RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
Do video games propagate violence?
Hira Sajjad
Osama Fayyaz
Omer Tariq
Ali Naeem
Hamza Saleem
Shoaib Ayub
MS. JAVARIA SIDDIQUE
ACADEMIC WRITING SSC 204
3rd September, 2016
LAHORE SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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Abstract
The overall purpose of this study is to find out whether the video games promote violence
among the youth of Pakistan or not. This paper covers all the aspects of relationship between
video gaming and violence. This paper draws upon both the primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources include: an interview from a psychiatrist and a gaming zone owner. In
addition to that, questionnaire survey was conducted to get an opinion of public. As far as
secondary sources are concerned, newspaper articles, journals, published experimental results
were consulted, used and analyzed. The questionnaires were distributed to 100 people out of
which 99 responses were received. 51 males and 48 females filled the survey, so this research
has a balance of opinions between the male and female population. After analyzing all the
data, the research has come to conclusion that, gaming is not the only factor which promotes
violence, there are many other factors, like movies which depicts war or any other violent
element.
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Introduction
Background
With the advancement of computing technology, much has been put into the development of
video games. Video games are becoming increasingly complex, detailed, and intriguing to a
growing international audience of players. The use of fantastic settings of different
campaigns and storylines ranging from top rated games to old school simple games like
Mario and Donkey Kong, provide a certain element of attraction for the gamers, even serving
as a learning experience for them. Video games provide stress-relieving entertainment and
are very addictive. Now, as we know everything carries positive and negative impacts,
moving on to the gaming, the question arises whether the video games incites aggressive
behavior, violence or not. Violence in video games is propagated through the use of graphic
and gore content, ranging from bloodshed to various methods of crime.
Statement of the problem
Video games are promoting violence among the youth of Pakistan.
Scope of study
This research is conducted to identify whether the video games are promoting violence or
not. This study covers the teenagers of Pakistan, who are hardcore gamers. Some people are
biased in filling the questionnaires or they don’t pay proper attention while filling it, which
will prove to be a limitation for our study.
RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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Literature Review
In order to probe about the matters arising from the gaming, many researches have been
carried out, where experts have conducted experiments on groups of individuals in order to
accept and reject their hypothesis regarding the effect of video games. An article published in
2011 By: Roanna Cooper, MA and Marc Zimmerman, PhD, MI-YVPC Director cites many
experiments carried out on the elementary school students. Almost all of the researches
carried out, indicated a positive relation between video games and aggressive behaviors.
Results indicated that children who played more violent video games early in a school year
changed to see the world in a more aggressive way. Moreover they become more aggressive
verbally and physically in later years.
In an article published on 17th august 2015 by Zoe Kleinman Technology reporter, BBC
News contains the logic behind why video games promotes aggressive behavior. The reason
is not concentrated around the element contained in the video games, rather it tells about the
frustration involved in not able to play the games. Moreover, the need to come out top on the
scoreboard also incites aggression among the players.
An article published in 2013 by Pete Etchells on 'The guardian' links the role of violent video
games with the aggressive behavior. The author gives examples of some recent incidents that
took place and are claimed to be the results of violent video gaming. According to the article,
violent gaming leads to aggressive behavior at least in the short run. However, the author also
says with reference of another research that if violent games are played but with a positive
mission in it (e,g saving the humans from a zombie attack) then the games don’t lead to an
aggressive behavior because the gamer's intentions are good. Moreover, the author gives
more references and gives value to both the ideas that violent gaming leads to aggressive
behavior and also that it does not.
Troy Deskins’ article, published in 2015 contains many references from the previous
researches on the same subject such as by William Martins in 2009; he found out that females
are given sexualized secondary character in video games. Women are seen as sexually
submissive objects that can influence individual’s thoughts, reinforce gender stereotypes, and
gender roles (Stermer & Burkley, 2012). The highly violent content of video games is
cultivating a problem of derogating women, hostile sexism and increasing negative attitudes
of men towards gender equality.
