The violent playing of video games
By: Shady Mohamed G12B
The violent playing of video games is not a contributing factor to real-world violence but
rather a form of harmless entertainment to the players who know the difference between
fiction and reality. While there is always something understandable with concerns that
violent video games inspire violent behavior, research over longer terms has so far
uncovered no robust causal link between violent games and actual violent behavior.
Those who critical of such violent video games say that these games make players
become numb to aggressive acts, which then spur them on to further violence. But
evidence seems to indicate over and over again that the vast majority of players use
them to fantasize and escape into violent games but have no urge whatsoever to act
them out in real life.
The arguments against violent video games are based on the supposition that the
repeated exposure to virtual violence conditions the players to accept violent behavior
or even to imitate it. According to some, participation in violently provocative scenarios
trivializes aggression. But this argument alone prevents other factors such as parental
monitoring, mental health of the individual, and the psychological difference between
simulation and reality. For example, research evidence reveals that one can perform
violent game content but not become violent because he views it as fictional
entertainment, rather than behavior to imitate. Besides, for many players, playing video
games provides an efficient avenue of channeling emotions constructively because
playing helps them relax from life stress in a safe way.
Violent video games have no strong evidence that can demonstrate they cause real-life
violence. The same fact has been proved by a 2019 study issued by Royal Society
Open Science, where violent video games are not found to be significantly linked with
real-life aggression among adolescents. A report from the American Psychological
Association says that though players may experience temporary surges in aggressive
thoughts after playing violent games, these temporary thoughts do not actually
materialize into violent behavior. Besides, other countries like Japan and South Korea
have the same consumers for these violent video games, but their violence is very low
in crime rates compared to a region like the United States of America. This makes the
statistics clearly buck the notion of the contribution of violent video games to real-world
violence, therefore indicating other social factors at play.
Some would further argue that most people are not influenced by it, but to those who
have had various mental problems, the violence in these video games can be more
influential. This again is a fair concern, but deeper issues related to mental health
support come up rather than restrictions of game content. Research continues to show
that family environment, socioeconomic factors, and access to mental health care relate
far more strongly to violence than does media use. Changes in these deeper issues of
society would eventually go a long way toward lowering the rate of violent behavior
rather than targeting video games. Eventually, mental health and social support would
be the keys to a safer environment without the unfair demonizing of a popular form of
entertainment.
The debate on the linkage between playing violent video games and real-world violence
is still ongoing, but none can establish a direct causal link. To most players, violent
video games remain a form of harmless entertainment because they are able to make
out the differences between virtual actions and real-life behavior. It would serve society
better to look at more relevant issues, such as mental health care and socioeconomic
factors, rather than blaming video games for the source of violence. In that way, we can
make an attempt toward a safer society without scapegoating a widely enjoyed form of
recreation.
