Video Games and Violence - Essay Sample

Introduction

There is a long-standing debate on whether the violence portrayed in video games triggers increased aggressiveness among the players. It is important to note that when people become aggressive, many factors can cause such attitudes. Human beings inherit genes from their guardians, and this means that if their parents are violent, there is a likelihood that they will portray elements of being aggressive.

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Environment

The environment that an individual is living may be unconducive for human survival due to the tough living conditions, and this may lead to people becoming aggrieve to raise their survival chances. In human life, violence is multi-determined, and it is often regarded as a complex developmental process, and it can happen when there is an interaction between biological and environmental influences. Therefore, the analysis completed in this paper will focus on the fact that violent video games are not the reason why people become aggressive.

The topic is a major issue in society and based on the details highlighted in a court ruling, Brown v EMA (2011), the jury stated that there is no connection between violent video games and the existence of human aggression (Ferguson, 2013). Despite the court decision, some people in society claims that two concepts are connected due to the violent behaviors noted in children and the assertions that previous studies done on this topic did not use the standardized research materials.

Reduced Aggression

There is a high probability that the existence of violent video games is leading to reduced aggression in the community (Ferguson & Wang, 2019). When people are playing these games, they are offered a chance to become occupied. They manage to lead a simple form of life, leading to the release of anger and a reduction in depression levels. When players are busy, they are kept away from trouble, a move that ensures that they are not harming their friends (Ferguson & Wang, 2019).

Researchers are finding it challenging to get a better explanation of why people become aggressive towards each other. Therefore, they are resulting in finding an easier way of getting a resolution to this problem by claiming that violent video games are the ones that are causing this problem. It is essential to note that what can make people aggressive is frustration when playing a challenging game.

When gamers are provided with a non-violent game that is difficult to play, they will be frustrated that they are not managing to win (Ferguson & Wang, 2019). Therefore, they will divert their frustration towards others, and this aggression may lead to injuries and damages to items. However, when playing a violent but easy game, they are highly likely to enjoy it for they are winning. The brain will release the feel-good hormone, and this will make the players show happiness rather than become aggressive.

Aggression Among Gamers

Studies done on this topic have their limitations that are making it difficult to determine the association that may exist between violent video games and the level of aggression among gamers. According to Ferguson & Wang (2019), some of the measures used in a study on this topic are the youth self-report. These are programs that are not reliable, and they are highly likely to be affected by single-responder bias (Ferguson & Wang, 2019). Additionally, it is challenging to rely on self-report when analyzing an aggressive video report. These elements of weakness show that it is difficult to claim that there is a link between aggressiveness and violent video games.

Pan et al. (2018) state that a significant number of studies show that an extended exposure to the video games show that an element of violence is likely to lead people portray elements of negative effects. However, it should be noted that the studies focus more on the determination of the correlation that exists between aggression and violent video games (Pan et al., 2018). It is not clear whether the brain activity noted in these individuals is triggered by violent video games exposure.

Based on the details highlighted in this article, a study was completed that involved taking spontaneous brain activity measurements. The outcomes obtained showed that an extended period of exposure is not likely to hurt spontaneous brain activity. The result implies that the correlation between video games and aggression in players is minimal (Pan et al., 2018). The authors claims that there exist other factors that trigger the aggression noted among the video players that may include childhood trauma and family background.

Pan et al. (2018) state a reduced relationship between aggressiveness and violent video when there is a high level of youth disclosure, parental attachment, reduced cases of home yelling, and conflict. The influence that the violent video games exert on a player is moderated by a player’s features that incorporate their gender, moral judgment criteria, and cognitive styles. Some people are likely to select violent video games to release stress, and this will not lead them to become aggressive but rather calm, enabling them to handle matters in the right way (Pan et al., 2018). Therefore, according to the authors, the violent video games is not a factor that triggers a rise in the cases of aggression among players. It can be noted that there exist other elements that are contributing to people behaving in such a manner.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is critical to note that violent video games do not lead to the players becoming aggressive. The games are used as a way to relieve stress and to keep the mind occupied. Different researchers have undertaken various studies, and they are showing that there are environmental factors that are triggering a rise in the level of aggressiveness noted amongst people. Cases of childhood trauma, increased instances of conflicts at home, and yelling at children is highly likely to make them aggressive in life. These details are an indication that violent video games are not behind the risking cases of aggressiveness in society.

References

Ferguson, C. J. (2013). Violent video games and the Supreme Court: Lessons for the scientific community in the wake of Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. American Psychologist, 68(2), 57-74. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0030597

Ferguson, C. J., & Wang, J. C. (2019). Aggressive video games are not a risk factor for future aggression in youth: A longitudinal study. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(8), 1439-1451.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01069-0

Pan, W., Gao, X., Shi, S., Liu, F., & Li, C. (2018). Spontaneous brain activity did not show the effect of violent video games on aggression: a resting-state fMRI study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2219. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02219.