A man comes home from work and he is tired. He worked a twelve hour shift at his law firm and he completely hates his job. But when he comes home he gets to forget about his boring job and just play video games. Video games offer the people that play them an escape from their day to day lives so they can relax in a comfortable setting. However some people feel that video games (specifically violent video games) can be detrimental to a person's well-being. Violent video games are games that incorporate blood, gore, and fighting in to the game, such as first person shooters (games with guns), hand-to-hand combat games, and games with monsters. Games that are violent typically are rated M for Mature, but children still have access to these violent video games if the games are bought by their parents. Scientists and psychologists have problems with these video games, because they believe that by playing violent video games kids will develop bad behavior, such as anti-socialism and aggression. However some people believe violent video games do not actually cause aggression and anti-socialism. They believe that by playing video games kids can develop positive attributes, such as self-control and relaxation. I believe that violent video games are linked to violence and bad behavior so more education should be provided to educate parents on the effects that violent video games can have on their children. Educating the parents will persuade them to set limits on the amount of play time their kids can play violent video games so the kids do not develop bad behavior. Education should also be provided to the children themselves so the kids become aware of their own behavior.

My Past Experience Playing Video Games

I also support educating people about violent video games instead of banning video games because I am a gamer. I have been playing video games since I was five years old, although they were not violent I have still been playing video games for a very long time. When I was seven my parents bought me my first T for Teen game. As a kid I always watched my cousins and uncles play violent video games, such as Halo and Call of Duty. My cousins and uncles pressured my mother into buying the video games for me to play even though she thought I was too young. They did not know the risks (aggression and anti-socialism) of playing violent video games at such a young age, which is why education is the best solution. My mother bought me M for Mature games and I have played them ever since I was eleven..

My Current Experience Playing Video Games

A game that I play right now is called League of Legends, which is the most popular video game in the world, but it is also known to inhabit a lot of people that are aggressive. People use a lot of terms to describe people that are being aggressive such as, flamer, toxic, troll, and rager. I hear these terms daily, because that's just how many people are aggressive when they play video games. I believe that people are aggressive in League of Legends, because the game is designed to rely on your team so if your team causes you to lose the game, then you get mad at your team. Currently I run my own eSports team (electronic sports team), because I plan on creating my own business in the field of video games. In order to become a member of my eSports team, I interview players and monitor how they act in a team setting to make sure that I avoid bringing in players that are aggressive or anti-social.

Kids that Develop Violent Behavior

People can develop numerous amounts of negative effects from playing violent video games along with aggression. However not all kids are effected by video games, but as said by Jamshid Ghazi Askar, playing violent video games does not make someone violent, but it is very likely someone will become violent if they play violent video games (Askar par. 2). Even though video games do not affect everyone, it is still important to educate people about the potential effects, because video games could affect your current or future children. Some say certain conditions must be met for kids to develop violent behavior. Michael R. Ward says, that violent behavior will most likely develop in children if kids are allowed to play violent video games for more than four hours a day (Ward 611). Showing that if parents are educated then they can obtain the tools that are necessary to prevent their children from developing violent behavior.

The Effects of Playing Violent Video Games

The effects of violent video games can be very apparent, but can also be very subtle. As said by Brad E. Sheese and William G. Graziano, playing violent video games may change a child's ability to make decisions and access a situation which can cause a child to be anti-social (Sheese 354). By being exposed to violent video games, kids could potentially become antisocial, therefore parents should be educated about violent video games to prevent them from letting their children play violent video games all day long. Playing violent video games also impacts a person's willingness to work in a group. A study done by Brad E. Sheese and William G. Graziano had two kids play Doom, a violent video game. One of the kids played a violent version and another kid played a non-violent version of the game. After the game the kid that played the non-violent version was much more willing to work in a group and cooperate than the kid who played the violent version of the game (Sheese 356). Showing that kids who play violent video games can also be unwilling to cooperate and work together which can be anti-productive and cause problems for the child in the long run which is why parents should restrict their child's playtime. The behavioral issues developed by playing violent video games can also be problematic. As said by Hadidza Salkic and Fadila Memisevic, by playing violent video games for too long a person can neglect doing homework, neglect doing physical activities, develop sleep deprivation and can cause problems within the family (Salkic par. 11-13). Kids that play these violent video games and develop bad habits not only have the potential to ruin their futures, but also they can cause problems with their parents which is an even more important reason for parents to restrict kids' playtime to prevent these future problems. 

Past Cases of Violent Video Game Related Incidents

The effects of violent video games can lead to dangerous outcomes. In some cases people that play violent video games have caused very serious crimes. As mentioned by Jamshid Ghazi Ashkar, "Police found '"graphically violent video games'" at mass murderer Adam Lanza's house following the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn" (Ashkar par. 2). Video games did not completely drive the murderer to kill people, but violent video games definitely influenced the killer's actions which caused multiple young children to die. Imagine if your son or daughter grew up and became a murderer just because you were not willing to restrict your son/daughter from playing too many hours of Call of Duty. If a suburban boy, Adam Lanza, can shoot school kids just from playing violent video games then education needs to be provided on video games so this tragedy does not occur again. Another instance where a similar crisis occurred was talked about by Dave Stancliff who said that, "Eleven years have passed since two teenage boys massacred 13 people at Columbine High School. During that investigation, it was revealed that they were avid players of weapon-based combat games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom" (Stancliff par. 1). This event occurred over a decade ago and violent video games are still an issue today. The problem is not going away so something needs to be changed so our children do not end up like the thirteen that were killed at Columbine High School. Education needs to be provided for adults and children about the effects of playing violent video games. 

