Running head: DO VIDEO GAMES CAUSE AN INCREASE IN NEGATIVITY?
Do video games cause an increase in negativity in society?
Victor Baca
Virginia Commonwealth University
Author Note
This paper was prepared for Focused Inquiry taught by Professor Corner.
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Do video games cause an increase in negativity in society?
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Do video games cause an increase in negativity in society?
Introduction:
What causes violence in today’s day and age? Some may say TV or
movies but many adults will agree that video games are the main source of violence in society.
Parents and older generations say that it is “brain rotting” or that it ruins one’s social life. One
could make the same claims regarding many technologic advancements today such as computers
and phones. In this article I plan to dismiss all cases of how video games are bad for society by
providing information that proves how they work with the youth, how it affects one’s mind and
behavior, and also how it has impacted millions of lives and has imprinted in our way of life.
Although there are some negative consequences in playing videos games the benefits outweigh
the harm.
Narration:
Many people wonder what was and how old is the oldest video game
created. In October 1958, Physicist William Higinbotham created the first video game it was
very similar to Pong and would later be named Tennis for Two(Fllatow). It was put out for
display for the public and it was a huge success. Many people thought it was fun and innovative
since no one had ever seen anything like it before. It was a popular attraction that had lines of
people ready to play. The game retired after five years and not even a brilliant man like
Higinbotham could see how big video games were soon going to become.
What do you think of when someone mentions video games? Some would think
of Nintendo’s Mario Bros. or Sega’s Sonic the Hedgehog. No matter which console you
prefer video games are there for our entertainment and enjoyment. Video games have
made such a huge impact in our society because it helps everyone have a mutual interest.
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Companies that make games reach out to players to see what the player would like. This
is great because not only are players involved with making a game popular but the
creators are dedicated to grateful to the players who gave them feedback. It’s all one big
cycle that helps keep everyone happy and connected.
Confirmation:
Do video games provide any benefit to the players or society? Video
games provide an outlet for creativity. You can be whoever you want, use an avatar to embody a
character, or play along with your favorite video game characters. Video games are a great way
to relieve stress, some examples are dancing games that require you to move your body like the
avatar displayed on the screen. Another way it relieves stress is by playing combat games with
friends. Yes, someone will lose but in the end it’s a fun time for everyone.
You can’t play video games just by using your hands, you have to use
your head too. Games today require players to put thought into playing. Puzzle games are among
one of the most popular style of video games (Primack). An example of a famous puzzle game
would be The Legend of Zelda franchise. They purposely put challenging puzzles and enemies in
the game to push the player and make them think by coming up with various strategies. By
pushing players mental limits puzzle games such as The Legend of Zelda have received high
ratings and millions of fans all over the world.
Video games are not just for fun they can also be very educational. Many
video game companies create video games not just for adults and teenagers, but also for younger
kids wanting to learn. By playing video children learn in a new and innovative way alongside
their favorite mascot. Popular educational television shows such as Sesame Street have their
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own video games that teach kids how to count, spell, and read. Video games teaches necessary
life skills such as following instructions. As many people know, following instructions is a very
important skill and is implemented in games in a fun way. Children learn that if you don’t do
what is ask of you then you lose and can’t move on (Bowen).
Many more skills are taught by the video games we play. Playing
shooting games increases one’s hand eye coordination. This is important because it makes one’s
reaction time better and increases productivity. Certain games make the player multi-task and
juggle many things at once (Granic). This gives the player an idea and understanding on how to
multi-tasking and quick thinking can be used in the real world and the work place. There are
more positive effects such as accuracy, perseverance and the use of strategy (Primack). Thanks
to video games people can learn these traits and skills all while having fun at the same time.
As the world continues to advance there will be more of a push for jobs
that improve or create new technological advancements. The education fields that responsible for
such advancements are science, technology, engineering, and math otherwise known as the
S.T.E.M fields (Mayo). Studies have shown that using videogames as medium to learn S.T.E.M
education have increased test results. In the subject of Immunology a teacher noticed a 40%
positive learning increase. Another study was done on Ecology students and it diminished the
learning gap of D and B students, to the point where nearly every student is performing at a B
student’s level (Mayo).
Our way of life is revolutionized thanks to video games. How we meet
and interact with other people at certain events or locations. Friendships and different
connections can be made over video games. More than 70% of players play with a friend
whether it’s online or on a home console. Data was collected in 2011 and it showed that
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“millions of people worldwide participate in massive virtual worlds through video games such as
"Farmville" and "World of Warcraft” (Greitemeyer). It is true that multiplayer games become a
virtual social community where friends can gather and make new relationships. I have personally
made friends from video games, video game events such as competitions and, also midnight
release of new video games. Some of these people that I’ve met would later be my best friends.
Is social behavior affected by playing these games? Yes playing quick
games like those on mobile devices can improve one’s mood. Studies have shown that “Simple
games that are easy to access and can be played quickly, such as "Angry Birds," can improve
players' moods, promote relaxation and ward off anxiety” (Bowen). In fact another study shows
“that video games are effective tools for learning resilience in the face of failure. By learning to
cope with ongoing failures in games, the authors suggest that children build emotional resilience
they can rely upon in their everyday lives” (Greitemeyer).
