The type of socialization that a child receives in the society is crucial in shaping his or her behavior. Social influences that shape up the behavior of many children across the United States include the type of games that they play, the media that they watch and the friends that they keep. However, with the current trend where many children prefer to play computer games, the influences that they receive from the games guide their conduct when they are with their peers. According to the American psychology association, the violent video games have led to the increased rates of social aggression and a decrease in empathy that is displayed by many children (Toppo). Other notable influences that are drawn from the addiction to the video games include aggressive effect and aggressive behavior towards peers and the elderly. However, there are limited studies that have been conducted on how the video games could spark the criminal behavior of an individual. There are six major impacts that can result for playing violent video games which are less communication with peers, incomplete parent supervision, the content/setup of the violent video games, learn many things unintentionally for both genders, change the behavior of the gamer in real life and being aggressive in online video games. Studies have affirmed that video games contribute to vicious acts especially amongst teens. 

The vicious acts that the teens tend to release are solely based on their limited interactions with their peers which can lead to be less confident about themselves. Playing the games often is done indoors where the child has to physically reach to his or her peers. Additionally, the vicious acts are products of the negative values that the children tend to develop while playing the games. Some of the negative values is the use of foul language and portraying of women as being objects. Majority of the teens who admitted to engaging in criminal activities owing to the negative influences that they receive have women as their victims. The violent video games tend to pave way for the sexual provocations that mainly target women, thus, leading to the male teens losing respect for women and viewing women as objects of abuse and sexual pleasure. Vicious behavior that is often evident in the children is further driven by the low self-esteem that they develop owing to their physical health and attributes and the poor performance in schools. Children who are addicted to the violent video games tend to play them at night, thus, spending most of their day time sleeping. Such acts leads to the children spending the class duration sleeping or not concentrating, thus, undermining their need to learn. Therefore, the low self-esteem that they receive from the low grades and the tormenting comments that they receive from their peers of them being obese and stupid could lead them into developing the vicious behavior. 

The negative influence that many teens receive from the violent video games is a result of poor or limited parental control. Many parents, especially those of the millennial age, tend to ignore the influences that their children receive from the various forms of media. As a result, the press is the sole source of information from which the children could learn on the behavior that they need to guide their conduct. The primary objective of the video games is to entertain the children. However, the combination of the game with some social issues that are recorded, such as the people going through awkward moments when they are still young, and bullying could be a motivating factor for the children to continue with the luxury in violent activities. Parental mentoring is one of the form of regulating the habit that a child may develop the influences that he or she receives from the media. Parental guidance enables a child to teach good morals and to avoid the negative pressure that they may develop from the press (Douglas). Many teens adopt what they see from the media owing to lack of parental guidance and the need to feel personal satisfaction due to the lack of direction from their parents. The hospitality that a teen also tends to get from his or her colleagues and the teachers could neutralize the effects of violence that he or she receives from the regular play of the computer games. As such, the quality of socialization of the child is critical in enhancing the nature of relations that he or she may develop. 

The video games are a big industry worldwide which sales about 20 billion dollars for different types of video games such as Play Station 4, Computer software games and other portable devices (Gentile P.2). Additionally, there are reports that “the most popular Nintendo video games in America and found that 40 of the 47 had violence as their main theme” (Gentile P.2). Such states the high level of influence that the video games effect the ordinary members of the society children and adolescents included. The role that the video games have to play in the shaping of the human behavior is immense owing to the endorsements that the industry has continually attracted. The messages that an audience receives from the content that watches through the various media is stored within the subconscious with the individual having a perception of why staging or beginning a fight is an ideal thing. The impact that the video games may have on the individual behavior needs to be analyzed with the intent of regulating the gaming industry. Studies have indicated that the violent games go contrary to the need of nurturing good traits within an individual, thus, could be a motivating factor for the teens to engage in various forms of crime ("Why Video Games Make You Aggressive"). The video games tend to lower the level of self-control that the teens ought to enjoy to make more rational decisions. Instead, the violent games make the children to have the perception of using violence to gain access to what they may need, thus, hindering their process of development within the society. Criminal psychologist are with the view that the violent video games are detrimental to the normal development process of the children, thus, they need to bring up a policy that would regulate their content (Shaw). 