All of these articles focus on the studies carried out internationally, in United States of
America or in other countries. No such research has been carried out in Pakistan. What we
are going to do is to find about the mentality of youth in Pakistan. Furthermore, we will be
inquiring whether the content of video games incites aggressive behavior or the aggression is
related to the competition, which arises while playing head to head against someone.
Research Questions
Major Research Question
How can games lead to increased violence amongst Pakistani Youth?
Minor Research Question
How does gaming impact psyche of an individual?
What kind of aggressiveness is projected within games?
How can playing of games cause aggression?
How can the problem be reduced?
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Methodology
This research consisted of both the qualitative and the quantitative data. The survey
distributed to 100 people had following results. The target audience chosen was people from
ages 16-25. This included university students and the people who play games. This age
group was chosen because video gaming is popular among this age group. So, they would
give a better opinion for the research questions. The results were interpreted through the pie
charts, which helped in drawing analysis regarding the types of video games preferred by the
audience, or if the games promote violence or not and which platforms do most people use as
a medium of playing games.
Also interview was conducted from a psychiatrist who his practicing his medicine at the
National Hospital Defence. Second interview was conducted from a gaming zone owner of
“Console Zone” situated in Johar Town Lahore.
Analysis of Data and Discussion
Gaming is the most common hobby, in youth, all over the world. According to a study nearly
1 in 10 young gamers displayed behavior patterns similar to addiction. Whether your child is
an avid gamer or rarely picks a controller, it is important to understand the effects of gaming
on a human mind. Gaming impacts both positively and negatively on an individual. Let us
first consider the gains from gaming: Games are an excellent work out for brain, since some
games require a higher level of thinking and tactics which makes brain more efficient. It
generates a sense of obedience in a person because they have to follow instructions in games
as well. A better Problem Solving ability can also be seen in many gamers along with better
driving skills in real life. Those gamers who grow up to be Pilots or Drivers, are considered
as more productive than those kids who do not played many games. A more efficient
Multitasking ability is another plus point for gamers, since in combat games such as “Call of
duty”, players have to find enemies by roaming around, and killing immediately as soon as
they see someone, for this they have to aim and run at the same time, this makes them better
at Multitasking. Furthermore, better estimating skills, fast decisions, quick thinking and
accuracy are some other benefits from gaming that makes people more skilful in real life.
Gamers performs their tasks with more concentration level, since it helps them focus better
on their actions, this assists them in real life tasks when they perform it with higher
concentration, they may perform them more quickly and accurate than Non-Gamers. It also
improves the memory of an individual, as they have to remember their achievements and
their goals they have fulfilled, to focus on their next aims. Games also enhances the
Managerial ability of a person. A well experienced player of competitive games such as Fifa
or Age of Empire knows how to manage his team or army in case of a challenge, therefore it
makes them mentally prepared for tough situations and to think of most effective ways to
deal such circumstances, this makes them good at managing. Multiplayer games strengthens
the bond between players, and they feel more attached to their partners who play games
together. These people also tend to involve in less quarrels amongst each other in real life.
