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Ben Walters

Violence and Video Games - 0 views

www.video-game-addiction.org/violence.html

Addiction Violence Games Gaming Stress GAM Entertainment Psychology

shared by Ben Walters on 14 Nov 10 - Cached
  • As the level of violence in video games has increased, so has concern for the effects on those who play - especially those who play a lot. Many are quick to point out that most school shootings in recent years have been carried out by avid gamers, and their games of choice were always dark and violent.
  • But it begs the question: Which comes first? Can aggressive and violent behavior be attributed to violence in video games? Or do those who play already have violent tendencies which draw them to violent games? It's a type of "chicken or the egg" debate that has strong advocates on both sides.
  • The more lifelike they've become, the more interest there has been in the correlation between violent games and violent behavior.
  • ...9 more annotations...
  • In order to play and win, the player has to be the aggressor. Rather than watching violence, as he might do on television, he's committing the violent acts. Most researchers acknowledge that this kind of active participation affects a person's thought patterns, at least in the short term.
  • Another factor that concerns both researchers and parents is that violence in video games is often rewarded rather than punished.
  • If played frequently enough, games like this can skew a young person's perception of violence and its consequences.
  • In 2002, researchers Anderson and Bushman developed the General Aggression Model (GAM). Often considered one of the greatest contributions to the study of violence and video games, the GAM helps explain the complex relationship between violent video games and aggressive gamers.
  • The GAM takes some (though not all) of the heat off video games by acknowledging that a gamer's personality plays into how he is affected by violence. Anderson and Bushman refer to three internal facets - thoughts, feelings, and physiological responses - that determine how a person interprets aggressive behavior. Some people's responses are naturally more hostile, making them predisposed to respond more aggressively to violent video games.
  • Short-term effects were easily identified in the GAM; the most prominent being that violent games change the way gamers interpret and respond to aggressive acts. Even those who aren't predisposed to aggression respond with increased hostility after playing a violent video game. The game becomes what's called a "situational variable" which changes the perception of and reaction to aggressive behavior.
  • No long-term studies have been conducted to date, so there are only hypotheses.
  • Anderson and Bushman theorized that excessive exposure to violent video games causes the formation of aggressive beliefs and attitudes, while also desensitizing gamers to violent behaviors.
  • Parents would be wise to monitor the amount of time their kids spend gaming and watch closely for any negative effects.
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