Do Violent Video Games Lead To Aggressive Behaviour?
Some researchers say it may, but are video games really the root of all evil?
In today’s society, the youth often spend a substantial amount of time playing video games. Some people may find playing video games fun, engaging, and entertaining, others believe that video games are unhealthy, unproductive, and addictive. But arguments have come up to whether video games can really be harmful to todays youth.
Whether it is playing Mario Kart at an event with family and friends or playing Grand Theft Auto by yourself for eight hours straight, they can place a significant part in a persons’ life because video games can bring people together or be very addictive.
“People should consider other variables such as gun laws and mental health issues.”
Melinda Moyer poses that video games can cause aggression, leading to such abnormal behaviour. Meanwhile, Joseph Stromberg disagrees with it, believing that video games are harmless to people. Both views are convincing and indicates information about the effect on a persons’ behaviours. However, Stromberg’s debate with his argument of video games having no effect on violence provoking in real life violent acts does have a valid argument and people should consider other variables such as gun laws and mental health issues.
The relations between video games and behaviour leads to physical aggression and violence but there is still a debate.
She mainly focuses on Jay Hull, a social psychologist from Dartmouth College, who’s analysis suggests if these criticisms are true. The research was based on the measurement between violent video game use and physical aggression.
Perhaps more importantly, their research concluded with kids who play violent video games, are more likely to be more aggressive over time. But their research wasn’t as big and “statistically reliable”.
Joseph Stromberg — debates several other studies have been made and show no correlation between playing video games and committing violent acts. People, including the NRA, are blaming these video games for violent acts made in the real world.
However, he mainly focuses on reliable studies that show no correlation between the two. Violent video games with co-operative missions stimulate the idea of trust and can even help reduce aggressiveness. He even states
“Strongest predictors of violence and aggression were exposure to family violence and antisocial personality traits”
He discusses that violent people could be drawn to playing violent games because of previous exposure from bad environments. Most of the points he brings up are provided with reliable sources that are very logical in a sense where video games may not be the problem after all.
As a matter of fact, he brings upon the idea that despite the rising popularity of video games over the years, especially in this generation, mass shootings are as common as they were decades ago and how the strongest predictors of violence and aggression were exposure to family violence and antisocial personality traits.
With this in mind, people should reconsider that video games may be an outlet for teens and kids and other factors may be the cause of their aggressive behaviour.
Additionally, people can be influenced by their environmental factors, like how Stromberg mentioned gun violence in the US. It is a choice to play video games, humans are not born to want to play these games that involve violence, the way they act can be impacted from other circumstances by looking at it in a personal and societal view.
Furthermore, video games as an act of creating violent behaviour is not a reasoning place to begin with. Video games are actually helpful to you.
In fact, they can help you to be more creative and increase your skills like problem solving, games can link to the escape of reality and contribute to health concerns.
Video games should be seen as a form of entertainment that can increase a potential change in the world, rather than the beginning of negative gestures. Games that contain strategies and problems will develop problem-solving skills, leadership skills, and even meaningful goals for future purposes. Instead of thinking of video games as a negative aspect, we should start viewing them as positive acts that can set beneficial effects.
