Violence in Video Games

Overview of the Effects of Video Games to Psychological, Cognitive, and Social Traits of
Philippine Youth

A Research Study by

DANIEL JOHN G. ESTEMBER

2011-53209

Submitted To
Ariel S. Betan, MA
The Faculty of the BA Social Science Committee
University of the Philippines Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in Social Science Research 199

(Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences)

12 December 2014
Second Semester, AY 2014-2015
University of the Philippines Manila

This study aims to know whether or not the video games have negative effects on the
psychological, cognitive, and social traits to its gamers (i.e., people who play video games on a
regular basis). This issue was of great importance ever since the pursuit for technology has
started since video games existed as early as 1962. As we all know, video games exist primarily
for the sake of recreation.
Video games may not be as important as other matters such as civilian unrest and violence
but they played a significant role in the socialization of people, particularly, the youth of the
Philippines (which are the target sample of the study). Moreover, video games induced or if not,
affected these kinds of activities that youth were involved to. As the number of violence
involving video games outside the schools and homes escalate, it is important to comprehend and
evaluate the status quo of the gamers and the video games they play to prevent violence of any
sort inside campuses. If the study might become successful, video game awareness might be
implemented inside several schools and campuses.
Before turning to whether the video games were negatively or positively affecting the
Philippine Youth, it is important to stress the conventional notions on this issue. Now let us
assess the previous studies made.
1

As technology developed over the years, these video games became more accessible to the

public. To gain more market and popularity, video game developers made video games that
enabled the people to do what they cannot do in real life such as crime (Anderson & Warburton,
2010). In a sense, video games actually prevent people with criminal tendencies to do it in real
life. However, this has not been the case of the majority. Video games created addict, anti-social,
and aggressive youth.

1 From chapter 3, page 56 The Impact of Violence Video Games: An Overview by Anderson,
Craig and Warburton, Wayne (2010) of the Review Growing Up Fast and Furious:
Reviewing the Impacts off Violent and Sexualized Media on Children. Annandale, NSW, the
Federation Press.

Conventionally, negative effects of video were rendered by parents as a common sense and
those video games have negative effects without having strong evidences. Some of the most
popular traits showed by video gamers are being anti-social and being violent. Anti-social
behaviors of teenagers develop due to poor communication skills resulted from too much time
wasted in playing. Children forget to communicate with their peers (in the case of non-social
games). 2By 2009, approximately, the world average dominant gaming age ranges between 8 to
18 and primarily boys. Majority of the gamers reside in first world countries such as the United
States, China, and European countries (Rideout, 2010).
Whilst violence develops through the contents of specific video games that promote such acts
as killing, gambling, etc. Despite the fact that there were actually good video games to playthe
pro-social and beneficial games; what makes the population of gamers in grave danger, as a
whole, was that popular games were actually the ones that are violent. Meaning, there were more
gamers in violent games that there are in pro-social games. 3According to Santiago (2013),
research shows that more and more children and adolescents are playing video and computer
games especially ultra-violent ones that are top-sellers. Boys spend an average of 13 hours a
week playing them, and girls five hours (par.1); and playing these video games made children
less empathic toward their peers in dealing with conflicts (par. 3). 4Some of these violent-natured
games were Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 which grossed approximately 550 million US
Dollars and Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA) which grossed 500 million US Dollars in their first five
days of release back in 2009 (Ortutay, 2010).

2 From Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8-18 year olds by Rideout, VJ (2010). Merlo
Park CA: Henry J Kaiser Foundation
3 From paragraph 1 and paragraph 3 of Explanatory Note of Act 1803 Prohibiting Deceptive
Conduct in the Rating of Video and Computer Games by Santiago, Miriam Defensor (2013).
First Regular Session, Senate of the Philippines.
4 From Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and GTA IV have set earnings for its 1st day by
Ortutay,
B.
(2011)
Accessed
10
December
2014,
<htttp://
www.tdtnews.com/story/2011/11/12/70137>.

