Video Games do Not Increase Teen Violence Essay - 1449 Words

In this day and age it seems as if Americas youth is becoming more violent. Concern for those aspects in our society which influence violent acts has become an issue since the tragedy at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Many feel one aspect of todays society affecting our nations youth in a negative manner is video games. Is this form of entertainment really a factor in teen violence? I think not. Video games are not to blame for increased teen violence. According to the article, Video Games and Children, by Bernard Cesarone, ever since the 1970?s, parents have been placing their children in front of televisions and allowed them to waste away the hours playing video games (31). As technology and a national surge†¦show more content†¦It is not in human nature to kill one another and for this reason soldiers must be trained to shoot on instinct (173). In fact, only one-fifth of all American soldiers in WWII ever fired their rifle (Quittner 52). For that reason, simulators similar to video games such as Doom and Quake have been used to train soldiers how to kill without thinking. This may be true, but the simulators used show real soldiers in enemy uniforms, and users are told to take a single head shot at all enemies in the room. Games like Quake and Doom however similar require numerous shots to kill an enemy and do not distinguish between where the enemy is shot i.e. a shot to the foot equals a shot to the head (Quittne r 173-4). Another concern for games like Quake and Doom is their setup. These games are first person. The player sees through the eyes of the electronic ?eyes? of their character, seeing only their own weapon and whatever is in front of them. The game boards are also set up to resemble hospitals, and often areas that are quite similar to school hallways. One must account for the fact that many of the weapons used are those of the sort that do not exist or are only seen in movies. Laser guns and triple barreled grenade launchers are not lifelike and are even less lifelike when used against four armed monsters. Ken Schroeder?s 1997 article, ?Halving Fun? showed that when confronted with questionsShow MoreRelatedViolent Video Games Cause Violence : Cause Of Violence And Video Games1377 Words   |  6 PagesLit. 27 November 2017 The Blame Game Statistically, 2017 has become the year with second lowest crimes rates since 1990, assuming there isn’t a big resurgence in violent crime between now and the end of the year (Bump). However, violent crimes continue to be a problem in modern-day America. Many have sought out to find out the root of these crimes and what causes them, and as a result, many different things have been cited as a cause for violence. Violent video games are said to be a possible sourceRead MoreNegative Effects Of Video Games On Teenagers895 Words   |  4 PagesOf Video Games On Teenagers Do you think video games are good for teenagers? 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Although video game violence has been blamed for high profile school shootings, video games and its creators should not be held accountableRead MoreDo Violent Video Games Cause Aggressive Behavior?1383 Words   |  6 Pages Do Violent Video Games Cause Aggressive Behavior? Samantha Remesz Saginaw Valley State University Abstract This paper explores violent video games and their affects on people’s behavior and emotions. An experimental study was done by Smith, Lachlan, and Tamborini and is investigated further. The researchers wanted to examine people’s behavior after playing violent video games as well as nonviolent video games and compare the differences of the two. The study observes boys and girls