Effect of violent video games

By: Alejandro GuerreroOrcutt Academy High School

Frosh CoreMarch 1, 2013

• A new Ohio State University study shows that playing violent video games can make people more aggressive over time, but the report’s co-author said it is impossible to link such games to violent criminal behavior like the recent Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings

• The media has speculated that Adam Lanza spent a lot of his time cooped up in a basement playing violent video games such as “Call of Duty.” And over the past few weeks authorities have uncovered more and more evidence confirming that the 20-year-old behind the horrific shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, was obsessed with these bloody games.

• The Hartford Courant reported that “police found thousands of dollars worth of graphically violent video games” in the home Lanza shared with his mother.

• Even though video games can improve a player's manual dexterity and computer literacy, violent video games affect children's thoughts and behaviors because video games can cause people to engage in fights and they cause people to be more aggressive.

Do video games cause players to be aggressive?

Survey ShowS…

15%

22%

32%

19%

12%

strongly agree

agree

neither agree or disagree

disagree

strongly disagree

Data from self-generated survey.Take survey NOW!

• Out of 60 people that took the survey, 37% think that video games cause players to be more aggressive, 31% think that it doesn’t, and 32% neither agree or disagree

“In a first person shooter game the player has the same visual perspective as the killer. The video games also reward players after a certain amount of kills”. It’s easier for the player to identify themselves with the shooter. When someone gets rewarded it increases the behaviors frequency. (Brad Bushman)

Data from self-generated survey.Take survey NOW!

0

5

10

15

20

Players identify themselves with the

character.

Players identify themselves with the character.

• Out of 60 people that took the survey, 6 strongly agree, 20 agree, 17 neither agree or disagree, 9 disagree, and 8 strongly disagree.

Violent media is not the only factor that contributes to aggression and violence, but at least it is one we can do something about” by controlling the media that children are exposed to play video games.

Work cited

• Anderson, Dr. Craig http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/03/healthmag.violent.video.kids/index.html.

• Bushman, Brad J. "ITHP." 2010. The effects of violent video games. Do they affect our behavior? 1 January 2013. <http://www.ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html>.

• Daniels, Lucy. "Carolina Parent." 1 March 2012. Do Violent Video Games Affect Children? 31 January 2013. <http://www.carolinaparent.com/articlemain.php?Do-Violent-Video-Games-Affect-Children-3272>.

• Norcia, Andrea. "Palo Alto Medical Foundation." 2013. The Impact of Video Games on Children. 31 January 2013. <http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html>.

Brought to you by:

Alejandro Guerrero