Several studies have been made to uncover the psychological and behavioral effects of playing
video games. Some of the studies involve the type of game, the durations in playing the game,
the effects in health, etc. Though most of them used different approach and methods in order to
find out whether video games alter the behaviors of the gamers or not; and aim to prove different
perspectives involving the behaviors of gamers. Their studies turned out to have identical
conclusions and results.
Overall, the effect of video games to a gamers behavior is progressive from normal to
addictive. Video games more or less change the behavior of the gamers in dealing with the real
world. Initially, the changes cannot be seen until the behavior of the gamer becomes obvious.
This progresses as the gamer gets more and more addicted to the game. 5This was proven by in a
survey involving 21 male gamers between 17 to 28 years old who play a specific type of game
an RPG or role playing game. This type of game lets the player control an avatar that he/she
take responsibility of succeeding the story of the game which is often narrative. He made a
series of questions involving if they had experienced sudden change in their behavior. He
concluded that: first, durations playing RPG becomes longer due to the expectancies and motives
the player wants to achieve in the game; second, game sessions becomes more frequent because
of the excitement in achieving those motives (Haagsma, 2013).
6

Video-gaming also affected the behavioral functions of the gamers. In his Kings study, he

focused on the effects of video games to the duration and amount of sleep by the gamers. His
experiment involved 17 male adolescents having a range age of 16 with no sleeping problems,
play a specific video game. The duration of playing the video game was different in each subject.
His experiment involved objective and subjective measurementssleep and heart rate
(objective) and consistency of sleep (subjective). The results showed that there was a reduction
5 From page 441 of How gaming may become a problem: A qualitative analysis of the role of
gaming-related experiences and cognitions in the development of problematic game behavior
by Haagsma (2013) in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
6 From page 137-138 of The impact of prolonged violent video-gaming on adolescent sleep:An
experimental study by King, D.L. (2013) in Journal Sleep Research.

in the duration of sleep ranging from 2% to 85% that varies among the 16 male adolescent. The
heart rate, on the other hand, did not have significant changes compared to pre-experiment. His
conclusion was that there was a clinical disruption of sleep among those who play longer
durations of video games. Lack of sleep results to short patience and uncontrolled temper (King,
2013). Kings study proved that playing video games indirectly induces negative behavioral
effects due to lack of sleep. This still roots to addiction of the children to video games that they
sacrifice their sleep.
Structural characteristics of video games have a significant role in the initiation,
development and maintenance of problematic video game playing. The level of addiction of the
gamers may also vary depending on what type of video games he/she is playing. The usual type
of games that affects the players behavior are the video games that include killing, stealing,
gambling, engaging in sexual activities, engaging in drugs, etc. To substantiate this, 7Delfabbro
(2011) the role of structural characteristics and features in video game playing behavior within a
sample of 421 video game players aged between 14 and 57 years. Players were surveyed via an
online questionnaire containing measures of video game playing behavior, player interaction
with structural characteristics of video games, the rewards that they get in progressing the game,
and the adverse effects in playing the video games. The results showed that the reward and
punishment features, such as earning points, finding rare game items, and fast loading times,
were rated among the most enjoyable and important aspects of video game playing. There was
some evidence that certain structural characteristics were stronger predictors of problematic
involvement in video games than factors such as gender, age, and time spent playing. His
research supports the perception that some structural characteristics in video games may play a
significant role in influencing problem playing behavior (320-325).
7 From 320-325 of The role of structural characteristics in problematic video game playing: An
empirical study by Delfabbro, P. H. (2011) in International Journal of Health and Addiction.

Another negative effect of video games to youth was the engagement into gambling.
8

Gambling did not only exist with real-life games or situations but also in electronic media.

