VIOLENT VIDEO GAME EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

VIOLENT VIDEO GAME EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

            Games have been around for years, they can date back to as far as the era of Egyptians. Although, in 2016, games have evolved into virtual video games; Video games can severely impact on an individual. Some players become so deeply involved in playing their favorite games that they might fairly be termed as addicts (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014). Young people are no different, violent video games affect the young generation. There are a large amount of video games exposing violence that people have access to.  The violence in these video games can lead to an aggressive behavior from them. This research outlines the effects of violent video games on general human health.

There have been many studies that have proven that there is a link to violent video game exposure and an increase in aggression and aggressive thoughts in people and hence they should be banned.  Some video games can be worse compared to television, especially where there is a plot line entailing punishment towards evil doers, while in most of violent video games, violence is the overall theme itself, and leading to higher scores and loss of lives (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014).

There has been a rating system that was specifically developed for violent video games specifying that the game may cause violence, explained by (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014).  There were laws banning the selling of M (Mature) rated video games to minors, explained by (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014).However, a California law prohibiting the sale of violent video game to minors was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2012 on the

grounds that game developers have free speech rights that include the right to make violent computer software (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014).

There have been many studies linked to violence in video games and an increase in violent/aggressive thoughts and behaviors. However, in 2015 a further study concluded that violent video games do not have any negative impacts on people, despite upholding the encouraging effects of violent video games in the earlier piece (Boxer, Groves, & Docherty, 2015).

Ferguson accounts that violent video games significantly doesn’t increase people’s aggression, reduce their prosocial behavior, relate to their depressive symptoms or increase their attention deficit symptoms (Boxer, Groves, & Docherty, 2015).  In his sample of 48 people, 19% were not affected by the violence and did not have any violence thoughts or increase in aggression.  General exposure to video games (not limited to violent games) had similar impacts. These impacts are, of course, modest, but they are certainly in line with what has been reported by other studies (Boxer, Groves, & Docherty, 2015).In this study, as well as others presented in the article, the findings were that violent video games do not lead to an increase of aggression or violent behaviors in people and hence should not be banned.

The video game industry is evolving and ever changing.  There will always be an advance in technology.  Sometime, players are too involved with the violent video games, invoking them to inherit the violent ways of that video game. Critics contend that the Adults Only (AO) rating is only given for sexual content, whereas extreme violence should perhaps also be limited to adults (Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport, 2014).Although there are many studies where it disapproves increase in aggression in people due to video games, there should be a law or at least the control rules against violent video games so that there is a less of a chance for the young generation to have increased aggressive thoughts due to playing violent video games.

References

Boxer, Groves, & Docherty. (2015). Video Games Influence people aggression and prosocial Behavior: A clearer reading of Ferguson (2015). perspectives of phychological science.

Straubhaar, LaRose, & Davenport. (2014). Media now: understanding media,culture and technology. Boston,MA: Wadsworth.