Refutation:
Won’t you ruin your social life if you play video games? Many people
believe that playing video games will result in people being shut-ins or out casts. However, that
is not true because millions of people play video games. One could make friends online while
playing these games. It is easy to meet people with this similar interest because you are already
playing the same game as them. Events are hosted in certain locations in each city such as
tournaments or special promotional deal for a game. Fellow gamers go to these events to
demonstrate skill and to make new friends along the road.
Video games promote violence and conflicts. There are a wide variety of
games ranging from children’s’ games to more mature violent games. Due to the wide variety of
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games it could be easy for children to get their hands on games such as Mortal Kombat or Call of
Duty and other graphic titles that could influence the player that violence is acceptable. Thanks
to the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) they are in charge of deciding whether a
game falls into the E,E10,T,M,OR A category. E and E10-rated are usually for children and it
contains little to no violence and possibly some crude humor. T-rated games are more for
teenagers and have some violence and mild language and humor. M-rated games are for mature
audiences only such as young adults these games contain graphic scenes, nudity, strong
language, and adult humor. A-rated games are specifically for adults and not many are made.
They have the same material as M-rated games but, the only difference is the A-rated games
have included sexual content. All retailers who sell video games must abide by these rules and
can’t sell M-rated or A-rated games to people under 18 years old. This ensures that no child can
buy a game that is not appropriate for them (Gabbiadini).
.
Can playing video games change who you are or how you act? It is true
that violent video games can influence people to do questionable things? An example would be
the Sandy Hook shooting that involved an unstable man firing a gun in an elementary school and
killing 26 people including himself. Most of the victims were children and teachers and the last
violent thing before the act was play Call of Duty (Malcom). After the shooting people blamed
video games for influencing the man to open fire is a school. However, this was not the case
because it was later found out he was mentally unstable and did not receive help (Malcom).
Blaming the video game industry seems unfair because it wasn’t their fault for selling a game to
an individual that was unstable. A study was conducted among high school males to see if
violent games increase moral disengagement. Each participant played Grand Theft Auto V an M
rated game to see if the player would naturally be violent. Results came back that some of the
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students did increase in moral disengagement but further research will have to be conducted to
have solid evidence (Gabbiadini).
Are video games sexist in any way? Do they only aim for male
demographics? Actually surprisingly enough many consumers who purchase video games are in
fact girls. Family friendly games that involve multiplayer are the kind of games that girls buy the
most. A study was done to see if girl’s behavior changed while playing certain games with
family members. The results were co-playing video games with parents was associated with
decreased levels of internalizing and aggressive behaviors, and heightened prosocial behavior for
girls (Coyne). Co-playing video games was also marginally related to parent–child
connectedness for girls, even after controlling for age-inappropriate games played with parents
(Coyne).
Are girls who play video games treated differently than their male
counterparts? No, many online games such as World of Warcraft and League of Legends have
millions of players many of which are girls. Each player is treated equally with respect and
fairness. If an incident were to occur where one player was treating other players poorly the
victims could report the player and that player would get punished by the administrators of the
server (Simpson). A study was done to see if males treated women differently by playing games
that objectify women. The participants were given a copy of Grand Theft Auto V a game where
you control a character and do whatever you want in a free roam world. Moments after playing
the game the participants would assault civilians both men and women and continue playing
making nothing of it. The experiment was conducted to see if negative attitude towards women
would increase and if violence against women would increase as well. After the experiment the
participants were asked if given the chance they would have done the actions they did in the
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game. A majority of the participants said no because it’s not right and they only did their actions
in the game because they knew it was only a game (Simpson).
Summation:
If given the question “Do video games cause an increase in negativity in
society?” I would have to say no it does not. I say this based on all of the facts listed and
through personal experiences. Video games have helped not only myself but also millions of
other players make friends. It is used as a way to connect and to find similar interest among
players as well. They have helped serve as a way to educate young minds. Video games have
been around since the late 50’s and I know they will still be popular for a very long time. Video
games have helped shaped the lives of millions of people including myself and that’s one of the
many reasons why they are so important for our society.
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Reference Page
Greitemeyer, T. (2013, December 13). Video Games Do Affect Social Outcomes. Retrieved
March 1, 2015.
Primack, B. (2009, January 1). Video Games. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
Greitemeyer, T. (2010, January 1). Effects of Prosocial Video Games on Prosocial Behavior.
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Flatow, I. (2015, January 1). October 1958: Physicist Invents First Video Game. Retrieved
March 1, 2015.
Simpson, V. (2012, April 30). Violence Against Women in Video Games A Prequel or Sequel to
Rape Myth Acceptance? Retrieved March 15, 2015.
Bowen, L. (2014, February 1). Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits,
review finds. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
Granic, I. (2014). The Benefits of Playing Video Games. <i>American Psychologist,</i>
<i>1</i>(1), 66-78. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from PsychArticles.
Coyne, S. (2011). Game On… Girls: Associations Between Co-playing Video Games and
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Retrieved April 1, 2015, from PsychArticles.
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April 1, 2015, from PsychArticles.
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Mayo, M. (2009). Video Games: A Route to Large-Scale STEM Education? <i>JSTOR,</i>
<i>326</i>(5960), 79-82. Retrieved April 1, 2015, from PsychArticles.
Malcom, J. (2013, January 13). The Newtown Tragedy: Complex Causes Require Thoughtful Analysis and
Responses. Retrieved April 15, 2015, from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/01/thenewtown-tragedy-complex-causes-require-thoughtful-analysis-and-responses
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