Last but not the least, games makes learning fun for children, since they enjoy playing, they
are unintentionally gaining enough knowledge from these games, which same thing if taught
to them from a book, becomes quiet boring for them. Apart from all these benefits of gaming,
games also impose some adverse effects on the players; Firstly it is a wastage of precious
time, players spend hours sitting in front of a screen and enjoying their games, however the
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opportunity cost of this time could be very high. They could have spent this time in other
activities such as studying, which could be proved more productive. Therefore, it can be
argued to some extent that gaming makes its users more or less “anti-social”. Furthermore, it
also corrupts the mind of an individual, since they learn very wrongful activities from games
such as stealing, abusing and beating as well. They then practice these activities in real life
and thus commit crimes. Those who get arrested for such crimes lives on then with a criminal
record which causes issues for them in gaining employment. According to one report by
Media, the main reason behind violence is Violent Games. High aggression and short
temperedness are some other major issues experienced in addictive gamers. Those gamers,
interested in combat games experience high levels of anger while playing as well as in real
life. This leads to major health issues such as depression, strokes, nerve compression,
muscular disorder and many more. One of the major health issue faced by most gamers is
obesity, since gamers stay more at home or at one place rather than being out and playing in
parks etc. Due to this, they tend to indulge in less physical activities and suffer through
obesity. Apart from these issues, one should always find time to spend with their family for a
better living and to strengthen their relation with each other. No doubt, an addictive gamer
would find it too boring to sit and have a chat with their family members, or discuss their
daily routine or problems with them. Therefore it is complained by many parents that
inventions of better and better games, result in a loss of contact between
With the significant proportion of people seeking education till their late twenties, there has
been a noteworthy change in the standard of living since last two decades. The teenager
nowadays does not value the conventional lifestyle of his/her parents. The rapid technological
revolution has allowed many of them to use personal computers, smartphones, game consoles
and other electronic devices. The amendment in lifestyle has revealed a considerable number
of students playing video games more often than any other activity they do. On one hand, 10
years earlier or so, video games were helpful as a powerful teaching tool for children. As
mentioned in C.A Anderson and W.A Warburton, (2012), they have been used to teach
algebra. (Corbett, 2001), biology (Ybarrondo, 1984), photography (Abrams, 1986), and
computer programming (Kahn, 1999). C.A Anderson and W.A Warburton (2012) believe that
some video games have promoted physical activity and exercise. However, this study is
focused on what kind of aggressiveness is projected within video games. Usually, the type of
video games that are being excessively played determines the aggressive behavior in
Pakistani youth.The researcher D.H Pink believes that exposure to violent-sexist video games
decrease empathy in the players for female violence victims. The video games such as Grand
Auto Theft (GTA) are being programmed as highly anti-social games in which male
characters have been depicted as masculine, dominant, and aggressive men. The female
characters are given less importance in terms of respect and are seen as sex objects. This
trend has remained in the favour of male players. As mentioned in T. Deskins, (2015) the
research conducted by Leonardo (2003) revealed that male characters in video games were
designed to regularly engage in physical violence.The exposure to anti-social video games is
leaving a harmful impact on children and adolescents today. They have been given a sense
that in real world, a woman does not have equal status to those of men. Men do not show any
emotions of benevolence, sympathy, and affection towards women. D.H Pink researched that
feelings of anger and rage are encouraged in real men because they are associated with high
status and power. Traditionally, women are encouraged to put themselves in the second place
to men and are expected to be submissive and dependent on men. The two entirely different
beliefs, from the perspective of both genders, on roles of men and women is causing
violence. The video games reinforce this stereotype that men are rough, aggressive and
tough. Anderson & Bushman (2002) (as mentioned in C.A Anderson and W.A Warburton,
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2012) state that violence is aggressive behavior that has extreme harm as its goal. The
research conducted by C.J Ferguson, Rueda, Crus and D.E Ferguson believe that individuals
exposed to violent media will more often engage in violent behavior. He found out that males
are more aggressive than females and choose to play more violent video games.
It is widely believed that children imitate characters from the media they see, those that are
attractive and heroic. This is condemned in real world because video games such as GTA
leaves no space for recovery after harm is done to someone. As mentioned in C.A Anderson
and W.A Warburton (2012), an 18-year-old youth in Thailand stabbed a taxi driver to death
trying to find out if it was as easy in real life to rob a taxi as it was in the game (Reed, 2008).
In 2003, William buckner, 16, and his step-brother Joshua, 14, killed a man and seriously
wounded a woman shooting at cars in Tennessee (Calvert, 2003). Also in 2003, an 18-yearold killed three police officers following to arrest him for a carjacking. On being re-arrested,
he said these words: “Life is like aa video game. Everybody’s got to die sometime.” (Leung,
2005). That particular killer had been influenced by GTA III. Therefore, it has been
suggested that the portrayal of aggressive characters in video games have become
increasingly realistic (Gentile, 2007).The violent video games support the committing of
crimes in children such as killing the women on their way to get extra rewards. It is
surprising to note that these acts go unpunished and in contrary, earn players extra rewards,
having a negative impact on the players especially children under 18 do not recognise this
type of harm.
