Violent video games Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Violent video games - Research Paper Example They had not much opportunities other than playing games to spend their free time. However, teenagers of current era are getting more opportunities to spend their free time. The arrivals of computer, internet, television and mobile phones have brought immense opportunities to them. These channels or media offer many opportunities to play video games. It should be noted that playing some kind of games in the ground require some physical effort. On the other hand, not much physical effort is needed for playing videogames. That is why lazy modern generation is running after videogames. Two features of video games fuel renewed interest by researchers, public policy makers, and the general public. First, the active role required by video games is a double-edged sword. It helps educational video games be excellent teaching tools for motivational and learning process reasons. But, it also may make violent video games even more hazardous than violent television or cinema. Second, the arrival of a new generation of ultraviolent video games beginning in the early 1990s and continuing unabated to the present resulted in large numbers of children and youths actively participating in entertainment violence that went way beyond anything available to them on television or in movies. Recent video games reward players for killing innocent bystanders, police, and prostitutes, using a wide range of weapons including guns, knives, flame throwers, swords, baseball bats, cars, hands, and feet (Anderson) Some people argue that videogames help teenagers to increase their mental abilities and it should be encouraged as much as possible. On the other hand others are of the view that over influence of videogames may affect the physical, mental and emotional developments of teenagers. In do believe that playing excess videogames is not at all good for the teenage community. This paper argues against excessive playing of videogames with the help if arguments in favor and against videogame playing. â€Å"Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns† (p.4). One of the major negative impacts of playing videogame is the development of aggressive behavior among the children. Anderson & Dill (2000) also pointed out the development of aggressive behavior among the teenagers as a result of excessive videogame playing. In their opinion, â€Å"long term video game players can become more aggressive in outlook, perceptual biases, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior than they were before the repeated exposure or would have become without such exposure† (Anderson & Dill, p.774). Aggressive behaviors are increasing day by day among teenage communities. It should be noted that in schools of western countries, plenty of shooting and violent inci dents are taking place periodically. On the other hand, such violent behaviors among teenage communities in the underdeveloped countries are less. This is because of the fact that teenagers in the developed countries are getting more opportunities to play videogames because of the