THE IMPACT OF VIOLENT GAMES ON CHILDREN

 THE IMPACT OF VIOLENT GAMES ON CHILDREN
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The Impact of Violent Games on Children
Video games have been in the market for more than 30 years1
. They are a form of
entertainment, but each game is unique. In contrast to watching a movie, video games encourage a
player to be an active participant. With the changing technology, video games of today call for full
concentration and participation of the player2
. This has its own advantages and disadvantages.
One major advantage of video games is that they improve a player’s manual agility, as well as
their computer literacy3
. Other games that are created with an educational theme may help the player
to learn or master a few academic aspects. A player can also sharpen his/her critical thinking skills as
well as their problem-solving abilities just by playing these video games. Children can develop their
motor skills, and enhance their coordination. The disadvantages, however, tend to overshadow these
advantages.
Video games are created with various themes. There are games that promote the killing of
people and animals, use of drug substances, crime and general disrespect for authority, sexual
exploitation and violence towards women, as well as racial, sexual, and gender discrimination. Video
games may also promote the use of vulgar language, obscenities, and explicit acts4
. All of these have
a negative impact on the player. For this paper, the greater emphasis has been placed on video games
that promote violence, and the effect they have on children. Studies conducted recently show that
children and adolescents who play violent video games excessively tend to lose their sensitivity to
violence5
. They become immune to the horrors associated with violence.
____________
1
 AACAP, March 2011. “Children and Video Games: Playing with Violence.” American Academy of Child & Adolescent
Psychiatry, No. 91. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from
http://aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_video_games_playing_with_violence
2
 Ibid.
3
 Ibid.
4
 Ibid.
5
 Ibid.
They also tend to imitate what they see in the games, creating games of their own from what
they have seen. It may escalate to these young people adopting aggressive mannerisms6
. Such
children feel that violence solves many problems and may result to it to handle or settle their issues.
Continued exposure to violent games has more of a negative impact on children and adolescents. If
the child has emotional or behavioral problems or are slow learners, they are impacted by the
violence depicted in these video games very quickly7
.
Children and adolescents who are exposed to video games for long hours can become
obsessed with the games. This obsession has its own set of disadvantages. Such children are not able
to socialize and play with other children, since most of their time is consumed with playing video
games. They also have less time to spend with their family members, or doing their class work, and
other healthy and meaningful activities8
. Spending less time studying results in poor grades at school.
Such children are rarely involved in physical activities, and may end up becoming overweight or
obese. Finally, children who play violent video games for long hours harbor aggressive thoughts and
these are manifested in the kind of behaviors that they display in the real world.
Parents can help control their children’s exposure to violent video games, thus avoiding the
negative aspects that come with it9
. They should ensure that they check the rating of violence before
purchasing a game. They should also not install video game equipment in their children’s rooms. It
would also be of great help if they control and reduce the amount of time that children spend on the
Internet and watching television and movies, in addition to playing video games10
.
____________
6
 Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A., 2003. Violent Video Games: The Newest Media Violence Hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media
violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.
7
 AACAP, March 2011. “Children and Video Games: Playing with Violence.” American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, No.
91. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from http://aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_video_games_playing_with_violence
8
 Gentile, D. A. & Anderson, C. A., 2003. Violent Video Games: The Newest Media Violence Hazard. In D. A. Gentile (Ed.), Media
violence and children. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishing.
9
 Ibid.
10 AACAP, March 2011. “Children and Video Games: Playing with Violence.” American Academy of Child & Adolescent
Psychiatry, No. 91. Retrieved March 30, 2013 from
http://aacap.org/cs/root/facts_for_families/children_and_video_games_playing_with_violence
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