Violence in video games causes violent behavior in the children that play them. That’s what all the psychologists say. People in the gaming industry say that video games are a form of entertainment and an activity that can be done with friends. If you ask people that grew up playing video games, they say “No, video games haven’t affected my behavior in any way”. You don’t believe them, but haven’t you ever wondered why they always say that?
I am one of those kids that grew up with those “violent video games”. One of the video game series I remember spending hours on was Harvest Moon. In the game, you are supposed to take an abandoned farm and make it successful again. You can grow crops, raise livestock, and dig for fossils.
Another game series I grew up with is Legend of Zelda. The two I played a lot specifically were Ocarina of Time and Wind Waker. Sure there was “violence” in Legend of Zelda. You hit enemies with a sword a couple of times, they fly backwards and disappear in a puff of dark purple smoke.
Compare the video games to the movies that came out when I was young, like Lord of the Rings and 300. My parents bought them once they came out on DVD. My dad, my brothers, and I sat down and watched them as a family. I was five the first time I watched Fellowship of the Ring (rated PG-13) and I was ten the first time I watched 300 (rated R). Whereas all the video games my parents got me and my brothers were rated E (everyone). Parents were like that for all of my friends, they were allowed to see movies that they weren’t old enough to see, but they played the correctly rated video games.
Violence in movies and on tv is more realistic than the violence seen in most video games. An enemy lying dead on the ground covered in dirt and blood compared to an enemy that disappears in smoke when it dies. Which do you think teaches kids about the results of violent acts?
People spend more time watching violence on television than in a video game. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics an American that is 15 years or older spends, on average, 2.8 hours watching television and 52 minutes playing video games. According to a kids health website kids under 6 spend 2 hours a day watching television and kids 8-18 spend 4 hours watching television and 2 hours playing video games.
It is a lot easier for parents to filter the video games their kids are playing than the television shows their kids watch. In some families it is a ritual to sit down together and watch a show. A couple of my friends’ families watch The Walking Dead together, rated TV-14 (content may not be appropriate for kids younger than 14), and they have siblings that are 7 or 8. My dad, my brothers, and I used to do that with movies. My mom has us play board games whenever everyone is home, most people see that as boring, but you know board games are awesome and it is sad how few people play board games nowadays. Not to mention that there is no violence in board games.
Compare that family ritual to convincing parents to buy a video game. You have to coerce money or a credit card. Your parents might ask what the video game is about or they will look up the game to see what it is rated and the contents of the game. Even if they buy it for you, they might see you playing it one day, decide it is too violent, and take it away.
I don’t think it’s the video games we play that affects our behavior. I think it is the television shows and the movies we watch that make us more aggressive.
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