Smith 1 Colin Smith Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 December 4, 2013 Violent Entertainment or Violent Reality?

Many violent crimes around the world committed by adolescents seem to be attributed to the sole cause of playing violent video games, however, many other factors are often present. It seems that more and more violent crimes are being committed and that they can be easily traced back to violent video games and other forms of entertainment promoting violence. However, that is not the case because many studies have proven that violent video games only desensitize people towards violence and are not the direct cause of violent crimes committed by those who play them. Christopher J. Ferguson states in his article Violent Video Games and Aggression that explanations for the possible effects of violent video games fall into two categories: those that suggest playing these types of games directly causes violent behavior through a socialparadigm and the idea that this behavior is mostly innate meaning it is inherited or biological. With the latter, however, he says that violent behavior is a result of an incidental relationship with these biological traits (Ferguson 313). An employee named Zach Saale at iStrategyLabs in Washington, D.C. has been playing violent video games around the office for years now and says, I think that people who are going to be more prone to violence might be affected by video games, but I think someone whos of sound mind is not going to be affected by a violent movie or a violent video game (Yenigun). In many cases such as the Columbine, Colorado shooting and the recent shooting in Newtown,

Smith 2 Connecticut, some have blamed violent video games as the sole reason for the crimes. However, it has been proven that the perpetrators in the Columbine shooting; Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris, had numerous mental health disorders such as chronic depression, social anxiety, and schizophrenia. A recent study revealed that in every school and every classroom there is at least one student with a mental illness. Also only one out of five students with a mental health disorder will receive treatment for it (Dikel). This is absurd and a reflection upon the idea that more can be done to prevent crimes committed from individuals with mental illnesses. These statistics are very alarming if you calculate the number of possible students who dont get treated for their mental illnesses. Then if this number is taken into account with how many play violent video games, then that number is the possible amount of violent crimes that could possibly be committed. The many violent crimes involving teens could very well be directly related to their vulnerability with the illness rather than directly playing violent video games. The games could be what sets them off or triggers their violent behavior but studies have shown that mentally sane people are not prone to the violence like the ones with illnesses. The media has proven to be in favor of the idea that these games are what causes these teenagers to go on these murder sprees and violent rampages. But as the research has shown, the high profile cases have revealed that these kids had mental illnesses in most cases. One study done by Bruce Bartholow, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia along with 39 undergraduate students found that playing violent video games changes brain functions and desensitizes chronic players to violence. What the researchers found was that participants who routinely played violent video games responded less to violent images. They found that these

Smith 3 students showed no reason to believe they would go on violent rampages. This adds to the claim that the games desensitize kids, hence responding less to the violent images. A recent study done in 2013 that was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence found that violent video games do not cause teens to become more aggressive even if they are classified as vulnerable to violence. The studys results were actually quite surprising finding that the games had a slight calming effect on these teens. Christopher Ferguson who acted as the co-author of the study at Stetson University states: We found no evidence that violent video games increase bullying or delinquent behavior among vulnerable youth with clinically elevated mental health symptoms (Ferguson). As the study stated, they found a calming effect from the games which conflicts with the scapegoat that violent games only cause aggression. Some also believe that these games act as a stress reliever or a way in which these kids take their anger out in a non-physical manner. One recent example is the shooting at the Washington Navy Yard where shooter Aaron Alexis has been described to be heavily addicted to violent video games and played them for hours on hours. But it has recently surfaced that Alexis may have had numerous mental illnesses that could have been connected to his murderous rampage. The independent contractor that had hired Alexis has been recently found to have had knowledge of his mental illnesses but failed to report the findings to the proper management (Navy Yard Shooters). Once again, a case where the perpetrator has been found to have played violent video games for hours and hours and also suffering from some sort of mental illness. These two aspects have repeatedly shown a correlation when violent crimes are committed and in most cases the games are accompanied by the illness.

Smith 4 On a personal note, I have experienced increased levels of aggression during and after playing violent video games. I have been playing mature rated games since the age of ten and I can account for instances when I seemed to be overly aggressive. I usually am not the aggressive or violent type but I have recognized that my aggression is not from the actual content of the game but when my performance is poor. But even at the times when my aggression seems to be at the maximum level, I still couldnt even dream of harming others or committing any violent act of the magnitude we have seen around the globe. I have also observed similar behavior with my two brothers; one older and one younger. They both show increased levels of aggression not because of the content of the games but simply because of how they perform within the game. They, too, do not inflict any harm on others no matter what the game causes. I believe the reason for this is because we are mentally sane and without the presence of a mental illness, we are able to keep our sanity intact and still realize what is right and wrong even during our most aggressive moments. I believe that any reasonably sane person could not be capable of committing such violence from playing these games for any amount of time. I believe mental illnesses can form from playing these games too much but they could form from engaging in any activity that causes brain stress over long periods of time. "We have discovered a mechanism for how environmental factors, such as stress hormones, can affect the brain's physiology and bring about mental illness," says Akira Sawa, a professor at John Hopkins University, who recently conducted a study observing the effects of severe stress on adolescents and their brain development. Although the majority of studies find that violent video games are not the direct cause of violent crimes, there are some that have believed to find otherwise and many mental health professionals persist that these games do cause violent acts. The American Academy of