A human being has the potential and capability to learn through the indirect means. Notably, many people get to know the celebrities and their fashion styles even without having to meet with the prominent personality. The personalities that one gets to meet the various form of media play a crucial role in dictating the kind or nature of a person that he or she could be. Therefore, the regular watching of the video games could activate indirect learning, but in an active way. Some of the issue or subjects that one may get to learn to include how to use a gun and the tactics that he or she may employ for self-defense. The media that we often watch has a piece of its content that is in-built within the subconscious. The building of such knowledge through the current watching of such video game genre is contributory to the behavior of aggression that the individual is likely to come up with. Moreover, the issue of the powerful influence that is found through the continual playing of the violent games tends to have the same effect on both girls and boys. In a study by Anderson and Christine, the young women also tend to develop a more violent approach in the way and manner through which they intend with their professional peers (P.423). Therefore, the effects of such games are universal and are not only more prominent in the male gender, despite the dependence on some studies on the male gender as being the most affected by such games. 

Video games enhance the mental aggression of the player as they use realistic controllers which the gamer may project in real life; thus demonstrating aggressive behaviors. They reward active participation in violent acts which encourages aggression as a result of the pleasant feeling of the gamer when they commit the violent act.  Video games act as a sufficient training ground for players as their violent acts are highly rewarding, training the brain to engage more in acts of aggression. Video games that portray women as sexual objects increase the gamers attitude of objectifying women in real life and hence produces an increase in hostility towards women, leading to rape and cases sexual harassment cases. It is because an increase in playing video games that feature sexual violence towards women makes the game desensitized and open to sexual abuse. Video games are used by the military to train soldiers, it is an advantage to them because they possess discipline and maturity to handle the violent scenes, but for most gamers who are children such games makes males develop problematic behaviors. Excessive exposure to video games may lead to low grades in schools which result in aggressive behavior. Games are not only created with the objective of entertaining, but to have a role in the shaping of behavior for their intended users. The influence is superficially evident in the extent through which they become addictive. Many teens spend up to 8 hours each night playing the computer games and tend to have limited time for recreation. As such, the minds of the kids who are addicted to the computer games tend to have the propensity of applying that which they have learned in game in their real life contexts. 

Factors such as being bullied, having a mental illness and being socially isolated together with the aspect of playing competitive video games cause an increase in aggression. Although several factors contribute to acts of aggression, violent video games play a critical role in the increase in aggressive actions of the gamers. Studies have shown that violent video games increase antisocial behavior such as a decreased feeling of empathy, kindness and increase the intensity of aggression. Compassion prevents instances of assault, without it, an individual’s beliefs for other people decreases thus leading to an increase in aggressive acts such as bullying. Increase in aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect are caused by violent video games which increases aggression. Violent video games tend to normalize acts of aggression making aggressive actions more appealing to the modern generation. Young children who play violent video games have not mentally developed their perception and personalities, therefore, exposure to such aggressive games makes them violent. This is because they are yet to understand the difference between reality and the fiction portrayed in the games making it easier for them to be aggressive as they imitate the game. Violent video games desensitize violence for the children used to playing them as they become applied to the force that is simulated in the games, therefore, increasing the chances of engaging in the aggressive and deviant behavior. Exposure to violence especially in young children impacts negatively on their behavior thus violent video games causes them to be violent in real life as they practice what they see on the screens. Due to the nature of rewarding acts of aggression to simulated video games, attack in the outside world may also increase with the expectations of getting a similar reward, especially among young gamers. It also leads to an increase in bullying and other aggressive acts as it teaches that conflicts can only be solved through forceful means. They also lack excellent decision-making skills thus identifying with the violent characters and copying the violence acts that they witness while playing the games.