Video games, in particular, in the status quo involved money. Griffith points out that through
technology, gambling has evolved into a more powerful influencing tool. Technology had made
gambling more accessible and convenient. Gambling in video games, whether monetary or nonmonetary, influenced those who played especially teenagers. With reference to current
psychological knowledge on the risk factors that promote adolescent gambling, it is suggested
that new gambling technologies may: (a) make gambling more accessible and attractive to young
people, (b) may promote factually incorrect information about gambling, (c) provide an easy
escape from real world problems such as depression and social isolation, (d) create a gambling
environment that easily facilitates peer pressures to gamble, (e) ease parental transmission of
gambling attitudes and beliefs, and (f) make gambling more ubiquitous and socially acceptable.
Internet gambling for young people was critically discussed, as well as the lack of restricted
classification for video games and other media that feature interactive, non-monetary forms of
gambling. (Griffith, 2010)
In contrast, some of the researchers included positive effects of video games to the youth. It
is important to stress that video may also have help benefits. Several games improve brain
coordination and spatial cognition. 9Playing video games including violent shooter games may
help children improve their social, health and, learning skills. While one widely held view
maintains playing video games is intellectually lazy, such play actually may strengthen a range
of cognitive skills such as spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception, according to
several studies reviewed in the article. This is particularly true for shooter video games that are
often violent. A 2013 meta-analysis found that playing shooter video games improved a
From pages 175-176 of The convergence of gambling and digital media: Implications for
gambling in young people by Griffiths, M. D. (2010) Journal of Gambling Studies
9 From paragraphs 1-5 of Video Games Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social Benefits,
Review Finds by Granic, I. (2013, November 25) Official Publication of American
Psychological Association [Washington D.C.]
8

players capacity to think about objects in three dimensions, just as well as academic courses to
enhance these same skills, according to the study. This has critical implications for education and
career development, as previous research has established the power of spatial skills for
achievement in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. (Granic, 2013) Clearly,
Granic implies the positive effect of video games to the individual skills of gamers particularly
children. Her perspective was very different compared to the other authors like Haagsma and
Delfabbro. They do not contradict in a way that Granic focused more on the progressive
opportunity to learn while the others proved more on the physical and psychological addiction of
the body and mind and its detrimental effects.
Playing video games was also believed to be an avenue for learning.

10

During the 1980s,

the video games were weird and needs logical comprehension for understanding. Playing
traditional video games required more critical thinking compared to the contemporary video
games. According to Gazard (2013):
From the start, there were no tutorials no obvious path and no helpful assistant;
the player as delivered into an unforgiving universe and allowed to reach the
ultimate goal of being ranked Elite. (Gazard, 2013)
Some studies also show that video games can be used as teaching tool with proper guidance.
Parents can use video games the way rewards and punishments was used. Gentile (2009) points
out that the educational advantages of using video games as a teaching tool. These include the
power of video games to engage children and to encourage children to persevere in acquiring
and mastering a number of skills, to navigate through complex problems and changing
environments, and to experiment with different identities until success is achieved (p 127).
10 From article Game Studies - The Platform and the Player: exploring the (hi)stories of Elite
by
Gazzard,
A.
(2013).
Retrieved
April
1,
2014
from
<http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/agazzard>

Another positive effect of video games was its ability to manage anger and pain the player is
experiencing. 11Several media, including video games, can be used to distract and relax children
particularly during several painful medical procedures (Kirsch, 2010).
Haagsma proves that video game addiction was progressive. The more the gamer played the
video game, the more excited and attached he becomes. This was due to the motives and goals
he/she aimed to achieve in the game. Haagsma dwelled more on the possible reasons why a
gamer continuously plays a game despite any circumstance. Whilst, King proved the adverse
effects of the video games to the gamers emotional, cognitive, and behavioral functions by
conducting an experiment on the gamers amount of sleep. He believed that these functions can
be altered by the amount of sleep a person has. He tested on how much sleep the gamers get.
Whilst, Delfabbro proved that the structural features of the video games were significant to its
progressive effects to the gamers. There were certain games that required a large amount of time
in order to be finished or become satisfying. Some games were short-termed. There were also
endless games. Games have different level of satisfaction and it also depends on the taste of the
gamers. Clearly, Granic and Gazzard imply the positive effects of video games to the individual
skills of gamers particularly children. Their perspective was very different compared to the other
authors like Haagsma and Delfabbro. They do not contradict in a way that Granic and Gazzard
focused more on the progressive opportunity to learn while the others proved more on the
physical and psychological addiction of the body and mind and its detrimental effects.
In conclusion, video games have significant potential to enhance the lives of youth.
Unfortunately, there were more negative than positive effects. Excessive video game playing,
especially of violent video games, has the potential to impact children in a number of negative
ways.
11

From Media and Youth: A Developmental Perspective by Kirsch, SJ. Malden CA:
California.