Video games created their entry within the early Nineteen Seventies. The primary generation
of games used easy shapes and had borderline interaction. The primary game, Pong, tried to
simulate ping pong using 2 rectangles’ as paddles, and a little square as the ball. The paddles
could be controlled by an individual player. This game displayer no violent acts or things.
Although the primary widespread games to be thought-about violent was PAC Man. This
game consisted of a small circle with a mouth that attempted to devour tables and destroy
ghosts. Despite the fact that this hardly ever seems violent by means of modern-day
requirements, it’s changed into one of the first games to contain destruction of any type. In
the past 30 years, video games have had a serious impact on however individuals pay their
time on the primary generation of video games were nothing over straightforward geometric
shapes, one or additional of that might be controlled by the sport player. With the discharge
of the Nintendo amusement system within the Eighties and Sony’s PlayStation within the
Nineties came new generations of games, with higher graphical and additional capabilities.
Till the recent revivification in interest in video games within the past decade, analysis on the
subject was lowest. The best recent contribution has been Anderson and Bushman’s (2002)
general aggression model (GAM), that explains each the event of aggression and individual
variations in condition to the influence of violent video games owing to the numerous
biological and physical changes that occur throughout time of life, exposure to violent games
ought to have an effect on the processes that operate at intervals the GAM. So as to regulate
the result of computer game violence, one should initially perceive the result it’s on the brain,
as well as within the areas of aggression and hostility. The Aggression model (AM) tries to
provide an explanation for each, the improvement of aggression and character variations in
susceptibility to have an effect of violent video games. In line with the AM, both situational
and personological variables engage to have an effect on someone's inner state (Anderson &
Bushman 2002). The internal state contains cognitions, feelings and arousals. All 3 of these
items influence each other, and each has an effect on an individual's interpretation of a
violent act. Once the brain's interpretation is entirely complete, decision-making tactics begin
to arise.
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The model also states that violent video games have both short and long term effects. Within
the short term, the video games are a situational variable, inflicting a growth in violent
cognitions, affects and arousal. The long term outcomes are just hypothesis, as inadequate
studies have been performed to test its impacts. This is because of the factuality that research
in this topic is fairly new, so no longitudinal facts are available yet. Anderson and bushman
(2002) hypothesized that violent video video games have an effect on behavior by way of
selling aggressive beliefs and attitudes, as a consequence creating violent schema, a
behavioral scripts, and antagonistic expectancies. In addition, they claim that it desensitizes
individuals to aggression. This could be visible on a massive scale if one looks on the
development of violence in video video games over the past 20 years. When Super Mario
Bros. was first released in the 1980s, it was reviewed as a violent video game. Even though
the game was eminently fictitious and featured a very cartoon-like look, the main persona
broke blocks and tried to defeat his enemies by bouncing on their heads. The Super Mario
Bros collection hardly appears violent as compared to today’s standards. Current games for
instance Mortal Kombat characteristic realistic graphics and controls, however also severe
blood and gore. In this game you combat a human-like opponent in try to scrape him down.
The contest is finished with a "Fatality," an act which kills your opponent in a very striking
style. Frequent "Fatalities" encompass burning combatant alive, clipping their heads off, and
even slashing out their hearts. Games like this have greatly affected modern-day requirements
of a violent game. The Aggression model helped to reveal how complex of a problem the
connection among violence, online game, and aggression actually is. Gentile et al. (2004)
assert it has an additive impact. Because of this, those who are already high in certain factors,
in particular hostility, are considerably at greater possibility to end up being extra pugnacious
due to impact by violent video games. The cases who are rated as low in hostility were
observed to have almost no effect on their aggression tiers by violent video video games.