Causes of Violent and Anti-Social Behavior in Children

Violent video games cause children to behave badly, because of the content within the games. One common example is stereotypes. As said by Grace Yang, L. Rowell Huesmann and Brad J. Bushman, men are stereotypically portrayed as more aggressive so by playing a character that is male the person playing will be more violent than if the person was playing a female character (Yang 538). Kids can psychologically feel more aggressive based on the negative stereotypes they were exposed to, such as male masculinity. Violent video games can also encourage aggressive sexual behavior. Within games, "Women are often portrayed as characters that are helpless, or sexually provocative" (Stancliff par. 9). Because women are shown this way in games, men that play these violent video games are prone to becoming sexually aggressive because that is how they see women within the games.

Some kids act abnormally, because they are completely invested in the game they're playing. Dave Stancliff elaborates on this concept when he says, "Games confuse reality and fantasy" (Stancliff par. 12). When a kid plays a game for too long they forget how to act in the real world which causes kids to develop antisocial behavior because they are unable to act correctly in real world situations. Kids can also develop antisocial behavior, because some kids only play video games all day long. Kids can develop, "Over-dependence on video games [which] fosters isolation, as they are often played alone" (Stancliff par. 7). If kids play video games for too long then the kids are dissuaded from doing anything social which causes antisocialism. 

Kids develop aggressive behavior from the content within violent video games. Dave Stancliff explains that, within violent video games, players must commit violent acts and control their character's actions which causes kids to be more affected by the violent video games (Stancliff par. 13). Kids see themselves as the character that they are portraying which causes them to develop violent behavior, because the character they are playing as is performing violent acts such as killing or harming innocent people. The game itself also promotes the character to be violent within the game so kids see that approval as a sign to be aggressive in real life. Violent video games have many causes that make players behave the way that they do, but if these causes are exposed to people through education then they will be less likely to cause players to become aggressive or anti-social.

Benefits of Playing Video Games

Despite all of the negative connotations of playing video games, they can also be beneficial. Some people think that video games help kids develop intellectually. As said by Arab News, "There are pros and cons, because these games help the kids to think, discover and depend on themselves to solve the puzzles. The child will use his mind to find solutions, and be more creative and clever" (Arab News par. 2). Video games can stimulate a child's brain positively. I know I have benefited from playing games that challenge my mind, but not all games function in this way. Some games are specifically designed to just randomly kill things, which is why education is necessary. Video games can also be more beneficial than other activities. Dave Stancliff explains, that playing video games, such as Wii bowling, uses more energy than watching TV (Stancliff par. 17). In some cases video games are a better option than other activities as long as the video games are safe to play. Video games can also cause a feeling of empowerment for the people that play them. According to Laura Sanders, video games cause people to develop a sense of accomplishment and self-worth by completing tasks and objectives within a game (Sanders 14). Video games can be useful to help kids feel good about themselves as long as those feelings are not used to inflict harm upon themselves or others. One kid that was interviewed by PBS News said, that video games offers her a sense of release where she can take all the anger from her own life and funnel it all into playing a video game (PBSNEWSHOUR 4:40-4:52).  If video games empower kids then that is good, but if that empowerment causes kids to become violent then education is necessary to quell the violence.

Video Games in the Court of Law

Video games can be beneficial and they can also be harmful which is why video games have posed such a hot topic legally for years. The legality of violent video games is a difficult topic, because psychology is unable to definitely prove that violent video games and violent behavior within children are correlated (Collier Liddell 107). I believe violent video games do cause violent behavior, but it does not affect everyone which is why it is important to educate everyone. One case of video games being debated in the court of law is a law in California. According to Michael D. Gallagher, "The U.S. Supreme Court will review a California law that bans selling or renting violent video games to minors. Supporters say it protects children. Opponents argue that the law violates free speech protections and that the current rating system works fine" (Gallagher par. 2). It is wrong to ban the sale of video games, because that hurts the market of video game companies. Banning video games is unnecessary. The right move is to educate people on the effects of violent video games so that people can decide for themselves if they want to buy them or not.

Conclusion

Violent video games can be dangerous, but only under certain circumstances. I love playing violent video games, but I think people should be informed about their potential effects for people's safety. Ann Haley Mackenzie articulates, that the only reason people are against video games is because of a lack of understanding (MacKenzie 518). It is no one's fault that kids are allowed to play violent video games. Parents buy the video games for their kids, businesses sell video games to kids as long as their parents are with them and video game companies provide ratings and warnings about what their games include. The only thing missing is the education on the psychological effects that video games can cause. I propose a program that is offered by the government to document the psychological effects that violent video games can cause. The documented information would be constructed into a pamphlet and provided to parents and kids at local stores that sell video games. The information would also be listed on a website that people can go to so they can learn more about the effects violent video games can cause. The program also should release commercials to inform parents and kids about violent video games. Everyone should care about education, because even if you do not and/or will not have children, other people's kids might negatively affect your life! Many people blame parents and say that, "Supervision should come from parents" (Arab News par. 2). Parents should be held responsible for buying their children violent video games, but parents are not fully to blame if the parents do not know the effects that the games can have on their son/daughter.  Do not restrict, ban or prevent video game sales. All the government needs to do is educate people about violent video games and then we all can enjoy playing video games together.

