1. Biological or Environmental: Is itthe Parents or the Video Games? Brandy FelmleeArgosy University

2. There has been a long standing debate over whether violent videogames cause violence in children or not Some believe that exposure to violence will cause a child to become violent(Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). Others believe that it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to ensurethat the children know the difference between fantasy (video games) andreality (real life). Furthermore, a child who is old enough to play violentvideo games should be able to grasp the concept of fantasy and know thatthe behavior in such a fantasy is both inappropriate and unacceptable todemonstrate in reality. There have been a profound number of studies relating to the effects ofviolent video games on children. However, those studies may differ in whatexactly they are studying (i.e. short term effects, long term effects, andamount of exposure vs. amount of violence exhibited). 3. Assessing Previous Studies Studies have been conducted that compare the aggression in childrendecades ago and the aggression in children currently. The studies conductedcomparing the two periods in time does show that aggression in children ismuch higher than it was then (Kirsh, 2012). However, that is not the onlyfactor that should be considered when comparing the two. It is also known that there are many more households that have video game systems ascompared to the era when Nintendos and Ataris were most popular. It was uncommon to have such a gaming system in the home then. Now it is uncommonto not have these systems in the home. Therefore, it is safe to assume that children arebeing exposed to the violence within those video games at a higher rate (Kirsh, 2012). It would also be fair to say that since more homes have these systems, children havemore time to play these games and the more time they spend playing games, the less timethey are spending with their family. When they are playing games in their rooms they areisolated from others and that gives them the opportunity to become engrossed in thegame. It is about getting into the same mind set as needed to perform at the maximumpotential and get the results they desire at the end of the game. 4. Assessing Previous Studies Other studies have been conducted that measures responses directly after aperson is exposed to video game violence. This, also, is not valid in testing the long term effects of video gameviolence in children. A particular study was conducted on college students who were split into two groups.One group played a violent video game while the other played a nonviolent one. Aftertwenty minutes of playing, the students were given a questionnaire that they believed tobe unrelated to the games. The questions asked that they finish the story. Forexample, one was about a man who was just rear ended in an accident. It asked that thestudents write what they think may have happened next. Those who played the violentgame gave violent-type answers while the others were mainly nonviolent responses(Argosy University, n.d.). The study was listed as studying violent video games and the after effects of beingexposed to them. However, it asked only about their thoughts in the minutes after playingviolent video games. It didnt measure their violent behavior. Furthermore, the study didnot follow these students for years or even months after the exposure to measure thelevels of aggression (Argosy University, n.d.). 5. Assessing Previous Studies Other studies have shown a great link between aggression and violent videogames. Many of them use only two games and two groups of participants. For the most part, the participants are not fully screened (i.e. exposure to other types ofviolence, violent behavior already documented) and the sample sizes are extremely small(Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). The variables are not considered and the sample size is far too small to be able togeneralize them (Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith, & Tosca, 2008). It is these types of studies that are misconstrued and believed to showviolent video games cause violence. 6. Parental Support and Involvement Being that children need parental support to develop, having a lack ofsupport from their parents may cause the child to become defensive to theworld around them. Inappropriate behavior may be subsequent to thatreaction to the world (Lampinen & Sexton-Radek, 2010). Parental outlook and knowing their children prior to purchasing and/orallowing them to play certain video games is crucial. Parents should be aware of what games their children are playing and how they arereacting to such games is crucial to preventing any possible problems that may arise(Egenfeldt-Nielsen, Smith, & Tosca, 2008). There is also a strong need for parents to have zero tolerance on violence in theirchildren. They must understand that there is a difference between what they are doing inthe video game and how they act and react to situations in real life. 7. Being Abused/Seeing Violence in the Home It is a fact that being abused or witnessing violence within the home willlead to violence in a child (Argosy University, n.d.). The more children see violence in the home, the more likely they are to useit when they deem it necessary (Lampinen & Sexton-Radek, 2010). It is also a fact that those exposed to violence in the home and those whoare physically abused have higher levels of aggression than those notabused or not exposed to violence within the family unit (ArgosyUniversity, n.d.). If a parent is doubtful about whether or not the child has the mentalcapabilities to handle the violence, then the game should not be allowed.Any shred of doubt should be all that is needed to come to a decision. 