Method of the Aggression Model significantly facilitates us in comprehending this complex
link between aggression and extreme video games. Kirsch (2003), the first to apply the
Aggression model specifically to juvenile. Due to the colossal organic and physical
adjustments that arise all through puberty, exposure to violent video games must affect the
processes that function within the Aggression model. These strategies are already in region at
formative years, but in the course of this time they're still influenced by using contemporary
environments (Kirsch 2003). For the duration of formative years there is a well-known
increase inside the aggression (Lindemann, Harakka, & Keltikangas-Jaervinen, 1997). This
aggression mixed with the subjection to violent media will strengthen and proliferate hostile
cognitions, influences and arousal. This interplay has a negative effect on on the internal
attitude, escorting to high aggression. The results of this exposure are greater throughout
early formative years than middle and later childhood. This is because the amount of
physiological arousal is finest at some point of this time (spear, 2000).
Video gaming is increasing day by day in Pakistan. As we all know that 60% of Pakistan’s
population is youth, which is also the most active group of gamers. There are many reasons
behind the popularity of gaming. The video games industry has undergone a total
transformation in recent years. The gaming industry is the third fastest growing segment of
the electronic media. It is perceived as very addictive. Gaming is started as a recreational
activity but it becomes addictive as time passes. Gaming is so addictive that friends, family
and even school is at times neglected. There is not one reason for game addiction. Developers
make their game more interesting and attractive that gamers never want to stop playing.
Developers make games difficult so players keep on trying. One more reason for playing
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games is to make or beat the highest score. Some games have levels that players keep on
playing to finish the levels or their curiosity about the next level. That’s why people keep on
trying for long times in one go. Our survey has proved that majority people play more than 2
hours in a go. The interview taken of Fahad Iqbal, owner of a renowned Gaming Zone in
Lahore (Console Zone), tells us that people even play for 8-10 hours continuously a day in
his gaming zone. As gaming is addictive so its demand is increasing in Pakistani youth. “The
most popular game nowadays is World of Warcraft (WOW) has more than 10 million players
registered from all over the world”(Anonymous, Most Addictive Video Games,2014). The
other multiplayer game that is played online is “Halo 3”. Because of its addiction it is also
called “Halodiction”. Online players have also recorded that they have played this game for
19 hours in a stretch. Furthermore parents nowadays in Pakistan because of security issues
mostly prefer gaming. Kidnapping and other security issues have forced parents to prefer
video gaming to outdoor sports. As we all know that outdoor games are far better than
gaming. Interview of psychologist, Dr. Altaf Qadir, also tells us that gaming should not be
preferred over outdoor sports. But parents are scared to send their children outside as criminal
activities are rising in Pakistan day by day. So security is also a reason for the popularity of
gaming. One more reason for the popularity of video gaming is that it is trending nowadays
in the youth. It’s human psychology that if one child has one thing and another child sees it,
then the other also wishes to have that particular thing. As consoles are trending in society so
its popularity is also rising. Kids are also buying different games, as they want to beat their
friends in gaming, so the kids force their parents into buying. As children love immersion,
they love to really get their heads into things and stay with them for a long time – stories,
games, relationships. They love to be immersed in things, and that’s a really important part of
what games brings to all this. Everyone likes the wonder world of gaming and gaming mostly
charms children. The charming aura created by the gaming world is so appealing that minds
cannot ignore it. As modernization is taking place, developing countries are also nearing
towards different products. Electronic media is at its peak these days. And gaming is also
included in e-media. The evolution of technology was drastic in the past few years. So the
evolution of gaming was also linked with technology. New consoles and ideas have attracted
the youth to its full. In addition to all this easy access to video games has also increased the
regime of the gaming industry. The growth of online, broadband and high speed internet
access has also played an important role in the popularity of video gaming. The launch of 3G
and 4G has also encouraged the popularity of gaming. As the consoles are becoming
increasingly affordable their use has also increased. The prices of PCs and smartphones has
failed to a great extent. So everyone nowadays carry a console with them which make their
access to gaming easy. Because of this everyone is involved in gaming. If we see the
numbers, prices of consoles and PCs have been declining time by time. After thorough
research of quantitative data and interviews with professionals, a conclusion can be reached
that the aforementioned reasons are the most relevant to the recent high popularity of gaming.
