Violence in Video Games

1
Violence in Video GamesViolence in Reality?
John Baker ENGL 1101-F 10-30-06 J. Walker
Source http//www.sfondideldesktop.com/Images-Ga
mes/Mortal-Kombat/Mortal-Kombat-0001/Mortal-Kombat
-0001.jpg
2
Are Video Games Violent?

• Yes, yes they are

Source http//video.google.com/videoplay?docid-
3325130276489704756qviolentvideogamehlen
3
Numbers Can Lie?

• Rates of Violent Crimes Committed by persons 12
  and over
• Total Media sales in the year 2005

Source http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort
.htm
Source http//static.flickr.com/69/204153886_aa6
f90527c_o.jpg
4
Why Do People Think Video Games Promote Violence?

• The Argument
• WASHINGTON - Playing violent video games like
  Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat 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. Furthermore, violent video
  games may be more harmful than violent television
  and movies because they are interactive, very
  engrossing and require the player to identify
  with the aggressor, say the researchers.
• The first study involved 227 college students who
  completed a measure of trait aggressiveness and
  reported their actual aggressive behaviors
  (delinquency) in the recent past. They also
  reported their video game playing habits. "We
  found that students who reported playing more
  violent video games in junior and high school
  engaged in more aggressive behavior," said lead
  author Anderson, of Iowa State University. "We
  also found that amount of time spent playing
  video games in the past was associated with lower
  academic grades in college."
• In the second study, 210 college students played
  either a violent (Wolfenstein 3D) or nonviolent
  video game (Myst). A short time later, the
  students who played the violent video game
  punished an opponent (received a noise blast with
  varying intensity) for a longer period of time
  than did students who had played the nonviolent
  video game.

Source http//edition.cnn.com/1999/ALLPOLITICS/s
tories/12/18/clinton.legal.fees/link.hillary.clint
on.jpg
Source http//www.extrememortman.com/wp-content/
uploads/2006/08/Joe20Lieberman20from20CBS20New
s.jpg
Source http//www.apa.org/releases/videogames.ht
ml
5
Only Two Studies

• Scientific evidence links violent game play with
  youth aggressionClaims like this are based on
  the work of researchers who represent one
  relatively narrow school of research, "media
  effects." This research includes some 300 studies
  of media violence. But most of those studies are
  inconclusive and many have been criticized on
  methodological grounds. In these studies, media
  images are removed from any narrative context.
  Subjects are asked to engage with content that
  they would not normally consume and may not
  understand. Finally, the laboratory context is
  radically different from the environments where
  games would normally be played. Most studies
  found a correlation, not a causal relationship,
  which means the research could simply show that
  aggressive people like aggressive entertainment.
  That's why the vague term "links" is used here.
  If there is a consensus emerging around this
  research, it is that violent video games may be
  one risk factor - when coupled with other more
  immediate, real-world influences which can
  contribute to anti-social behavior. But no
  research has found that video games are a primary
  factor or that violent video game play could turn
  an otherwise normal person into a killer.

Source http//oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2000/a
rt/VidGame-sm.jpg
Source http//www.pbs.org/kcts/videogamerevoluti
on/impact/myths.html
6
Video Games Train Kids For Murder?

• -And now, the game Grand Theft Auto is at the
  center of a civil lawsuit involving the murders
  of three men in the small town of Fayette, Ala.
  They were gunned down by 18-year-old Devin Moore,
  who had played Grand Theft Auto day and night for
  months. (Can a Video Game Lead to Murder)
• DENVER A federal judge yesterday dismissed a
  lawsuit that claimed several video game
  distributors and moviemakers shared blame for the
  Columbine High School massacre. (Columbine
  lawsuit against makers of video games, movies
  thrown out )
• PADUCAH, Ky. A federal appeals court has
  upheld the dismissal of a 33 million lawsuit
  that claimed the makers of video games, a
  pornographic Web site and a movie studio were to
  blame for a 1997 shooting spree at Heath High
  School in which three students died. (Federal
  judge dismisses lawsuit against movie, video game
  makers)

Source http//www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04
/60minutes/main678261.shtml
Source http//www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/09
/23/columbine/story.jpg
7
Kids Will Be Kids?

• Washington States-Furthermore, violent video
  games may be more harmful than violent television
  and movies because they are interactive, very
  engrossing and require the player to identify
  with the aggressor, say the researchers.
• Henry Jenkins states-Game designer and play
  theorist Eric Zimmerman describes the ways we
  understand play as distinctive from reality as
  entering the "magic circle." The same action
  say, sweeping a floor may take on different
  meanings in play (as in playing house) than in
  reality (housework).