8. Peer and Other Influences Violence in other types of media, peer influences, inner-city living, andpersonality types are some of the other factors that can increase or causeaggression and violence in children (Ferguson, 2009). There is also violence in most cartoons and television shows. A majority ofchildren have access to televisions that broadcast these cartoons and shows.Some cartoons show violence only towards the bad guys and those usingviolence against them are only trying to stop them from doing bad things.This could tell kids that violence in some situations is not only alright butexpected. In all actuality, good violence is violence nonetheless. Many children just want to fit in with their peers and will do most anythingto gain their respect and acceptance. If that means using violence on othersthen they will do just that. 9. Peer and Other Influences Children who grow up in inner-cities are exposed to more violence(Ferguson, 2009). Therefore, they learn that violence is the problem solverand are not as hesitant to use it when they deem it necessary. It is also important to note that some childrens personalities are moreviolent than others (Power, 2000). This is an important aspect of violence in children that should be taken intoconsideration when doing studies that measure violence in children and anypotential causes of it. 10. Predisposed Violent Tendencies There are many other valid, influential factors of a childs life that may leadto or cause violence in children, not just video games. Children who have violent type personalities will demonstrate violence more often thanothers. Lampinen and Sexton-Radek (2010) discuss the possibility that certain types of childrenmay seek out these types of games. For example, a child who has underlying issues maydesire to play the games that are teen or mature rated. Fruedian view can also be applied to this topic. Children who play these types of gamesmay just be trying to release some anger (Russell & Jarvis, 2003). It would make sensethat they would want to play the violent type games rather than the educational or Mario-genre games. 11. SummaryIn summary, there are a number of different factors that can lead toviolence and/or aggression in children. It is not simply just a video game thatthey play. Many times it is much more than that. There is a wealth of researchthat shows a positive link between video game violence and violence inchildren. However, that is not to mean that the studies were conducted byqualified professionals and all variables were considered and addressed in anappropriate manner within the study.There are numerous other factors that could play a role in aggression.In children, it is hard to see all of these on the outside without questioning orprobing of some kind. Some children are better than most adults at hiding theirtrue feelings and looking like a normal, well adjusted child to others. Onecannot assume that any child in these studies do not have any predisposedviolent tendencies. Otherwise the blame will be placed on the video gameusage rather than finding out what is really behind it. 12. There have been numerous studies done, but that does not implythat the majority of those studies are correct. Every aspectpossible including those mentioned in this literature review needto be considered prior to reaching a valid verdict. Also, morefocus should be on the long term effects of video game violencerather than the short term effects. Just one valid study thatconsiders all variable of a childs life that could impact thoseresults could supersede previous studies done to date. It is allabout the validity of a study, not just having the majority ofpeople agree the results. 13. References Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., & Buckley, K. E. (2007). Violent videogame effects on children and adolescents: Theory, research, and publicpolicy. New York, NY: Oxford Argosy University. (n.d.). An overview of psychology: Its past &present, your future (Custom edition). New York, NY: Custom Dowd, N., Singer, D., & Fretwell-Wilson, R. (2006). Handbook ofchildren, culture and violence. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Egenfeldt-Nielsen, S., Smith J. H., & Tosca, S. P. (2008). Understandingvideo games: The essential introduction. New York, NY: Routledge Ferguson, C. J. (2009). Violent crime: Clinical and social implications.Sage: Thousand Oaks, CA Kirsh, S. (2012). Children, Adolescents, and media violence: A critical lookat the research (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Lampinen, J. M. & Sexton-Radek, K. (2010). Protecting children fromviolence: Evidence-based interventions. New York, NY: Psychology Press Power, G. T. (2000). Play and exploration in children and animals.Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc Russell, J. & Jarvis, M. (2003). Angels on applied psychology. UK: NelsonThomas Ltd