Video Games

Introduction

Since their introduction in the early 1970's, the popularity of video games has skyrocketed. As a result, they have had an increased impact on society, and have received more and more attention from the media. Video games have many effects on gamers. Many people have speculated that video games have a direct influence on how violent a person becomes. In addition, some gamers develop severe addictions to video games, to the point where it can dominate their lives. Not all effects of video games are negative, however. For instance, video games have been proven to improve attention, learning, and motor skills. Still, the negative repercussions of excessive game play seem to outweigh the positive. In this paper, we will analyze the arguments made about the effects of video games on society.

Method

The majority of our research was conducted on the internet, at www.mediafamily.org, www.vifamily.ca, www.cnn.com, www.apa.org. Information was also obtained from GamePro magazine.

Results

According to Dr. Craig Anderson, several studies have yielded indisputable evidence that violent video games cause an increase in aggressive behavior. Games such as Mortal Combat and Grand Theft Auto portray murder as a casual, lighthearted sport.

According to Anderson, video games are "Ð'...potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television and movies, which are known to have substantial effects on aggression and violence."

Dr. Anderson conducted two studies of the effects of violent video games. The first study was a survey of 227 college students who were asked to report their actual aggressive behavior (delinquencies) and their general video game habits. "We found that students who reported playing more violent video games in junior and high school engaged in more aggressive behavior," said Anderson. "We also found that amount of time spent playing video games in the past was associated with lower academic grades in college." The second study involved 210 college students playing either a violent or non-violent video game, while being given the ability to punish their opponent upon victory with a horn blast. Afterwards, the students who played the violent video game punished their opponent for a longer period of time than those that had played the non-violent game.

Another problem caused by video games is gaming addiction. Psychiatrists are having to come up with new terms and causes for gaming addiction. The most common candidates for gaming addiction are naturally from its largest demographic, males ages thirteen to thirty, yet there is a surprisingly large following of young "stay-at-home" moms. These addicts usually delve into the virtual world to escape problems or inadequacies in their own lives. The most addictive gaming outlet is undisputedly online role-playing-games (RPG's) such as Everquest (often referred to as "Evercrack"), Ultima Online, or World of Warcraft. These games allow the player to create their own character and completely immerse themselves in a fantasy world for hours on end. Depression is not the only cause of gaming addiction. A study conducted at the Hammersmith Hospital in London confirmed that playing video games releases dopamine in the brain, giving the gamer a high roughly equivalent to an injection of amphetamines.

Not all effects of video games are harmful though. Studies have proven that playing certain educational games can significantly improve learning skills, while others improve fine motor-skills.

Discussion

Personally, I don't believe video games alone can cause a person to be more violent. I've played all the controversial violent video games, and I have no desire to go on a shooting spree. I've never even gotten in a fight. A more accurate statement of the effects of violent video games would be that it desensitizes players to violence-- I definitely don't cringe when I see blood and gore like I used to when I was young.

Dr. Anderson's findings of increased aggression from violent video games as opposed to non-violent games are most likely legitimate, yet if you take