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  • Essay / Investigating whether video games cause violence in children

    Video games have become widely used since they were first available on the global market. A good video game can challenge a child and help them explore another area of ​​creativity and fantasy. They can bring a sense of satisfaction because of the many achievements required for their completion. Or, they may simply be a way to pass the time. From a different perspective, video games can also affect children in a negative way. In some cases, a child who overindulges in video games may begin to decline in their physical activity levels, which can lead to other health problems. A child might begin to understand or confuse the differences between fiction and fantasy. Or, they may focus too much on the gaming area and other areas of their life may begin to suffer. The type of games the child plays might have the greatest effect on him. Children who play violent video games are not more aggressive than children who do not exhibit the same type of behavior. Violent tendencies can be detected in any home and the child's desire to commit these violent acts while playing a game does not bind him to carrying out these same practices in the real world. This essay will explain how video games cause violence in children. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout history, public statements have been made about the negative effects that violent video games can have on children. This is a known scapegoat for the negative behavior a child may exhibit. Hillary Clinton even went so far as to compare violent video games to being as addictive as smoking tobacco (DeCamp & Ferguson 2017). Her husband, President Clinton, shared a similar view of violent video games. He mentions that there are 300 studies that show that there is a real line between video games and violence and that vulnerable children may not be able to tell the difference between the two. Children steeped in the culture of violence become insensitive to it and are more capable of committing it themselves. » The question is what data was used to scientifically support these claims. Despite numerous tests and studies, there are not many strong links between violent games and violent actions. “Given the lack of significance in most of the causal relationships tested, these results suggest that assumptions made by popular media and policymakers may be at best exaggerated and at worst erroneous.” So what does the data show? This shows that violent video games are not the main contributor to aggression in children. The data further indicates whether the child experiences this type of treatment in or around their home environment. Like witnessing physical violence or being physically abused. This tends to have a greater impact on the child's development and make them violent. The link between video games and youth violence is linked to the general link between exposure to violence and violent behavior. “It is empirically supported, for example, that being a victim of violence and engaging in violent behavior are linked” (Lauritsen & Laub 2007). Additionally, a different study was done with children clinically presenting with elevated symptoms of depression or attention deficit. 377 children were used duringthis study to determine whether “vulnerable” children would be more likely to adopt a particular type of behavior. Ferguson and Olson go on to note that their results "do not support hypotheses that exposure to violent video games is associated with increased delinquency or bullying behavior among children with elevated mental health symptoms." » (2014). The data presented in this study raise questions such as whether children with predisposed problems are not prone to developing additional reactions due to these types of playability. What does this mean? Therefore, there must be some of the effects of children playing violent video games. Since some data cannot directly relate the two, there must be some sort of correlation. A contradictory study by Christopher Ferguson in 2014 may contrast with the study above. He goes on to say that “individuals already at risk for violent behavior may react more negatively to violent games than the majority of individuals. Although violent games are unlikely to be a cause of violent behavior in these individuals, it is possible that violent games moderate existing predilections for violence. With this new information, it is concerning that a child already has these destructive tendencies and can no longer thrive through video games. Will this cause the child to experience these emotions in real life? Due to the normal appearance of blood and murder scenes in these types of video games. Coyne and Stockdale note that “higher amounts of violent video games were linked to lower levels of empathic concern and caring two years later (2018). Based on this study, there is indeed a negative effect of a large quantity of violent video games. Therefore, although it is a non-violent effect, continued exposure to these types of video games can desensitize children. Another laboratory study found that "playing violent video games has a physiological desensitizing effect, with those who played a violent video game being less physiologically aroused when shown a videotape of real violence." However, there are also positive effects, such as the ability to commit certain acts of violence in a fictional world can help eliminate the need to commit the same thing in the real world. Games can be a kind of mental escape or a way to execute those accumulated desires or thoughts that they usually hear or see on all kinds of different media. “First, as has already been observed, young people often eagerly seek out violent fictional narratives, from fairy tales to video games, but rarely seek direct exposure to real-life violence” (DeCamp & Ferguson 2017). . Another beneficial finding may involve improving social skills and hand-eye coordination. “When it comes to video games and kids, it's also a way to help their hand-eye coordination. Playing with friends, even in a violent game, can help create a sense of teamwork and unity. It can also increase social skills. Video games teach hand-eye coordination, attention to detail and, depending on their design, can promote creativity. » Regardless, parents and guardians should limit the amount of time a child is exposed to these types of games, especially if they are unsupervised. Whatever the parent allows a child to play, that is what the child will believe is acceptable. Parents and others should be aware of the messages they.