Essay Example: Violent Video Games Causing Violent Behavior

There has been a debate about violent video games and their relation to violence. Some arguments tend to associate the games with violent behavior with the primary argument being drawn from the 18 years old gunman who shot at least nine people in Munich, Germany (DeLisi and Kevin 2). It is argued that the shooter was amongst the fan of first-person shooter video games. Further details in the story led to debates pertaining the association of violent video games with some of the negative or deviant characters which are portrayed by children. However, I am of the view that the violent video games are not the main cause of violent behavior. My stand is informed by the numerous research which has been conducted and has proved very little or no association between the games and some of the violent behaviors noted among the children or the society in general.

It gets important to realize that violence is a strategic act which inflicts physical aggression against a person unless they act by a particular will. Therefore, in the event of a five-year-old child who is a fan of the violent video games demanding for an ice cream with threats of beating the parent should the opposite happen, may not be taken seriously but given the ice cream. The child is mainly making a demand and attached to it is a threat which ensures that the demand is met even though realistically the threat may not come to pass. It is arguable that video games simply help the children overcome their fears and build on their courage of tackling issues which are of great significance. The same is supported by the cursory analysis which fails to out rule the 100 percent impossibility of such games making someone aggressive and somewhat violent in real life but stresses that the period of exposure to the games is too short to change a persons behavior. The cursory analysis argues that being exposed to video games like the play of Dark Souls might inspire a young child on the fantasy of spilling blood but may not experience the sudden increase on the advisability of taking to such behaviors (DeLisi and Kevin 5). The reason is not being able to execute the action considering the short span of time effectively.

Another research also got conducted to determine the relationship between the video games in the discussion and the violent behaviors; the correlation involved playing video games and self-reported physical disagreements which led to fights and at last delinquent behavior. It was however realized that the association of violent characters only applied to those children who had in the past expressed aggressive traits and high level of stress. The research findings also noted that traits of aggression and matters stress became predictive of the delinquent behaviors and some aspects of bullying and out ruled the association of video games to the negative behaviors. The research went further and imaged parents involvement to neutralize the possibility of negative outcomes of the violent video games. In consideration of most of the violent video games getting founded on fantasy, most of the children tend to play them to draw fan rather than violent characters (Markey and Christopher 6). It is advisable for people to consider some of the potential benefits that come with the violent video games rather than the disadvantages. Some of these benefits include allowing gamers to find platforms where they can vent their anger and frustrations. The platform offered is normally controlled hence relieving them of the negative implications which may be caused by the violent characters.

The games also help those involved in developing various real-life skills. The mentioned can be made possible through the enhancement of strategic thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills and development of a clear memory. Violent video games help in teaching children about actions and consequences. The gamers learn to follow certain rules and learn about the consequences which may be attached to certain actions. Research also proves the games to defy age owing to the role of enhancing the pumping of adrenaline hence promoting quick decision making (Markey and Christopher 10). The depicted helps in delaying the aging process of the gamers. Recent development has also seen many kids taking to the games and would prefer playing them with their colleagues. It is, therefore, argued that the games help in increasing their social connections and even be able to address autism.

The justification for the latter is noted based on the involvement of the entire body in controlling the onscreen movements and also increasing space for social interaction to the individuals with the disorder. The last advantage is on the gamers getting the opportunity of exercising. Some of the violent video games are usually involving and may need a lot of physical movement hence enabling those involved to engage the body in numerous physical activities. Most of these benefits have always been ignored when looking at the violent video games, but it comes out clearly that contrary to most of the speculations, the video games are equally useful in the growth and development of the children and also offering contributions to their well-being. As was noted earlier, it may not be assumed that the video games in the discussion fail to play a 100 percent role in the realization of violent behaviors, it, therefore, gets important for parents to develop interest and monitor the kind of games played by their children.

Equally notable, those opposed to my opinion argue the video games associate violent activities with fun, for example making the killing and hurting of people appear entertaining and creating room for the gamers to engage in such activities in reality. The drawn extends to the decentralizing and desensitizing effects on the players (Violence and Society, 7). The gamers find difficulties in distinguishing between the reality and fantasy. Their final argument is noted on violent video games portraying violence as an accepted character which can be adopted by the players, a situation which has led to the erosion of morals among other demerits. Looking at the dissenting concerns, it comes out clearly that there exists no strong evidence pertaining the association of violent video games with violent behaviors. The arguments presented failed to recognize that the development of behavior is an elaborate process which requires a longer period hence rendering the concerns as weak and unjustifiable.

In summary, there existed no clear relationship between the video games in the discussion and violent behaviors. Much of the information presented to support the argument got backed up by numerous researchers who proved the time span involving children in such plays as short and not able to guarantee the development of a character. Numerous benefits of violent video games also got noted in the paper.

Works Cited

DeLisi, Matt, and Kevin M. Beaver. Criminological Theory: A Life-Course Approach. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, 2011. Print.

Markey, Patrick M, and Christopher J. Ferguson. Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong. , 2017. Internet resource.

Violence and Society: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice. , 2017. Internet resource.