Pyschological Effects
Psychological effects involve the violent tendencies of humans. In this case, we are trying to
prove whether violent video games have a connection to the violent tendencies of children and
adolescents or not. Should we be concerned that these violent video games actually harbor
violent attitudes and tendencies within the age group of children and adolescents? It would
obviously be yes. 12Studies have proven that children and adolescents playing mature-rated, riskglorifying (MRRG) video games develop aggressive behaviors like physical violence, smoking,
and doing unprotected sex (Cancio, 2014). As of now, the Entertainment Software Rating Board
(ESRB) has made measurements to control the exposure of children to these violent video
games. 13Here is the ESRB rating guide:

EC (Early Childhood) Content is intended for young children.

E (Everyone) content is generally suitable for all ages. The video game may contain
minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.
E10+ (Everyone 10+) Content is generally suitable for ages 10 and up. The video game
may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal
suggestive themes.
T (Teen) Content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. The video game may contain
violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling and/or
infrequent use of strong language.
M (Mature) Content is generally suitable for ages 17 and up. The video game may
contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
AO (Adults Only) Content is suitable only for adults ages 18 years old and up. The
video game may include prolonged scenes of intense violence, graphic sexual content
and/or gambling with real currency.
From paragraph 4 of Study: Violent computer games lead to aggressive behavior by
Cancio, John Michael (2014) in Philippine Online Chronicles (POC)
13 From ESRB rating guide of Study: Violent computer games lead to aggressive behavior
by Cancio, John Michael (2014) in Philippine Online Chronicles (POC)
12

However, other than the parents supervision, there were no other ways to ensure that children
under eighteen wont be able to lay hands on AO-rated video games. Moreover, even the
adolescents ranging in 18 years and below are still prone to the effects of these violent video
games. According to Santiago (2013), research shows that more and more children and
adolescents are playing video and computer games especially ultra-violent ones that are topsellers. Boys spend an average of 13 hours a week playing them, and girls five hours (par.1);
and playing these video games made children less empathic toward their peers in dealing with
conflicts (par. 3). What this proves was that the most popular video games to the community of
gamers were the violent ones.
In essence, what we are trying to prove is that violent video games induce violence to its
gamers. To clearly understand this argument of violence and aggression, one must analyze the
former and the latter.

14

Violence is an aggressive behavior that has extreme harm as its goal

(Anderson et al, 2002). Hence, we can conclude that violence is only a form of aggression and
that not all aggression is violence. There are several arguments that prove the detachment of
violence to violent video games:

15

There were no aggression researchers who claim that media

(which include video games) was the sole or even significant cause of violent behavior; and
Societal institutions such as family, school, community, etc. affects the socialization of a child or
an adolescent no less than a video game, violent or not, can (Anderson & Warburton, 2010). Yes,
one might prove that violent video games were not the sole reason in the violent behaviors of
children and adolescents. However, 16 it does not remove violent video games as a potential risk
factor that could cause violent behaviors among children and adolescents (Strasburger et al,
2009). As we can see in the DSWD report (see fig.1), although it was not media (which include
14 From pages 27-51 of Human Aggression by Anderson, CA, Carnagey, NL, & Bushman,
BJ in Annual Review of Psychology.
15 From page 58 of The Impact of Violence Video Games: An Overview by Anderson, Craig
and Warburton, Wayne (2010) of the Review Growing Up Fast and Furious: Reviewing the
Impacts off Violent and Sexualized Media on Children. Annandale, NSW, the Federation
Press.
16 From Children, adolescents, and the media (2nd edition) by Strasburger, VC, Wilson, BJ,
& Jordan, AB (2009).

violent video games), it still played a huge role in the juvenile crimes in the Philippines by being
one of the main risk factors.