The growth in the technological uptake across many societies is changing the manner through which teens are playing their preferred violent games. Currently, many teens prefer to play the games online. The online option enables the children to play with another online player without even knowing each other, online games are growing to be a preferable source of entertainment. However, the negative influence that could be drawn is the inability of the children to meet and socialize with their peers. One of the games that is being mostly preferred by the teens is Call of Duty Black Ops (Hollingdale and Greitemeyer P.3 ). As such, the progress that is made in making the violent games to be available to the online option works against their need to interact better with their peers, thus, undermining the quality of life that they should enjoy. The online option also tends to limit the benefits that the children may draw from social interactions.

On the other hand, playing the violent video games could be of benefit to the children and could not exclusively lead to the children engaging in any vicious act. Playing of the computer games, including the violent ones, serves to enhance the mental development of the teens. Playing the violet computer games often requires concentration and drive up the adrenaline levels in the child. Such things leads to strengthening of nerve circuits in the brain, thus, enhancing mental development in the teens. The violent computer games also require an accurate hand to eye coordination that enables the use to enhance their visual spatial ability (Park). Such act is considered a benefit to the development of the teens. The violent games often call for higher level of concentration and the need to act swiftly and accurately. Such uses may serve to improve on the critical thinking capability of the children, thus, enabling them to learn problem solving skills in their lives. Furthermore, the computer games enable the children to foster teamwork in their practice. The games often require the children to work in team or to look for an opponent to whom they have to agree on the ground rules for the game. Such strategies serve to build on the interpersonal skills that the teens need to show. 

The moderate playing of the violent games could also be of benefit to the healing process of an individual. In a study conducted by Griffiths, the regular playing of the violent games by a team, healing from injuries, could help facilitate his or her recovery process owing to the fun that they receive from playing the game (P.1). As such, the video games are beneficial and can be used to advance the treatment process that the child has to undergo the injuries that he or she may have developed. Therefore, to the extent that the video games entertain, they are therapeutic and can be used to facilitate recovery for some patients. 

There is a need to come with the entertainment software rating board that gauges the nature of influence that a video game could have on children. Additionally, there is a need to offer advisory to the purchasers of the video games on the extent of control that is required, and the children of a given age set who are authorized to participate in playing the game, to influence that was drawn and based on their mental development rates. Psychological developments of the end users need to be taken into consideration in the design of the various video games before they are brought to the market for use by the children. Furthermore, there is a need to focus on the long-term effects that the video games may have on the psychosocial development of the children, with the focus being on a longitudinal study of children within the ages of 10 to 15 years. The influence of the violent video game gives the psychosocial development of the children which needs to be further aggregated based on gender, with the aim of determining how the violent video games influence girls and boys differently.

Teens who are addicted to the violent video games are highly likely to develop vicious behavior. Such teens are also likely to be socially isolated from their peers and may draw little or no inspiration or guidance from their parents or caregivers, the values that such children receive is based on the games that they play. The habits such as being physically violent and having the propensity to engage in sexual assault against women since they perceive them as being a weaker gender constitutes some of the negative influences that the children tend to receive. Therefore, there needs to be a proper parenting skill to ensure that the children have limited influence that they draw from the video games that they engage in for a major proportion of their times. Additionally, each video game needs to be properly examined and having an age recommendation laid before they are allowed to retail or made available to the teens. Teen counseling also needs to be on the increase. The counseling needs to target the children who have been identified to be having social exclusion behavior that prevents them from socializing with their peers. The video games tend to be more prominent on the male children, but tend to overlap on the females too so that the equal access of such games is either at home or in school. As a solution to the issue, there is a need to develop fun and educative games that would please the children as opposed to the violent video games. 
