People Decoding Violent Video Games

By: Stephon Sharp

Video Games Statistics

The entertainment software association did a study in 2015 about the sales and use of video games in the United States and this is what they found.

According to the entertainment software association, there are roughly 155 million Americans playing video games on a regular basis.

On average, about two people in each household being gamers, and four out of five households own a device to play videogames on. (Entertainment Software Association, 2015)

Video Game Statistics Cont.

Roughly 26% percent of the videogame population is represented by children under the age of 18.

“Shooter” style video games ranked second in most sold copies by genre at 21%, while fighting games added another six percent to the violent video game sales. (Entertainment Software Association, 2015)

Video Game StatisticsIn fact, in 2014, eight out of the top twenty video games sold were rated M, for mature. Including Call of Duty Advanced Warfare and Grand Theft Auto both being ranked in the top five, with Call of Duty ranking in at number one.

Being rated M for mature means that the game presents Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs. The games are made for people who are 17 years old and up, but many parents buy these games for their children without understanding the risks. (Entertainment Software Association, 2015)

ThesisPeople are torn between how violent video games affect people worldwide and there are many people who believe that they have no effect at all on individuals. However, after extensive research I believe there is a direct correlation between violent video games and then increase of aggression in human beings across the world because they are being exposed to more acts of random violence which is ultimately making them believe the world is more violent than it actually is.

Connectability to Social Pressures/PersuasionOf the 155 million American gamers who play videogames on a regular basis, 54% of them report that playing video games help them connect with friends. (Entertainment Software Association, 2015)

The major danger presented behind violent videogames and the community behind it, is what they are actually bonding over, which is violence.

Children who do not have much companionship outside of an online video game community are extremely vulnerable when they find it through violent video games.

Transitioning from Connectability Chris Harper-Mercer, the Oregon shooter in 2015, gave knowledge to members of an online community to not go to school if they lived in the northwest.

In the situation of columbine, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold both shared a common hobby of playing violent video games like “Doom”. In one of Harris’ last videotapes he stated that “once the bombs explode outside of the school it was going to be just like the game Doom.”

Connection to Mass MurdersThere have been several connections made to mass murders and violent video games, and have been thought of by some political leaders to unintentionally make people more violent by nature.

Following the Newtown, Connecticut shooting, it was discovered that Adam Lanza had recorded over 80,000 kills online while playing Call of Duty, before shooting and killing twenty seven people.

According to a court statement given by mass murderer Anders Breivik, who killed seventy-seven people (including children) in Norway in 2011, he “saw Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 as a part of his training simulation.”

RebuttalA rebuttal to this statement would be that that these few examples are only a small majority of the violent video game population and that it would statistically happen coincidentally.

My response to this would be, just because not everyone who plays violent video games isn’t committing mass murders doesn’t mean that their behavior has become significantly more aggressive in everyday situations. The mass murders are just bringing the issue out and making it more prevalent to society.

Development of a Twisted RealityIt is reported that people who overuse these video games actually can develop an altered reality that can make them view the world as a kind of fantasy world place. (Gentile, 2014)

The more violence people see, the more violence they are accustomed to, ultimately making them believe the world is more violent. An example of something that would be consistent with cultivation research.

These people are losing touch with reality, and they actually begin to lose an understanding for the value of life. While in video games they are able to go back and fix things if they accidentally kill the wrong person, they begin to think that their real life is actually a video game.

Regulated Violence Vs. Excessive ViolenceIt is nearly impossible to avoid violence and it should not be something that should be completely avoided however, according to the Signorielli, the average person in modern day society has witnessed over 100,000 acts of random violence by the time they turn twelve years old. (Signorielli, 2005)

A peer reviewed study by Brad Bushman showed that an increase in violence seen can ultimately reduce the brain depictions of real life violence, thus making people more likely to become violent. (Bushman, 2011)

Pro-Active Violence EffectVideo games differ from other types of media because it is the only way that the receiver actually has control of the message in some situations and can influence what they see, and how they wanna see it.

Brad Bushman, a psychologist professor at Ohio State University, believes that Video Games directly influence and encourage violent behavior by putting the user in control of a violent person, allowing them to do whatever they want and then rewarding them with points, boosts, or other forms of a reward. (Bushman, 2011)

Why No Change?News reports are becoming much more likely to deny the existence of media violence, and it is becoming much more likely that scientific reports must bring it to light. The average person gets much more of their information from the news, and just may not be aware of the serious effects of violent video games.

Researchers from various universities also discovered the third person effect is very prevalent with people who play violent video games. (The violent media effects others more than it does me.) Causing them to feel in control of what is going on and not consciously think through what is going on.

Rebuttal Pt. 2There are many people that say violent video games are not to blame for the increase in aggressive behavior, but instead the extensive competition is what is bringing the behavior out of people. In defense of my argument, there is no direct correlation between being competitive in other activities leading to an increase in aggression.

The increase in violence forces people’s brains to naturally change and become for accustomed to and familiar with seeing violence, something they simply are unable to control.

CitationsAnderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002a). Media violence and societal violence. Science, 295, 2377-2378.

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002b). Media violence and the American Public revisited. American Psychologist, 57, 448-450.

Davison, W. P. (1983). The third-person effect in communication. Public Opinion Quarterly, 47, 1-15.

Kahneman, D., & Tversky, A. (1973). On the psychology of prediction. Psychological Review, 80, 237–251.

Steinfeld, J. (1972). Statement in hearings before Subcommittee on Communications of Committee on Commerce (United States Senate, Serial #92-52, pp. 25–27).

Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Christopher R. Engelhardt, Bruce D. Bartholow, Geoffrey T. Kerr, and Brad J. Bushman, "This Is Your Brain on Violent Video Games: Neural Desensitization to Violence Predicts Increased Aggression following Violent Video Game Exposure," Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Sep. 2011

Douglas A. Gentile, Media Violence and Children: A Complete Guide for Parents and Professionals, 2014

Signorielli, N. (2005). Violence in the media: A reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.

E. (2015). 2015 Essential Facts About The Computer and Video Game Industry. Retrieved May 30, 2016, from http://www.theesa.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ESA-Essential-Facts-2015.pdf