Game over the Effects of Violent Video Games on Children...

Game Over: The effects of Violent Video Games on Children Seven hours. That is the amount of hours a day the average American child plays a video games (Anderson 354), and with technology advancing and games becoming more graphic, the concern over a violent game’s effect over a child’s development is growing. What does playing video games for seven hours do to a child’s development? Violent, role-playing video games adversely affects a child’s development and causes aggression in children and adolescents; these games desensitize players, reward hurt and destruction, and glorify dangerous weapons. For some clarification, violent video games are defined as any game where the objective is to cruelly hurt or kill another character.†¦show more content†¦In addition to desensitizing children, violent video games reward hurt and destruction. For example, the objective of the very popular Doom is to shoot as many of the game’s â€Å"demons† as possible. In the game, or any given game, the more hurt , the more points a player receives and the higher up in the levels they move. Children are particularly susceptible to this kind of reinforcement because of their age. In the same way a parent teaches their child with punishment when they have done something bad and rewards when they have done something bad. A video game operates on the same basic principal. This is the use of positive reinforcement, on a negative action. The â€Å"fighting solves everything† policy is continually emphasized at an age when children are still modeling after what they see around them. The games subconsciously enforce the belief that violence is good. Video games promote dangerous weapons and make them seem exciting, as opposed to hazardous and life-threatening. The same way the media made smoking seem â€Å"cool,† violent video games make weapons seem â€Å"cool.† Near San Francisco, a young boy broke into his parent’s bedroom and took his father’s gun, and accidentally killed his friend (Levine 51-52). The idea that wielding a gun will make one â€Å"tough† is one that is repeatedly highlighted in video games today. MostShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Violent Video Games on the Young1575 Words   |  6 Pagesroll music could have on their children. Much like the bad reputation rock and roll music received in the 1950’s, violent video games have been questioned and looked down upon as a newer form of influential media. Violent video games have been blamed for bullying, school shootings, increasing rape, and increasing the amount of women being abused. 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