Broken Home
Substance/Drugs
Poverty
Anti-Social Parents
Abusive Parents

Media (inc.Violent
Video Games)
0

10

15

20

Figure 1. Adapted from the report of Philippine Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) in 2001 on causes of juvenile crimes and cases. (in percent %)
In general, we could say that violent video games were not the main or sole reason and
cause to the children and adolescents tendency to be violent to their peers, family, and others.
Although it shows that media being the fifth main reason for the happenings of juvenile crimes,
violent video games can be still regarded as a risk for children and adolescents.
Cognitive Effects
Cognitive functions of our body include reasoning, IQ, perceptions, etc. As said earlier, too
long exposure to video games affects

17

the school performance of children and adolescents due

time mismanagement (Cordes & Miller, 2000) and 18displacement of attention from studying to
playing (Anderson et al, 2002). Children are most affected by this because 19at an early age, our
Figure 1 From Table 1 in Explanatory Note of Act 1803 Prohibiting Deceptive Conduct in the
Rating of Video and Computer Games by Santiago, Miriam Defensor (2013). First
Regular Session, Senate of the Philippines
17 From Fools gold: A critical look at computers in childhood. By Cordes , C & Miller, E.
(2000) College Park, MD: Alliance for Childhood
18 From pages 27-51 of Human Aggression by Anderson, CA, Carnagey, NL, & Bushman,
BJ in Annual Review of Psychology.

brain was to be fed with knowledge; and it is the time where our capability to remember and
learn knowledge and facts are at its best (Cummings & Vandewater, 2007).
Another cognitive problem violent video games brought was its effect on human nature of
repetition. 20Humans was discovered to have mirror neurons. This gave humans, from the time
of birth, the mechanism to imitate others for cognitive and sociological learning (Caggiano et al,
2009). This imitation mechanism is a good skill for children and adolescents in learning.
However, if the child or adolescent imitate the negative behaviors in violent video games, it will
clearly result to an opening for the violent tendencies of the child or adolescent.
Another cognitive problem was the high interactivity of the violent video games. High
interactivity resulted from advance technology that developed through time. At the status quo,
the video games were more realistic and interactive. For example, the violent video games that
involve shooting lets the player feel like he/she is in the virtual world of games. High
interactivity results to memorization and repetition.

21

In training, astronauts and pilots were

given console that felt like they are in the real space ship or plane. It was the best and fastest way
to learn skills. In violent video games, its interactivity was not an advantage, but instead
endangers the children and adolescents to have high violence potentials (Gentile, 2009).
Sociological Effects
Sociological effect both has negative and positive. There were games that exist to improve
social behavior of the gamer among his/her peers.

22

We would have to divide the vast category

of video games to pro-social and violent games. Children and adolescent below 18 years old who
have been exposed to pro-social games were more helpful and emphatic compared to those
students who prefer violent and non-social games (Gentile, 2009). This shows that not all video
From page 161 of Relation of adolescent video game play to time spent in other activities
by Cummings, HMM & Vandewater, EAP (2007) in Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent
Medicine.
20 From page 326 of Mirror neuros differentially encode the peripersonal and extrapersonal
space of monkeys by Caggiano, V., Fogassi, L, & Rizzolati, G. (2009).
21,22 From page 594-602 of Pathological Video game use among youth ages 8-18: A National
Study by Gentile, DA (2009) in Psychological Science.
19

games were negatively affecting the socialization process of children and adolescents.
Another most notable negative effect to socialization of the children and adolescents was the
attention deficits they experience.

23

The amount of time children play video games affect their

attention deficits, impulsivity, and hyperactivity (Bailey et al, 2010); and 24adolescents who were
very addicted to video games were three times more likely to be diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder compared to those who dont (Gentile, 2009). This only shows
that children and adolescents level of video game playing had a contributing part in their loss of
attention capacity.