Smith 5 Pediatrics put out a statement saying: Exposure to violence in media, including television, movies, music, and video games, represents a significant risk to the health of children and adolescents. Extensive research evidence indicates that media violence can contribute to aggressive behavior, desensitization to violence, nightmares, and fear of being harmed (Dikel). The study conducted by The American Academy of Pediatrics also found that the games desensitize those who play the games but not to the degree where crimes could be committed. In addition, at least five more similar statements have been issued by highly respected psychological associations that say violent video games can directly cause violent behavior. In less than a month, the next generation gaming platforms, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One will be released. These gaming systems will have the newest and most up to date technology specifications built within them which gives them the ability to portray the most realistic gaming environments to date. This highly anticipated release date poses a very interesting discussion regarding the realism these games will portray and what effects they will have on the young adults that play them. As soon as these systems hit the market it will be interesting to observe the rates of violent crimes and how quickly some of these people will tie back to these next generation games (Gaudiosi). Could we see an increase in crime in the mentally sane population as well as the mentally ill? Or will we simply see an increase in violent crime within the mentally ill population that play these games? The next decade will definitely contribute much conversation to this ongoing topic of the effects of violent video games on people. An interesting question that has been around ever since violent video games and crime have been supposedly connected is: why does the media work so hard to make the connection between violent video games and real-life violence? Ben Salter states, People in a position to

Smith 6 blame video games do so because they know it will create a moral panic and make for good television or sell newspapers. However, they dont understand games and rarely play them (Salter). The media is in a position to have millions of potential viewers and supporters and their constant bashing of violent video games only shows that they strive to be listened to and supported. Like Salter said, they often have never played these games and are quick to jump to the conclusion that the games cause violence directly. Most studies seem to agree that factors other than violent games play into the extremely violent crimes that are committed by teenagers and young adults. The popular perception that believes these games are the direct link to violent behavior is heavily influenced by the scapegoat of violent games presented by media, government, and associations such as the NRA. But these beliefs have been tested numerous times in many different formats and set-ups and the results favor the belief that these violent games only briefly desensitize the test subjects to violence and can only cause a slight increase in aggressive behavior. It is also believed that many people who commit violent crimes are biologically vulnerable to the illnesses they develop and that the games simply act as the trigger for the crimes. If a relative is known for having an illness or if it runs in a familys history, then greater precaution needs to be taken with any offspring in that direct family. In order for these crimes to be prevented the key aspect will be responsibility. Parents are most liable for their childrens playing habits. It is the parent or guardians job to monitor what games their children play and how long they are playing them at a given time. Anyone with a mental illness should be restricted from playing, watching, or purchasing these types of games. Stricter purchasing laws should be put in place and more penalties should be passed down upon parents and guardians whose children commit such violent acts. This could create a better sense of awareness on the parents behalf and motivate them to be more aware of

Smith 7 what their children are playing. Because as the studies have shown, these violent games can trigger horrific crimes that can be easily prevented.

Smith 8 Works Cited

Dikel, William. "School Shootings and Student Mental Health- What Lies Beneath the Tip of the Iceberg." Nsba.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Ferguson, Christopher, Stephanie Rueda, Amanda Cruz, Diana Ferguson, Stacey Fritz, and Shawn Smith. "Violent Video Games and Aggression." Criminal Justice and Behavior. "Foundation-Funded Research Helps Identify How Adolescent Stress Can Cause Mental Illness." Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (Formerly NARSAD). N.p., 21 Jan. 2013. Web. 04 Dec. 2013.35.3 (2008): 311-332. Print. Gaudiosi, John. "With PS4 And Next Gen Opening Up More Realism, Researcher Explores Violence In Games." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. "Navy Yard Shooter's Employer Aware of Possible Mental Illness before Incident." Fox News. FOX News Network, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. Salter, Ben. "7 Stupid Reasons Mainstream Media Blames Games." MMGN. N.p., 11 Jan. 2011. Web. 04 Dec. 2013. Yenigun, Sami. "Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us?" NPR. NPR, 11 Feb. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.