Source http//www.amway.com/en/images/children-p
laying-monkey-bars-20-1-2-L1.jpeg
Source http//images.worldofstock.com/slides/PCH
3862.jpg
8
ESRB

• ESRB Rating Symbols
• EARLY CHILDHOODTitles rated EC (Early
  Childhood) have content that may be suitable for
  ages 3 and older. Contains no material that
  parents would find inappropriate.
  EVERYONETitles rated E (Everyone) have content
  that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles
  in this category may contain minimal cartoon,
  fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of
  mild language. EVERYONE 10Titles rated E10
  (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be
  suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this
  category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or
  mild violence, mild language and/or minimal
  suggestive themes. TEENTitles rated T (Teen)
  have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and
  older. Titles in this category may contain
  violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal
  blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use
  of strong language. MATURETitles rated M
  (Mature) have content that may be suitable for
  persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this
  category may contain intense violence, blood and
  gore, sexual content and/or strong language.
  ADULTS ONLYTitles rated AO (Adults Only) have
  content that should only be played by persons 18
  years and older. Titles in this category may
  include prolonged scenes of intense violence
  and/or graphic sexual content and nudity. RATING
  PENDINGTitles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have
  been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final
  rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising
  prior to a game's release.)

All information and graphics from this slide
from http//www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.j
sp
9
Conclusion

• Are video games violent Yes
• Do they cause violence in young children No more
  than television or the movies
• Should the rating system be changed No
• The last word Video games may or may not promote
  violence in teenagers or in young adults, but the
  fact is that there is not enough evidence to
  support it. Video games are forms of
  entertainment that children enjoy, and if for
  some reason parents have a problem with certain
  games, then its up to them to pay attention to
  what their child is doing, instead of it being
  the game industries fault for putting mature
  rated content into a mature rated game.

Source http//video.google.com/videoplay?docid-
3325130276489704756qviolentvideogamehlen
10
Works Cited Page

• "Game Ratings Descriptor Guide." Entertainment
  Software Rating Board. ESRB. 31     Oct. 2006
  lthttp//www.esrb.org/ratings/ratings_guide.jspgt.
• Willenz, Pam. "Violent Video Games Can Increase
  Aggression." APA Online. 23 Apr.     2000.
  American Psychological Association. 31 Oct.
  2006     lthttp//www.apa.org/releases/videogames.
  htmlgt.
• "Key Facts at a Glance." Bureau of Justice
  Statistics. 8 Sept. 2006. U.S.     Department of
  Justice. 1 Nov. 2006 lthttp//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs
  /     glance.htmgt.
• Järvinen, Aki. "A Meaningful Read Rules of Play
  Reviewed." Game Studies. 4 Nov.     2004. 31
  Oct. 2006 lthttp//www.gamestudies.org/0401/jarvine
  n/gt.
• "Can a Video Game Lead to Murder." CBS News. 6
  Mar. 2005. CBS. 31 Oct. 2006     lthttp//www.cbsn
  ews.com/stories/2005/03/04/60minutes/main678261.sh
  tmlgt.
• Jenkins, Henry, PhD. "Reality Bytes Eight Myths
  About Video Games Debunked ."     The Video Game
  Revolution. 31 Oct. 2006 lthttp//www.pbs.org/kcts/
       videogamerevolution/impact/myths.htmlgt.
• "Columbine lawsuit against makers of video games,
  movies thrown out." Freedom     Forum. 5 Mar.
  2002. 31 Oct. 2006 lthttp//www.freedomforum.org/ 
      templates/document.asp?documentID15820gt.
• "Federal judge dismisses lawsuit against movie,
  video game makers." Freedom     Forum. 7 Apr.
  2000. 31 Oct. 2006 lthttp//www.freedomforum.org/ 
      templates/document.asp?documentID12139gt.

11
List of Graphics and Figures

• Slide 1
• Mortal Kombat Picture http//www.sfondideldesktop
  .com/Images-Games/Mortal-Kombat/Mortal-Kombat-0001
  /Mortal-Kombat-0001.jpg
• Slide 3
• Game Statistics Graph http//static.flickr.com/69
  /204153886_aa6f90527c_o.jpg
• Violent Crime Graph http//www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/
  glance/viort.htm
• Slide 4
• Hillary Clinton http//edition.cnn.com/1999/ALLPO
  LITICS/stories/12/18/clinton.legal.fees/link.hilla
  ry.clinton.jpg
• Joe Leiberman http//www.extrememortman.com/wp-co
  ntent/uploads/2006/08/Joe20Lieberman20from20CBS
  20News.jpg
• Slide 5
• Test Kid http//oea.larc.nasa.gov/news_rels/2000/
  art/VidGame-sm.jpg
• Slide 6
• Columbine Kids http//www.salon.com/news/feature/
  1999/09/23/columbine/story.jpg
• Devin Moore http//www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/0
  3/04/60minutes/main678261.shtml
• Slide 7
• Monkey Bars http//www.amway.com/en/images/childr
  en-playing-monkey-bars-20-1-2-L1.jpeg
• Kids Playing http//images.worldofstock.com/slide
  s/PCH3862.jpg