Outline
1. Introduction
a. Children are exposed to too much violence in media
b. Negative effects of violence on children
c. Thesis statement: violent video games have specific negative impacts on
children by training the kids to associate violence with pleasure, changing
their view of violence as a natural and even positive behavior, and
increasing the likelihood for engagement in aggressive behaviors outside
the virtual game environment
2. Violence as pleasure
a. Video games reward violence
b. Pleasure associated with shooting
3. Exposure to violence changes the views of a child
a. View of violence as natural behavior
b. Forms of violence exposure impact
i. Victim effect
ii. Bystander effect
iii. Appetite effect
4. Aggressive behavior outside game environment
a. Learned behavioral pattern
b. Aggression toward others
c. Integrating violence into behavior
5. Conclusion
a. Violent video games have negative impact on social and cognitive
development of a child
b. Transforming violence into real life
.
Violent Video Games Have Negative Impact on Children
It is the undeniable fact that contemporary children are exposed to much a
broader scope of violence in media compared to previous generation. Violence is
embedded not only in video games, where the victory is granted to the player who “kills”
all the enemies or monsters, but also in other types of media, including movies for
children, cartoons, and even printed materials. While researchers still attempt to
quantify and qualify the degree of negative influence of violence on children, violent
video games have specific negative impacts on children by training the kids to associate
violence with pleasure, changing their view of violence as a natural and even positive
behavior, and increasing the likelihood for engagement in aggressive behaviors outside
the virtual game environment.
Violent video games require players to use different forms of violence to win the
game or move on to the next level. Thus, as a child is rewarded for being violent in a
video game, a player experiences pleasure for being victorious. As Sparks (2011)
noted, “video games that require the player to shoot a gun or react reflexively with the
shooting response are teaching an entire generation of children to associate shooting
with pleasure” (p. 110). Thus, it is reasonable to argue that a child experiences pleasure
and satisfaction in association with violence because purely violent acts are rewarded in
video games.
Furthermore, violent video games trigger a change in the way children view
violence. Given the fact that violence is rewarded in video games, children start thinking
that violence and aggression are natural forms of behavior. Gentile (2003) suggested
that violent video games have three effects on children and adults alike: victim effect (a
child exposed to violence in video games may see the world as a dangerous place,
where use of aggression is a necessary measure for survival), bystander effect (children
become more desensitized to violence and less sympathetic to the victims of violence in
real life), and the appetite effect (children get an increased appetite for more violence in
entertainment). Each of these effects is strongly negative for a child’s development and
social functioning because the view of violence as an integral part of life is not normal or
socially acceptable.
Finally, violent video games increase the likelihood for engagement in aggressive
behaviors outside the virtual game environment. In other words, children who are
exposed to violence in video games may transform the learned behavioral patterns into
their daily lives and start being more aggressive toward their peers, parents, and other
family members. As Regoli, Hewitt, and DeLisi (2013) noted, active participation in
violent video games stimulates learning. In other words, the more time a child spends
playing a violent video game, the higher risks that this child may adopt violence as
his/her own behavioral pattern.
In conclusion, the exposure of children to violence in video games has
exceptionally negative effects on social and cognitive development of children. The fact
that violent actions within a game environment are rewarded and, therefore, a child
experiences pleasure by using violence to win a game directly implies that a child grows
up with the understanding that violence is a positive behavior. Consequently, a child
may transform the learned understanding of violence into real life and exhibit aggressive
attitude towards others.
References
Gentile, D. (2003). Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and
Professionals. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Regoli, R., Hewitt, J., & DeLisi, M. (2013). Delinquency in Society. Burlington, MA:
Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Sparks, G. (2011). Media Effects Research: A Basic Overview, 4th ed.: A Basic
Overview. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.