purpose of this research and argumentative essay, I will be using the ESRB, or Entertainment Software Rating Board, which monitors and rates all games in the United States and Canada. Even though this may be the most popular rating system in North America, it is undoubtedly flawed, as it was created in the early 2000’s and culture has shifted greatly since then. I am interested to further research this “tried and true” rating system, the standards in which it grades against, and how these ratings are used in everyday game life.

So what is the effect of these violent video games on children and young adults? Unfortunately, this question is not as simple as many researchers had thought, as it has been studied since the early 1990’s, and still no definitive theory has been posed. Social and developmental psychologists attempted to observe and measure violent behaviors in children directly after consuming some form of violent media, however these results proved inconclusive as people manifest violence different from one another. As I am majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience, I am extremely intrigued in the way this research has, and continues, to be administered pertaining to this new topic. I hope that as the semester progresses I will be using academic research in order to answer my unresolved questions. These questions center around one over-reaching idea: Is violent behavior from video games able to be measured and proven using quantitative data, or is it solely a qualitative feeling only relevant to human experience? Are we able to awaken violent feelings inside previously innocent children, or is that something they are innately pre-disposed to feel. I hope to answer these questions, and persuade you to agree with my point of view, by the end of this semester.

You may be asking; “Why does any of this matter, I have played video violent video games before and I turned out fine,” and whilst they may be true, I am interested in the “why.” Why did you turn out fine? Why do some people turn out “not-so” fine? According to the National School Shooting Tracker from edweek.com, since the year 2018, there has been 74 school shootings resulting in at least one fatality. Is this staggering data at all correlated to the rise in mature  and often violent video games being sold? Can these violent video games provide a behavioral role model some modern children follow? I hope to answer these impending questions as I continue my research. I do, however, believe that there is some type of correlation. From a psychological and neurological perspective, children ages 0-12 have much higher amount of cerebral neuroplasticity than most people outside of this age group. Children in this age bracket tend to absorb knowledge much more readily, which may provide some reasoning to the new age of violent children we are beginning to see in our societies today. Although these experimental questions and individual topics are relatively new, this over-arching research question dates back to the classic “Monkey see, monkey do” phenomena coined in the 1920’s by a group of psychological researchers. As psychologyscience.org  puts it: “this saying refers to the learning and imitation of a process, even though there is not a full understanding of the process itself, or why it occurs.” While I can’t yet fully explain how or why violent video games manifest themselves through violent or aggressive behavior in young adults, I can definitively say that by the end of this semester, I will be able to fully explain the reasoning behind it and hopefully persuade you to agree with me, for the sake of our future societies well being.