Abstract

Most young people in the modern generation spend their time playing video games.  Playing video games has therefore become an integral part of the average young people’s life in the contemporary society. Studies have shown that most teenagers spend a substantial amount of their time killing zombies, slaying monsters and shooting others all in the name of passing the time. There has been a constant debate on whether or not these video games are too violent or not. Some of the world’s population is of the opinion that these games have a positive influence on the lives of the youth. However, I strongly disagree with this assertion. Video games are too violent and should be avoided at all costs.

Video games too violent

To begin with, playing video games will lead these young people to accept what is conventionally and ethically unacceptable. Most of these games offer an aggressive and bloody atmosphere where gamers view killing as normal and awardable. These video games make the players feel that they should be rewarded for killing others. The video games fail to teach the youth moral consequences of killing a person. Once you kill in these games, one is not penalized or taken to jail and hence encouraging acts of violence amongst the teenagers (Greitemeyer, 2014).  Video games teach the gamers disrespect to life when they show them how to pick guns and shoot to kill. By so doing, the ethical culture of people is eroded as it becomes a social norm to kill. Also, the games teach the players to disrespect the authority by giving extra points to gamers who manage to kill or escape the police. This aspect has lead to many people being of the opinion that authority figures such as the police are bad people while in a real sense this is not the case (Hartmann & Vorderer, 2010). As a result, most of the gamers are brainwashed and consequently have no sense of reverence for law enforcers or the law itself.

Violent video games are also responsible for aggressive behaviors prevalent amongst the teenagers in the society. Excessive playing of these video games leads to the development of bad conflict resolution skills. These games will always express their feelings of anger, pain and discontent through aggression and hostility. Video game players are always violent while sorting out their problems rather than using dialogue to resolve conflicts. This is explained by the fact that most of these video games have violence and aggressiveness as the central themes (Beck, Boys, Rose & Beck, 2012).  Most of the video game players are minors and hence will accept the teachings from these videos as social norms.  Also, the games also express females as victims of violence and aggression and hence making it normal for gender-based violence prevalent in modern society. There are brutal and will result in physical abuse and fights to express their dissatisfaction. Previous studies have shown that playing video games leads to increase in angry thoughts, aggressive behavior and decreased empathy and passion for others.  It has also been confirmed that video gamers are more hurtful to others as compared to non-gamers.

These video games are played indoors with the use of computers and deny the children an opportunity for the gamers to interact with others in the society. Lack of social time hinders effective child development both physically and emotionally. Social interaction is instrumental in child development, and these video games have had adverse effects on this front.  They adversely affect the kids’ minds that lack amount of emotion and attention. Additionally, these games are very addictive and consequently leads to the majority of the children spend most precious time that could be used in studies and other beneficial activities (Hartmann & Vorderer, 2010). Such children may be rebellious in schools and consequently, have adverse effects on the performance of the victims in schools.

Proponents of video games argue that these games are mental stimulators and also help in mind sharpening and also to relieve stress and anxiety. They also claim that these games keep people occupied thus preventing them from engaging in antisocial behaviors such as drugs, alcoholism, and crime. Moreover, they also assert that these games offer platforms for social interactions and the creation of new friends amongst the gamers as well as improving logical thinking amongst the players. While there are some elements of truth in these assertions, it is prudent to note that there are better avenues though which such objectives can be realized (Greitemeyer, 2014).  For instance, brain stimulation, stress relieves, and reduction of anxiety can be realized through other games and social activities. Dances, athletics, swimming, and football, are some of the games that will reduce stress, stimulate the brain and also promote the mental and physical development of the players. Such activities are also essential in preventing antisocial activities such as drug abuse and crime. Logical thinking can be taught in the school curriculum and hence render the argument on logical thinking irrelevant. Making new friends is also possible when engaging in other games such as football and basketball that involves several people unlike the video games where players engage the computers.

In a nutshell, video games have become an indispensable part of life amongst the teenagers in the modern technological era. Although there are some benefits that come along with the games, it is my opinion that these games are too aggressive and violent and should be avoided at all costs. Video games are too violent and lead to lack of respect for human life and erode essential social norms in the society. It is prudent that policy makers come up with policies that will help reduce the adversaries of these video games.

Summary

Most of the teenagers and adults in the modern society are engaged in playing video games during their free time. As a result, the video games have become an indispensable part of their lives where they spend time killing zombies and shooting animated humans and animals. While most people support the video games, I am of the opinion that these games are very violent and aggressive and should not be avoided at all costs.

These video games spend a substantial amount of time that could otherwise be put to other useful use. Besides adverse health effects on the part of the gamers, the video games are an aid to instill violent and aggressive behaviors to the gamers. They are profoundly in an aggressive and bloody atmosphere that makes killing look a social norm (Greitemeyer, 2014). Most of the gamers resolve in violence to settle conflicts since they are deprived off empathy and compassion for others. In essence, video games lead to lack of respect for human life and desensitization to violent acts amongst the gamers. It is also prudent to note that these games are played indoors and hence depriving the gamers an opportunity to socialize with others. This makes it difficult to pass fundamental societal norms and interpersonal skills necessary for peaceful coexistence.

Proponents of these video games cite brain stimulation, mind relaxation, reduced anxiety and reduction of antisocial behavior as reasons why we should promote video games. However, I suggest alternatives with less negative implications that can serve the same purpose. In essence, the essay confirms that video games lead to people accepting what is conventionally and ethically unacceptable (Beck, Boys, Rose & Beck, 2012). The paper concludes by emphasizing that video games are too violent, and it is high time that we embrace alternative ways of brain stimulation and relaxation to maintain the desired ethical levels in the society.

References

Beck, V., Boys, S., Rose, C., & Beck, E. (2012). Violence Against Women in Video Games: A Prequel or Sequel to Rape Myth Acceptance?. Journal Of Interpersonal Violence, 27(15), 3016-3031. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260512441078

Greitemeyer, T. (2014). Intense acts of violence during video game play make daily life aggression appear innocuous: A new mechanism why violent video games increase aggression. Journal Of Experimental Social Psychology, 50, 52-56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2013.09.004

Hartmann, T., & Vorderer, P. (2010). It’s Okay to Shoot a Character: Moral Disengagement in Violent Video Games. Journal Of Communication, 60(1), 94-119. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2009.01459.x

 
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