In the age of technology, the machines we have created have managed to influence human behavior, and sometimes even promote making bad decisions. A specific example which is quickly becoming more and more evident over the years is how video games, especially ones of violent nature, have impacted the behavior of kids. A lot of the time kids are not mature enough to completely separate the realities of what is happening on the screen and real life. This can give root to violent behavior which is why it is the responsibility of the parents to censor their children from such games. Many studies have been conducted and have supported the claim that video games negatively affect children. The only logical solution to this issue would be for parents to censor their children from violent video games.
Due to the complexity of the issue and the inability for companies to prevent their games from falling into children’s hands, the responsibility falls on the parents. Companies that produce video games do everything within their power to prevent children from being exposed to the violence. The only thing they can do from their end is place a rating on the game which dictates how old one has to be in order to purchase the game. That precaution is easily bypassed when parents buy a game for their children with little to no knowledge on how violent the game actually is. After prolonged exposure to the violence in video games, children can develop aggressive behavior which could even lead to violent actions. Video games portray violence as normal, appropriate, and in most cases successful (Violent Video Games and other Media Violence, Craig A. Anderson, PH.D). This causes children to see the world as a more hostile place and also hinders their ability to come up with nonviolent solutions to the problems they face. By frequently committing violence in a game, children are much more likely to react violently when faced with a conflict in real life. This is because they have learned to react from the video games where violence is normal and accepted. These tendencies to react violently to situations have shown to carry over into adulthood and affect people for the rest of their lives. (Life lessons: Children learn aggressive ways of thinking and behaving from violent video games, Craig A. Anderson, PH.D). It is a shame that this issue could be so simply resolved by parents taking the initiative and stop allowing their children to be exposed to the mature content of some games. The first and only step parents would need to take would be to research the games their kids try to convince them to buy before buying them. This simple way for parents to censor what games their kids play would, without a doubt, improve the behavior of their children and prevent them from possibly developing the aggressive behavior described earlier.
Despite the popular belief that violent video games can have negative effects on adolescents, there are some that argue contrary to the presented research. Some believe that video games play little to no part in the development of aggression in children. They argue that the strongest contributors to violent behavior are mental stability and quality of home life rather than virtual violence (Reality Bytes: Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked, Henry Jenkins). They also claim that the studies conducted have been vague and inconclusive stating that the sample sizes have been too small. The last point made by the people who oppose these studies claim that it is coincidental that violent youths also play video games because 90% of boys and 40% of girls play video games (Reality Bytes: Eight Myths about Video Games Debunked, Henry Jenkins). These are fair points made by the opposing side but there is an explanation to each of them.
Despite the truth in the fact that aggression can stem from mental stability and home life, children who are mentally stable and have healthy home lives are still at risk for developing violent habits from mature video games. A kid can have a perfect life at home and be completely mentally healthy but video games can plant violent thoughts into their mind and teach them that violence is acceptable. The second point discusses the recent studies being done around the country and how they believe the studies are insufficient sources to draw conclusions from. A fact that was probably overlooked by them is that studies have been ongoing for the past 50 years since the very first video games. The results from the past 50 years have shown consistent patterns that relate virtual violence to increased aggressive behavior in youth. Their last claim is that since 90% of boys and 40% of girls play video games it is impossible to draw the connection between aggressive behaviors in a select few children and video game violence. The fact of the matter is that video games cannot be ruled out for being a contributor that causes select children who may have other issues such being mentally unstable or living in a hostile environment to commit violence. If they are taught to be violent or learn that violence is acceptable they are more likely to react violently, plain and simple. With all things being considered, it is still clear that if the violence provided by video games was removed from children’s lives, they would be at less risk of developing aggressive behaviors.
Unfortunately, this problem will probably exist forever since technology is always evolving and will always be a part of our lives. With video games becoming more and more realistic, children are being wrapped up in a false reality where they learn that violence is acceptable. And since children especially have a hard time separating these realities from the real world, their behavior in game might translate over into real life. The only people with enough authority in children’s lives that could reduce the growth of this issue are the parents. If parents were to simply stop providing their children with video games containing mature content and censor what children are allowed to play, this issue would become less of an epidemic and the overall behavior of children across the world would improve.