Conclusion
The proofs I have expounded in this research paper were not enough to require complete
control of the proliferation of the violent video games to the Philippine society. However, all of
the possible effects of violent video games to Psychological, Cognitive, and Sociological, in my
point of view, would be enough to pass a law (other than the act passed by Senator Miriam
Defensor Santiago) that will at least monitor the playing duration of the children and adolescents
less than eighteen years of age. Video games, in general, have both negative and positive effects
but what this paper aimsthe violent video gameswhich have causal effect to the increasing
number of violence among juvenile. To answer the dilemma that this paper would like to solve,
the video games, specifically violent video games, have harmful consequences to the
psychological, cognitive, and sociological traits and behaviors of both children and adolescents.

From page 34 of A negative association between video game experience and proactive
cognitive control by Bailey, K, West, R, & Anderson, CA (2010)
24 From page 326 of Pathological Video game use among youth ages 8-18: A National Study
by Gentile, DA (2009) in Psychological Science.
23

References

Anderson, CA, Carnagey, NL, & Bushman, BJ (2002) Human Aggression. Annual Review of
Psychology, pp. 27-51
Anderson, CA & Warburton, W. (2010) The impact of violent video games. Chapter 3 of
Growing Up Fast and Furious: Reviewing the Impacts of Violent and Sexualized Media
on Children, pp. 56-84
Bailey, K, West, R, & Anderson, CA (2010). A negative association between video game
experience and proactive cognitive control. Psychophysiology, pp. 34-40
Cancio, John Michael (2014) Study: Violent computer games lead to aggressive behavior.
Philippine Online Chronicles (POC) Accessed 10 December 2014
< http://thepoc.net/index.php/study-violent-computer-games-lead-to-aggressive-behavior2/>
Caggiano, V, Fogassi, L, & Rizolatti, G (2009). Mirror neuron differentially encode the
peripersonal and extrapersonal space of monkeys in Science p. 324
Cordes, C & Miller, E (2000) Fools gold: A critical look at computers in childhood. College
Park, MD: Alliance for childhood.
Cummings, HMM, & Vandewater, EAP (2007). Relation of adolescent video game play to time
spent in other activities. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, pp. 684-689

Delfabbro, P. H. (2011). The role of structural characteristics in problematic video game playing:
An empirical study. International Journal of Health and Addiction, 9, 320-Mental 325
Gazzard, A. (2013) Game Studies - The Platform and the Player: exploring the (hi)stories of
Elite. Retrieved April 1, 2014 from http://gamestudies.org/1302/articles/agazzard
Gentile, DA (2009) Pathological video-game use among youth ages 8-18. Psychological Science,
594-602.
Granic, I. (2013, November 25). Video Games Play May Provide Learning, Health, Social
Benefits, Review Finds. Official Publication of American Psychological Association
[Washington D.C.] paragraphs 1-5

Griffiths, M. D. (2010). The convergence of gambling and digital media: Implications for
gambling in young people. Journal of Gambling Studies, 26, 175-176.
Haagsma, M. C. (2013). How gaming may become a problem: A qualitative analysis of the role
of gaming-related experiences and cognitions in the development of problematic game
behavior. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, in press pp. 441-452.
King, D. L (2013). The impact of prolonged violent video-gaming on adolescent sleep: An
experimental study. Journal of Sleep Research, in press. 137-143.
Kirsch, SJ (2010) Media and youth: A developmental perspective. Malden CA: Wiley Blackwell.
Ortutay, B (2011) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and GTA IV have set earnings for its 1st day
Accessed 10 December 2014, <htttp:// www.tdtnews.com/story/2011/11/12/70137>
Rideout, VJ (2010). Generation M2: Media in the lives of 8-18 year olds. Merlo Park CA: Henry
J Kaiser Foundation.

Santiago, Miriam (2013) Explanatory Note. Senate S.1803 Act Prohibiting Deceptive Conduct in
the Rating of Video and Computer Games. First Regular Session. Senate of the
Philippines. Par. 1-3 & table 1.