Violence possibly caused by video games can be avoided, prevented and managed. Different
groups in the society need to play their role to prevent the negative impact of violent video
games on the gamers. Parents and the Government are the two main groups which can play
an important role to deal effectively with this problem.Firstly, the parents can play a vital role
to prevent their children from adopting an aggressive behavior due to violent video games
which they play frequently. They get isolated from the society as they become less interactive
with people and the only people they know are the computer projections. Children who have
gaming as a major part of their life are unable to socialize, they feel alienated when they
encounter the real world. To escape this, they might develop a tendency to dehumanize
others. Nowadays, children spend most of their free time at home in their rooms playing
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video games as an interview conducted in a gaming zone in DHA Lahore concluded that
more than 11.7% of the gamers play for more than 3 hours in one sitting. They are not given
much time by their parents as both the father and the mother are in the working population
and remain busy most of the times. Children are getting addicted to video games as gaming is
becoming their only source of entertainment. The violent games such as Call of Duty, GTA
and WWE are officially meant to be only played by the adults (18+) as clearly mentioned on
the cover of these games but the majority of people in our country do not pay attention
towards it. Spending excessive time playing such games leaves an impact on the real life
behavior of the gamer therefore, the parents should make sure that their child does not get
addicted to games. Children nowadays have access to mobile phones and computers from a
very early age and this is why they get addicted to games that are available over there.
“Rather than trying to enforce an ‘unrealistic’ ban on the games, parents and teachers should
encourage teenagers to do charity work and take up extracurricular activates” (Daily mail,
2014). For this reason, it is the duty of the parents to only provide a healthy source of
entertainment such as sports, reading books to their child so that he/she can get benefit from
it rather than wasting their time on violent games. Moreover, even if the child likes to play
games then parents need to confirm that he/she is playing only those games which are
appropriate for his/her age group. Parents need to take out time for their children, guide about
them what is right and wrong for them. Doctor Altaf Qadir who is practicing medicine at the
National Hospital as a psychiatrist also agrees with this idea and said that “Parents should
spend their time with the children. They should coach their children in such a manner that
children get much more involved in healthy activities such as sports rather than lazy activities
like gaming as it does not only lead to negative impact on behavior but also damages the
eyesight of the gamer who sits in front of the screen for longer hours” (Personal
communication, 21st August 2016). Sana Ijaz, a peace activist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
supports the idea of Doctor Altaf Qadir by saying: “If we expose our children to these things
from a tender age, it will not be difficult for them to fall into the hands of extremists when
they are teenagers” (Aug 5, 2013). The parents, therefore, need to take this issue very
seriously and allow no free hand to their children in case of video games from a young age
otherwise the consequences can be dangerous. Secondly, the government of Pakistan also
needs to contribute. It should introduce laws to discourage such games. However, it should be
kept in mind that the role does not end here, regular monitoring and evaluation is required to
make sure that the laws are being followed. Some steps have already been taken by the
government of Pakistan against the games that could lead to a negative impact on the mind of
the youth in our country. Games such as “Call of Duty: Black OPS 2” and “Medal of Honor:
Warfighter” portray Pakistan as a danger zone from where the enemy attacks come. These
games depict Pakistan and its intelligence agency, Inter-services Intelligence (ISS), as proAl-Qaida. Regarding this, Saleem Memon, president of the all Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio
Cassettes Traders and manufacturers association, said:” They show the country in a very poor
light.” So, when young Pakistani Children (5-15 years old) play such games, they encounter a
negative representation of their culture, people and country. This, as a result, at times triggers
a reactionary response in the young minds. The reaction, if comes out in the form of
aggression, can lead to devastating impact in the form of violence. Hence, the relevant groups
of the society should address this issue as soon as possible because the problem is increasing
rapidly in our country and it needs to be tackled before it worsens for us as it will then be
hard to minimize the effects as compared to the situation now.
