The Correlation Of Video Games And Violence

Video games have been around for quite a while now. Violent videogames are being targeted by the media and politicians. No studies have shown a connection to video games and violent crimes. Videogames do not make people do anything it is entirely their choice. Older generations do not understand what video games is therefore they are the problem. Violent video games are not the cause of violent crimes.

Violent video games are specifically targeted by politicians and media. Politicians attack violent video games because they do not actually understand the full picture. They must make up an excuse to blame violent crimes on something that is easily targetable such as violent videogames. The media has a tendency to report what they want as fast as possible in order to get the highest views even if what they share is not true. Politicians and the media target video games due to the fact that they do not completely understand them as a whole. It is also basic human nature to think something that is different or new is bad just because it is different.

The blaming of new technology or even inventions is an idea that has been going on for generations. For instance MTV was first launched in August of 1981. The first song they played was Video Killed the Radio-The Buggles. Of course the teens of that era thought MTV was cool but their parents felt threatened by it because it is new and basically destroyed their form of musical entertainment. Most of the past generations do not like videogames because they are a new form of media entertainment therefore not good. Most of the people who play video games are from the ages of thirty-five and younger. A minority of people who actually play video games are thirty- six and older. With the big age gap difference that means that this new form of media is a threat and will not be accepted. It will be looked down upon with such great hostility.

Many people try to connect violent video games to violent crimes. Many of these crimes are the same crime such as mass homicide. The media also plays a role in this in order to push their own political views even though they are supposed to report facts and evidence not their opinion. The media blames mass shooting on violent video games because most of the time the criminal is a white male between the age of twenty to twenty-nine. This is a great way for the media to get away with lying because of the statistics showing how most gamers are from the age of thirty-five and younger. Writer Tanya Basu wrote an article called “The connection between video games and mass shootings isn’t just wrong—it’s racist”. The subtitle read “When a perpetrator is a young white man, people blame video games. If he’s black, people make up a troublingly racist narrative” (The connection between video games and mass shootings isn't just wrong--it's racist). She goes on to explain how the media has blinded and misguided people to make such quick assumptions based on nothing but race. The media also refused to declare that the largest mass shooting in US history was committed by a sixty-four year-old man. (Race, Violent Video Games, and the Grand Theft Fallacy)

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People always have a choice no matter what decision they make good or bad they still have a decision. Suspects will claim “Video games made me do it” in order to try and justify their actions although this was not the case. The game itself is an inanimate object and has neither life nor freedom of choice. It is a non-sentient object therefore has no life or any capability to think for itself. The same can be said about nicotine products. People are addicted to them yet blame them for their addiction even though they made the choice to use it.

People have a tendency to blame video games for desensitizing the youth. Well the same people also have no problem allowing their adolescent children watch movies such as Friday the 13th, John Wick 3 Parabellum, Mad Max. These movies contain an overtly amount of violence to a graphic extent. The music industry also has a part to play especially rap culture which is usually talking about drugs, sex, money, and murder to a disturbing extent.

Parents do not watch and understand what their kids are doing or playing. For example a mother walks into her son at the age of eight and notices him playing a game with cars and asks what he his playing yet the child responds with oh a racing game. Little does the parent know that he is playing Grand Theft Auto 5. Then suddenly the child starts talking to his family describing how we ran over people in a car yet the parent did even know he was playing a game that is rated M for mature. Parents need to know what they are buying their kids. Games have a rating system for a reason to keep more mature elements of games away from those deemed too young to view them. Call of Duty is a game series that when it was first launched was a tribute to those who served in World War II. This game series was meant to have graphic content in it to show their target audience what war was like in a mature fashion. But parents do not seem to bother looking at the game label that shows and describes what content is in the game they are buying.

A popular argument made is video games cause a rise in aggression therefore cause violent crimes. Aggression is not the cause because people still a have a choice whether or not to play. People do not blame cars for road rage incidents because it is the person’s fault. Video games can raise aggression but so can everyday things in life. Such as getting stuck in traffic, someone cutting another person off while driving, getting into an argument with another person. For example, a man fatally stabbed another man because he cut in front of him in line at a Popeyes restaurant. Video games are not the only things in the world that cause aggression and the media does not seem to report that.

In conclusion videogames do not cause violent crimes. The lack of parental supervising and knowledge leads to exposing the youth to mature themes. Everyday life can cause just as much if not more aggression than video games. People have a choice on what they do or do not do. Older generations like to blame bad actions on new technology that they do not comprehend. The media does not accurately report crimes the way they should be reported. No actual legitimate studies have been conducted to link violent video games to violent crimes such as mass shootings.

Sources

1. Basu, Tanya. “The Connection between Video Games and Mass Shootings Isn't Just Wrong-It's Racist.” MIT Technology Review, MIT Technology Review, 16 Sept. 2019, https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614317/the-connection-between-video-games-and-mass-shootings-isnt-just-wrongits-racist/.
2. Calicchio, Dom. “Suspect in Popeyes Fatal Stabbing Arrested, Reports Say.” Fox News, FOX News Network, 14 Nov. 2019, https://www.foxnews.com/us/suspect-in-popeyes-fatal-stabbing-arrested-reports-say.
3. “Character & Context.” SPSP, http://spsp.org/news-center/blog/grand-theft-fallacy.
4. Fox, James Alan, and Monica J. DeLateur. “Mass Shootings in America: Moving Beyond Newtown - James Alan Fox, Monica J. DeLateur, 2014.” SAGE Journals, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1088767913510297.
5. “U.S. Average Age of Video Gamers 2019.” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-game-players-since-2010/.
6. “Yes, Violent Video Games Do Cause Aggression.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/our-changing-culture/201212/yes-violent-video-games-do-cause-aggression.