Jamee Albright
Professor Mullins
UNIV 200-Reflection
3 December 2015
Unit Four Reflection
The targeted audience I chose for my translation brochure is parents of middle
school aged boys who play video games on a regular basis. I chose to target these
parents because they can control the amount of time their boys play video games.
Parents are also the ones who can control what kind of video games their children play.
One of the main problems I found throughout my research was that many parents tend to
be resistant to moderate the amount of time their children play violent video games,
because most parents do not think that video games and aggression have a significant
correlation. Some parents do not realize that playing violent video games goes deeper
then just playing the game one time and becoming aggressive. There are many other
factors that can play a role in a child becoming aggressive and violent video games can
influence these behaviors. Through my translation I hope to change parent’s knowledge
on this subject and help them realize the real effects violent video games can have on
children especially of middle school aged.
Video games may not be the sole source of aggressive behavior in middle school
aged boys but it can influence violent behavior and this is the message I want to express
to parents of children that play video games on a regular basis. Violent video games
influences aggressive behavior, because it decreases empathy, prosocial behavior, and
increases sensitivity to aggression. Children who are in middle school have brains that are
still developing, and their prefrontal lobe which aids in their judgment is not fully
developed until the age of twenty-five. Since these children’s brains are still developing
they can be easily influenced by violent video games. The more the child plays the more
likely they may become to adapting violence as their moral behavior. If violent video
games decrease empathy, which is the want to help others, by playing violent video
games they may be more likely to fight with teachers, parents, and siblings, and may not
feel the need to help someone who is being hurt. The main problem is not the video
games, but how often the child plays the games, and what game the child plays. If more
parents are aware of this they may be able to prevent aggressive behaviors in their
children.
The medium I chose for this translation is a brochure that would be placed in the
guidance counselor’s office of middle schools. I chose this location for the brochures
because when students act out they usually are sent to the guidance counselor’s office.
Once the parent comes to the guidance counselor’s office to talk about their child’s
behavior the brochures could be distributed to the parents at the discretion of the
guidance counselor. I left the discretion up to the guidance counselor, because not all kids
act out, because of violent video games, some kids have other underlying issues that may
not be reasonable for the brochure. I chose a brochure, because it allows the parent to
read the information at anytime they desire. At first I wanted to do a website but I quickly
realized that a brochure is more personable then a website, and can be a good tool to use
if the parent wants to talk the information over with their child. The brochure is also
tangible which means the parent can take it with them and have it on hand whenever they
need or want the information. With the brochure I was able to put statistics, studies, and
information on steps to take if their child plays violent video games on a regular basis and
is starting to show aggressive behavior. I also used a conversational approach so that the
brochure was not just educational, but also engaging. I included contact information as
well for the parent in case the parent has further questions on the subject, or about their
child’s behavior.
The change I hope to inspire is for parents to become more knowledgeable of the
subject and for parents to moderate the amount of time their child plays video games if
the children are showing signs of aggressive behavior, such as screaming, hitting, or
punching. When it comes to moderating the time children play violent video games the
first step for parents if they think that the aggressive behavior in their son could be from
the violent video games is to moderate the amount of time their son plays the games. I
want the parents to realize they do not have to cut out violent video games altogether, just
limit the amount of time their son can play each day. If this works, then great, if this does
not work, then maybe the parent should then cut out violent video games altogether. If
this still does not work then maybe it is not the violent video games, but a behavior
disorder, and in that case the parents should contact their doctor. I believe that this
change has not happened yet, because most parents believe that violent video games has
no effect on their child’s behavior. Another reason is a lot of the times parents are not
paying attention to what their child is playing especially if their child is staying at a
friend’s house or staying up late at night playing, while the parent is asleep. I think
violent video games and aggression in children has been a very debated subject for many
generations, and I think that some parents are not knowledgeable on the subject and do
not realize that their children’s aggressive behavior can be because of the video games
their child plays. I hope that by a simple brochure parents are able to see the subject
differently and maybe learn something they did not know before hand.
Works Cited
Anderson, Craig. Bushman, Brad. “Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive
Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Psychological Behavior, and
Prosocial Behavior.” Psychological Science, 2001. Web. 16 November 2015.
Casey, Michael. Do Violent Video Games Lead to Criminal Behavior? 2015. JPEG file.
Cresatista. Handsome Young Man Playing a Video Game With Handheld. Violent Video
Games. JPG file.
Hummer, Tom. Kronenberger, William. Moiser, Kristine. Vincent, Mathews. Wang,
Yang. “Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function in Young Men.” Indiana
University, 2015. Web. November 16, 2015.
Jacobs, Tom. “Violent Video Games and Bad Behavior: The Evidence Mounts.” The
Miller-McCune Center, 2014. Web. 19 October 2015.
Mohney, Gillian. Video Game Leads to Life-Threating Condition for Gamer. 2013. JPEG
file.
Radowitz, John. “Study finds that violent video games may be linked to aggressive
behavior.” Independent, 2015. Web. 19 October 2008.
Seeto, Damian. “Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Was the Most Popular Game of 2014.”
2015. Media Group. Web. 1 December 2015.
Tang, Wai. VG Researchers. 2013. WordPress. 1 December 2015.
Thomas, Jose. Video Games Exert Hardly An Effect On Adolescent’s Sleep. 2010. JPG
file.
WIKIA. 2015. Timer.png.