Are Violent Video Games
Harmful to Children?
Author: Edi Purwanto
In 1980s, electronic video
games have begun a popular form of entertainment. This
has resulted in the increasing of video games company sales
every year since 1985; in present time, the sale was 10 billion a year
(Vessey
& Lee 2000, p. 607). During
this time, the increasing of computer technology has made video games
performance become more attractive, realistic and interactive (Muir 2004, p.
26). Video games contain educational,
non-violent strategy, and sports (Anderson and Bushman 2001). In facts,
the
majority of video games content was violence which
is becoming children’s favourite (Vessey
& Lee 2000, p. 607). Anderson
and Gentile study shows that boys spend 8 hours to play video games longer than
girls who play only 5 hours per week.
In addition, psychologists state
that the number of children’s aggression increase; they argue that it could be
caused by violent video games (cited in American
Psychological Association 2004).
Accordingly, adults, parents, teachers are worried about the negative effects of violent video games. While there is a small number of a study on TV and movies, a large number of evidence that violent video games has even greater effects on children's aggression (Vessey & Lee 2000, p. 607). Although some evidence of effects violent video games are flawed, the majority of studies support that violent video games contribute to children having more aggressive behaviour, thought, feeling, and less pro-social behaviour because of the games reward violent behaviour As a result, children keep repeating these violent behaviours as they play.
Accordingly, adults, parents, teachers are worried about the negative effects of violent video games. While there is a small number of a study on TV and movies, a large number of evidence that violent video games has even greater effects on children's aggression (Vessey & Lee 2000, p. 607). Although some evidence of effects violent video games are flawed, the majority of studies support that violent video games contribute to children having more aggressive behaviour, thought, feeling, and less pro-social behaviour because of the games reward violent behaviour As a result, children keep repeating these violent behaviours as they play.
The first main finding of the
studies is that violent video games make children become more aggressive.
Anderson
and Bushman (2001) define that violent media show deliberately efforts by
individuals such as human cartoon character or an actual person which cause
destruction on others. A study by Anderson
and Dill (cited in Muir 2004, p.26) who are a researcher at IOWA
State University in Ames suggests
that playing violent video games possibly made people more aggressive including
assaults and robberies. They also state that the effects of violent video games
could be in the short-period and in the long-period, as children would show
increasing aggression and criminal behaviour, respectively (Vessey & Lee
2000, p. 608). Another
study reports
that violent video games make children to be more aggressive and
confront their teachers, and may engage in fights with their friends (Muir 2004, p.26).
Similarly,
Anderson and Bushman (2001) who are researchers at Iowa
State University, Department of Psychology in Ames reviewed
35
research reports that the studies include 54 independent samples of
participants. They
explain
that the
effect of violent video games on aggression has a similar strength to the effect
of condom use on risk of HIV infection. They also state that both
aggressive and non-aggressive children who play violent games might change them
become more aggressive.
In other study by Griffiths (cited in Vessey and Lee 2000, p. 607) explains that
children who have continuous interaction
with media violence tend to have violent behaviour.
In addition, violent video games not
only make children become more aggressive but also they make children become
less pro-social behaviour. Eisenberg and Mussen (1989) define that pro-social as
“voluntary actions that are intended to help or benefit another individual or
group of individuals” (cited in http://learningtogive.org/).
Anderson
and Bushman (2001) had done eight independent tests in 676 respondents to
discover the relationship between violent video games and pro-social behaviour.
From this study, they explain that there was a negative correlation between
violent video games’ exposure and helping in the reality. Both aggressive and
non-aggressive children become less caring and helpful to their friends.
Likewise, Griffiths
(cited in Vessey
& Lee 2000, p. 608)
also states that desensitization
of violence behaviour, such as less trust and less empathy to others were
associated with violent behaviour.
Moreover, regardless of the type of games, Casarone (cited in Vessey
and Lee 2000, p. 609)
believes that most games do not encourage teamwork or cooperation, but its
pressure independent action. Thus, playing
violent video games increase
aggression behaviour and
decreases pro-social behaviourin
children.