Triangulation
The present research is concerned about whether video games promote violence in the
individuals and what kind of symptoms are found in those individuals. In the previous studies
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this issue has remained a major controversy. According to Pete Etchells’ (2013) article it had
been concluded that video games do promote violence. He has acknowledged the fact that
video games can cause violence however it is not necessary because it depends on the type of
game being played. A psychologist in National hospital has the similar opinion. He has also
extended his argument that increased exposure to violent content, including the “other media”
apart from video games, have an impact on one’s personality. Hence, he does not blame
video games entirely but to some extent the violence is dependent on an individual’s
personality, the way he/she reacts to violent content shown in media is another highlighted
aspect (personal communication, 21 august, 2016). Some responses relevant to this issue
were gathered through the surveys. It was revealed that 31% of players like to play games in
which they have to ‘shoot’. In another response, 61.5% people agreed upon that they are
pumped up by playing video games. 42.3% responses were from the players who are addicted
to playing games. The responses are in line with the experts’ belief that violence depends on
the players themselves, the game he/she chooses to play and his level of involvement in the
game.
Another concern is the type of behavior common in victims of violent video games. In this
regard, aggressiveness has been highlighted by many researches. The articles of Zoe
Kleinman (2015), Roanna Cooper, MA and Marc Zimmerman (2011) indicate aggression as
the major problem of game players. The psychologist in the national hospital believes that
some video games are related to “excitement, agitation and competition” (personal
communication, 21 august, 2016). In an interview from the owner of gaming zone, he stated
that that “there are some mild to high cases of aggressive behavior”, there is a sense of
competition found in the players (personal communication, 21 august, 2016). He stressed on
the word ‘some’ which means that it is not a quite serious problem of game players. In the
same regard, 37.1% of responses from the survey were in favour of ‘yes’ to the question: “do
you get bothered if someone outscores you?” In another question: “do you feel sense of
competition between you and the opponent you are playing with?” 65.6% people responded
with ‘yes’. Although in one more question, it was asked to tick one box from ‘angry’,
‘irritated’, ‘restless’ and ‘normal’. About half of the entire responses ticked the ‘normal’
category. It has been implied that game players probably do not know what kind of effect is
transmitted over them by gaming.
Lastly over the issue on solutions to this problem, the psychologist highlighted the role of
parents, responsibility of state and the role of media (personal communication, 21 august,
2016). He acknowledged that media is the greatest concern and emphasized by giving the
example of an incident happened in Sialkot in which a mom killed her two sons. He believed
that this type of content should not be disclosed by media as it promotes violence in Pakistan.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, the research has come to conclusion that gaming is not the only
factor which promotes violence, there are many other factors, like movies which depicts war
or any other violent element like the footages shown by the media, of people covered in
blood. Furthermore the questionnaire conducted from the people indicated that almost 52
percent people were against the view that the gaming promotes violence.
Implications/Recommendations
This research will raise awareness among the people, regarding the cause and effects of
gaming. It is the duty of the parents to only provide a healthy source of entertainment
such as sports, reading books to their child so that he/she can get benefit from it rather
than wasting their time on violent games. Moreover, even if the child likes to play
games then parents need to confirm that he/she is playing only those games which are
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appropriate for his/her age group. Parents need to take out time for their children,
guide about them what is right and wrong for them. Doctor Altaf Qadir who is practicing
medicine at the National Hospital as a psychiatrist also agrees with this idea and said
that “Parents should spend their time with the children. They should coach their
children in such a manner that children get much more involved in healthy activities
such as sports rather than lazy activities like gaming as it does not only lead to negative
impact on behavior but also damages the eyesight of the gamer who sits in front of the
screen for longer hours” (Personal communication, 21st August 2016). Sana Ijaz, a peace
activist in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa supports the idea of Doctor Altaf Qadir by saying: “If
we expose our children to these things from a tender age, it will not be difficult for them
to fall into the hands of extremists when they are teenagers” (Aug 5, 2013). The parents,
therefore, need to take this issue very seriously and allow no free hand to their children
in case of video games from a young age otherwise the consequences can be dangerous.
