Violent Video Games=Violent Teens?
Nicholas Simpson
| Do Violent Video Games Make Teens Violent Too? |
This is a very controversial issue. It has been debated repeatedly over the years. Specifically for children. For young children yes. Their minds aren't developed enough to realize that if you can do it in a video game it's not always acceptable in reality. Yet teens are more advanced and know the basic concept that you can't do the same things in video games as in the real word.
| Young children VS Teens |
In my opinion no. I believe that when teens play violent video games their brains are too developed and they understand that violent video games should only be done in-game and not in reality. (Yet some teens with mental disabilities don't understand.) Most people when discussing this often mention young children playing violent video games makes them more violent. It's not exactly that it makes them more violent it's more that they don't understand. A variety of children that play video games don't understand that violence is not acceptable in the real world and base their actions off of characters in video games. In fact one 8 or 9 year old kid led authorities in to a high pursuit car chase after realizing he was going to be late for school. He got in his mother's car and started swerving through traffic. When the police finally caught him he said that he learned to drive like this from playing violent video game Grand Theft Auto.
| Pros and Cons |
A new study from Canada's Brock University has found that spending too large amounts of time on video games can hold back the "moral maturity" of teenagers. Researchers believe that too much time playing violent video games a day (3+ hours a day) might impede the development of empathy. A sample of 100 students with ages between 13-14 found that while those who played littler were unaffected the 3 hour day mark was at the point where their development in empathy slowed. The study noted that "Spending too much time within the virtual world of violence may prevent [gamers] from getting involved in different positive social experiences in real life, and in developing a positive sense of what is right and wrong,".
However, a version of study published on the Brock University Website explaining that they did not find a strong correlation between "the amount of time playing violent video games" and "attitudes towards real violence." It left the possibility that such a link could be found in other studies or larger sample.
However, a version of study published on the Brock University Website explaining that they did not find a strong correlation between "the amount of time playing violent video games" and "attitudes towards real violence." It left the possibility that such a link could be found in other studies or larger sample.
| TL;DR |
Overall it's unknown rather or not video games make teens violent. Some studies point out that they do while others don't. They point out that there is always the possibility of violent video games making teens more violent in real life. Or maybe it's just that it decreases student's empathy. Either way it's a mystery.
| Even though |
Even though it's possible it's very unlikely that violent video games were the causes of school shootings or the video games caused the effect directly. Violent video games may have even stopped some kids from completing violent actions in reality as they take it out on characters in the game.
| End |
My personal view on the topic remains no. I do not believe that teens can become violent in reality just from playing video games. There maybe a few exceptions but really teenagers are too developed to base actions off of video games. It's just my opinion. We may never even know the truth. Do video games really make teens violent?