The
second main finding of the study is that violent video games make children
becoming more aggressive in their thought and feeling. Provenzo
(cited
in Vessey
and Lee 2000, p.607) argues
that violent video games content show imagination, performance and sport games
which influence
children's thoughts
and feelings
on sexual stereotypes, such as women are often described as more passive and in
need of rescuing. Emes also explains that proponents of video games frequently
encourage the belief that games assist adolescence to deal with unexpressed
feelings of aggression and hostility.
Furthermore, a study by Anderson
and Dill (cited in Muir 2004, p.26) show that children who play violent video
games are frequently faster to response to aggressive words than
others.
In a study by Funk (1993), he found that out of 357
seventh and eighth grade students, 32% of them chose fantasy violence games, 17%
of them preferred human violence games and 30% of the students liked sports
games. Sports and action violence are favourite games for boys, while fantasy
violence is preferred for girls (Vessey
& Lee 2000, p.607). Furthermore, Anderson
and Bushman (2001) had done 20 independent tests among 1.495 respondents to find
out the relationship between violent video games and aggressive thought.
Their
studies are using experiment and non-experiment method including men and women,
children and adult respondents. Their results show that there was a positive
correlation between violent video games’ exposure and increasing aggressive
thought in a long period and in a short period. Therefore, violent video games
contribute to increasing aggressive cognition and felling in
children.
However, some researchers argue that
evidence of violent video games is flawed. Jeffery Goldstein who a psychologist
at the University of Utrecht in Netherland and a consultant to some video games
publisher states that the evidence of violent video games are insufficient
because the studies do not differentiate between various kind of violence.
Although he agrees that exposure media including violent video games make
children become more aggressive, he claims that it might not be a simple of
cause and effect. He argues that experiments which purport to monitor levels of
aggression are weak, noise and blasting in game is not the same as a real intent
to commit a violent act. Furthermore, he suggests that the truth about the
linked between aggression and video games will remain unknown because it is too
difficult to measure aggression (cited in Muir 2004, p.36). Indeed, another
study by Griffiths (cited in Vessey and Lee 2001, p.608) argues that the
evidence is not based on theory and general methodological problems such as
no
controls and relying on children's self-report. Similarly, Krahe (cited in Muir
2004, p.26) says that most researchers agree that studies require long period to
observe game playing habits and aggression levels. Anderson and
Bushman
(2001)
state that a further study is needed to discover various
types of media and the extant literatures on video-game and TV-movie violence.
Nonetheless,
other expert disagrees that these studies are inadequate. Beside, Goldstein’s
disagreement is not based on a research and they assume that he works in the
video games company. Thus, while the studies of violent video games are flawed,
these studies have strong evidence.
Finally, psychologists explain that
some reason of violent video games make children become more aggressive. Barbara
Krahe who is a psychologist at the University of Potsdam in Germany says that
player start using guns as their second nature as they involve in committing
violence, he also states that violent video game repetitive aggressive
experience that are rewarded by more killing (cited in Muir 2004, p. 26).
Likewise, Anderson
and Gentile explain that
violent video games have even greater effects on children's aggression than
violent television and movies. This may be because the violent games are more
attractive and interactive, reward violent behaviour, and children keep
repeating these violent behaviours as they play. Psychologists know that
each of these help learning - active involvement improves learning, rewards
increase learning, and repeating something over and over increases learning (cited in American
Psychological Association 2004).
In conclusion, there are some
studies of violent video games are flawed in general methodological. However,
the majority of studies encourage that violent video games contribute
to children having more aggressive behaviour, thought, feeling, and less
pro-social behaviour.
-
Muir, H 2004, ‘The violent games people play: as computer games get to look more lifelike is their violence also spilling over into real life?’, New Scientist, vol. 184, no. 2470, p.26.
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American Psychological Association 2004, ‘Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects’, <http//www.psychologymatters.org/videogames.html>
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Vessey, Judith A; Lee, Joanne E. 2000, ‘Violent video games affecting our children’, Pediatric Nursing, 26. 6
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Anderson, CA; Bushman, Brad J. 2001, ‘Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behaviour, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behaviour: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific’, Psychological Science, 12: 353.
