Social Commentary 2 (Video Game Violence)

AHHH! As the knife came coming down on me, I let out a sharp shriek, shut my eyes and hoped that it was all a dream, I opened my eyes slightly, it was not a dream! However, it was just a computer generated image, or in other words, it was just my “violence” game. I heaved a sigh of relief, but at the same time, considering whether this terrible violence may occur in real life. To my disappointment, video game violence has been a threat to society with its wrong application. However, is video game violence the cause for all these deaths in society? It could be if the user gains his “inspiration” from such games, but games companies have strongly argued that their games do not induce violence but only heighten the visceral experience of gamers.

With incidents such as the Columbine High School shootings in which two male students killed twelve fellow students and a teacher before killing themselves, scrutiny has fallen on the violent games producers. Are video games the cause of such incidents? Research has shown that video games violence can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. As can be seen from these researches, video games violence can cause a person to be aggressive and could be the cause for such terrible violence society.

However, video games producers and other sources have claimed that video games are not the reason for such violence as there are not enough studies to back up their claim. Several studies have found that video games do not contribute to these problems. Furthermore several groups have argued that there are few if any scientifically proven studies to back up these claims, and that the video game industry has become an easy target for the media to blame for many modern day problems. Video games producers claimed that violent content appeals to a segment of video gaming enthusiasts and is used by developers to heighten the intensity of some games and is not as an induction for violence.

Also, video games producers have said that their video games are not enough to cause such an impact on society. Their original purpose was just to increase the game intensity and not to cause violence. Greg Costikyan, a designer with Unplugged Games, concedes that violent content is used by video game developers to heighten the visceral experience of gamers. However, he regards the use of violence as just one approach toward achieving the larger goal of providing users with opportunities to explore new environments and solve puzzles. He also said that violent scenes in a game are not enough to appeal to a wide audience and impact larger society. Thus, video games are only for entertainment and that such violence used in society may be due to other channels such as the television as the video games are not enough to appeal to such a wide audience.

Even though video game producers have argued strongly that they are not the cause for violence in society, but it is still a fact that violence shown as entertainment can still induce violence in a person. Whether or not video games cause such violence, we still have to be on our toes in such situations. I do not know whether this was the reason for the fear in me, but I heaved a sigh of relief as I press the shut down button on my computer.

Done By: Amos Lim (2)


With reference from article: http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Articles/FO3020630138/