Secondly, the government of Pakistan also needs to contribute. It should introduce laws
to discourage such games. However, it should be kept in mind that the role does not end
here, regular monitoring and evaluation is required to make sure that the laws are
being followed. Some steps have already been taken by the government of Pakistan
against the games that could lead to a negative impact on the mind of the youth in our
country. Games such as “Call of Duty: Black OPS 2” and “Medal of Honor: Warfighter”
portray Pakistan as a danger zone from where the enemy attacks come. These games
depict Pakistan and its intelligence agency, Inter-services Intelligence (ISS), as pro-AlQaida. Regarding this, Saleem Memon, president of the all Pakistan CD, DVD, Audio
Cassettes Traders and manufacturers association, said:” They show the country in a
very poor light.” So, when young Pakistani Children (5-15 years old) play such games,
they encounter a negative representation of their culture, people and country. This, as a
result, at times triggers a reactionary response in the young minds. The reaction, if
comes out in the form of aggression, can lead to devastating impact in the form of
violence.
Hence, the relevant groups of the society should address this issue as soon as possible
because the problem is increasing rapidly in our country and it needs to be tackled
before it worsens for us as it will then be hard to minimize the effects as compared to
the situation now.
References
Cooper, R., M., & Zimmerman, M. (2011, August 24). Do Video Games Influence Violent
Behavior? - Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center. Retrieved from
http://yvpc.sph.umich.edu/video-games-influence-violent-behavior/
RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
Etchells, P. (2013, September 19). What is the link between violent video games and
aggression? | Pete Etchells. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/sep/19/neurosciencepsychology
Myslewski, R. (2011, November 30). PROVEN: Violent video games mess with your head.
Retrieved from
http://m.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/30/violent_video_games_mess_with_your_head/
Deskins, T. (2015). The Effects of Video Games on Sexism Attitudes in Males.
APPENDIX
Q1. What is your gender?
(a) Male (b) Female
Q2. What is your age?
(a) 10-15 (b) 15-20 (c) 20-25 (d) 25 +
Q3. Do you like gaming?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q4. Which type of games do you like?
(a) Shooting (b) Strategic (c) Sports (d) Arcade
Q5. Which platform do you use for playing video games?
(a) Computer (b) Consoles (c) Smart Phone (d) Other
Q6. How often do you play video games?
(a) Daily (b) Thrice a week (c) once or twice a week
Q7. For how long do you play in one go?
(a) 1 hour (b) 2 hours (c) 3 hours (d) more than 3 hours
Q8. Do you get bothered if someone outscores you?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Sometimes
Q9. Do you feel pumped up after playing games?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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(a) Yes (b) No
Q10. Do you feel sense of competition between you and the opponent you are playing with?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) Sometimes
Q11. Do you think that gaming promotes violence?
(a) Yes (b) No (c) May be
Q12. Do you follow the video games rating? (E.g. PG 18+)
(a) Yes (b) No
Q13. Do you feel addicted to gaming?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q14. Should there be a ban on violent video games?
(a) Yes (b) No
Q15. How do you feel when someone defeats you in a video game?
(a) Angry (b) Irritated (c) Annoyed (d) Normal
RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
Survey Results (next page)
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
Interview Questions
(Interview from psychologist)
How many teenagers visit you?
Do you prefer video games as a source of leisure?
Daily exposure to killing, violent visuals, do they have a role to play in child’s character
and personality?
Out of the people who visit you, how many of them are impatient?
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RUNNING HEAD: Do video games propagate violence?
Do you think playing violent video games incites anger among the people?
What is the solution to this problem?
(Interview from gaming zone owner)
From how many years are you running this gaming zone?
Have you witnessed any cases of aggressiveness in among the players in your gaming
zone?
Which games are most popular nowadays?
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