Violent Video Games versus Real Life Violence

Violent Video Games versus Real Life Violence

Introduction

The society today is mixed up in identifying the links, which exist between scientific pieces of evidence, and the mere psychological postulations. Before an assertion is made factual, it has to be subjected to scientific research, and the results published for public consumption. Otherwise, such a statement will be considered a myth. Video games circulate among teens in the global society. Some of these games are violent, while others are nonviolent, and only meant for purely entertainment purposes. The consumption of computer games among teens has increased tremendously in the past decade. Does virtual violence cause real-world violence? The answer to this question sets the stage for all the paradigms of argument in this work.

The author Karen Sternheimer is a renowned sociologist from the Southern University of California. She has authored many books besides the article on “Science shows no link between games, and violence.” She is the author of the book “Connecting Social Problems, and Popular Culture: Why Media is not the Answer.” On the other hand, Michael Gallagher is the CEO, and president of the Entertainment Software Association, and was the respondent in the case before the US Supreme. The two authors have worked on the article “Science shows no link between games, and violence,” which seeks to shed more light on the federal, and the judicial systems of the US, and by extension, informing the parents, and minors as the targeted audiences. The purpose of this article was to prove that violent video games cause no psychological or neurological harm to children.

Logos

The two authors use logos, pathos, and ethos to construct their arguments in support of the principal claim. In an appeal to logos, the two authors draw a reference from the statistic from the federal crime. In these statistics compiled fifteen years ago, the popularity of video games increased significantly in the US. At the same time, there was a decrease in the number of youths involved in violent crimes. The statistics provide the exact opposite to the claims by the California Law. The logical appeal works by adding the amount of evidence before the court to abolish the California Law, and render it unconstitutional. If the California Law is enacted, it will have nothing to do with the reduced rates of violence in the US. The authors assert that victims of such violence deserve laws, which address the real issues in society.

Ethos

Sternheimer and Gallagher use ethos by referring to the 9th US Circuit Court Appeals. There was substantial evidence from California showing that violent video games result in psychological harm to the minors. Their argument is thus rendered credible. Besides, there is hope that the Supreme Court will consider the logical flaws within the deliberations of the law, and render it unconstitutional, just like the other federal courts. Additionally, the authors recognize the fact that the law can only be upheld if the false premise is accepted. The article uses to appeal to ethos to inject ethics before the US courts. By considering the ethical aspects, the law will have to be rejected since it lacks credibility.

Pathos

California has generated emotional responses from the authors. Sternheimer and Gallagher believe that the lawmakers in American society are just trying to pin the social problems on new forms of entertainment media. Movies, comedy, and rock-and-roll have been used as scapegoats for dynamic social issues. They assert that false assumptions have taken root to serve the basis of public policy, and constitutional law, which is unhealthy for a democratic society. The flawed assumptions used by the state would burden law enforcement with responsibilities. The flawed researchers who ridicule empirical evidence contradicting the harm have contributed significantly to the California Law. The authors suggest that the California Law should be rejected because it is based on profoundly flawed research. This appeal works by tainting the sources of pieces of evidence for the California Law. Thus, such a law emanating from flawed analysis should not be given room in the judicial system of the US.

Conclusion

The article is useful in subverting the intentions of California Law. From the available research works, and statistics, there is no correlation between violent video games, and violence among minors. Several studies, and scholarships have also challenged the law citing its inappropriateness. Several pieces of evidence have been gathered to fish the interests of the US courts reading its ruling on the law. The battle shifts from a legal battle to a scientific battle where research, and empirical evidence prevail, hence making the article entertaining. The overall argument is effective based on the amount of evidence, and counter-arguments made regarding the California Law. The 9th US Circuit Court also attests the lack of substantive evidence from California. The article is also informative since it draws its supportive arguments from several authors, researchers, and the state department of statistics. It is important to note that courts only use the available amount of evidence presented before it, even if the case may seem so obvious. For the California Law to be enacted, there is a need for substantive evidence supporting the claim that violent video games cause violence among the minors.