Entertainment, in all of its varied forms,
is something that humans have valued and strived for since the beginning
of life on this planet. On the other hand, the presence of violence
and other related items within entertainment is something that has not
received the same praise as the traditional “wholesome” entertainment.
However, many people have felt that entertainment containing violent elements
can be just as enjoyable as “wholesome” entertainment. Contrarily,
violent entertainment can be extremely detrimental for the ones who have
trouble ciphering reality from fiction.
The entertainment industry was basically
reborn with the invention of interactive screen-based games (including computer
games and video games) in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.
The main groups of people targeted by the companies who produce these gaming
consoles are mainly children and teenagers. Incorporating violent
elements and other immoral activities into screen-based games can alter
the development of an adolescent’s perception of real-life and encourage
aggressive behavior.
In the twenty-first century, video games
are more popular now than they have ever been. Their influence can
be seen in popular movies, toys, and magazines. Currently, eighty-four
percent of all teenagers play video games, and they usually play them
for an hour on average. Amazingly, ninety percent of teenagers
claim that their parents do not check the appropriate age-level rating before
allowing them to rent or buy a game. Unfortunately, eighty-nine percent
of teenagers say that their parents have never regulated the time they spend
playing the video games. It is easy to see the influence that video
games have on our youth (McCain 3).
To help us understand the effects of video
games on children, first we must understand what makes the games so appealing
to the consumers. Once we have identified the characteristics that
make these games attractive, then it is important to discuss the actual
reasons why video games are so harmful to a child. Finally, it would
be greatly beneficial to comment on ways to keep video games available to
a child without the element of violence and other aggressive-behavior inducers.
With the invention of screen-based games, children
are no longer just viewers of television programs. They are able to
role play, which now allows them to actively take part and control the actions
of their favorite characters on the television. This gives them the
chance to be someone they are not and do things that they would never be
allowed to do in real life. The child can actually become that character.
For a child, being someone who resembles Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester
Stallone is something you only get to do in dreams or when you play with
your friends. This is characteristic is very appealing to kids and
makes the games more marketable.
In addition to role-playing, the viewing of any type
of violence or display of aggressive behavior in a movie, television show,
or on a video game can be stimulating to any young child. Research
studies on preschool-age children have shown that they exhibit higher-levels
of emotional activity when they view violent images when compared to non-aggressive
images (Levine 32). Unfortunately, this means that a child will be
more aroused by violent images and want to see them more than neutral
images that do not offer high-levels of brain activity.
There are multitudes of reasons why video
games are so harmful for children. The number one reason is that viewing
violent images, whether on a television show, a movie, or in this case,
on a video game console, imbeds improper thoughts and images in the child’s
brain. At that stage, a child’s brain that is not fully developed
and is very impressionable. Jerry Mander, author of Four Arguments
for the Elimination of Television, tells us the dangers of violent images.
He claims, “Only after the image is ingested can it be noted as unreal,
and by then it’s too late. It doesn’t work. The images are already
stored in the brain, with all the other images”(Tuchscherer 8). This
means no matter if the child knows that the image is unreal, it still remains
absorbed in their brain. After a while, the children who view violence
on a regular basis usually begin to develop a contorted view of the world.
They often have an overwhelming sense of fright, skepticism, and pessimism
(Tuchscherer 49).
The next major concern is the desensitization
that comes from heavy exposure to violence on the video games. Desensitization
is the lowering of the normal anxiety, excitement, and fear that comes
from being constantly exposed to immoral images (Levine 33). A study
consisting of heavy-viewers and light-viewers of violence, where researchers
exposed both groups to a series of violent images mixed with non-aggressive
images, illustrates the dangers of desensitization. When viewing the
nonviolent images, neither group exhibited any difference in arousal.
However, the light-viewers of violence where considerably more excited than
the heavy-viewers when the violent images where displayed (Levine 34).
This study explains by example that
people who are regularly exposed to immoral images eventually begin to become
immune to those types of images. Other research concludes that people
are less likely to participate in an activity that produces anxiety compared
to people who feel no emotional activity. This hints that heavy-viewers
of immoral images are more likely to commit crimes than the ones who do
not regularly view violence. Desensitization takes away our human
ability to perceive right from wrong and makes us less responsive.
The next concern about screen-based games
is the “addiction” that comes with these interactive game consoles.
Erudite members of society, including teachers, psychologists, and politicians
have all voiced their opinion that video games can potentially consume
all of a child’s time. Now, there is new research that supports the claim
that screen-based games, including both video and computer formats, can
be highly addictive. In fact, twenty-five percent of teenagers say they
have played the games for so long that their homework has negatively suffered
(McCain 7). However, not much of this research is published
because of the difficulty in determining and evaluating the dependency
for video games (Sanger 63). Anyhow, most children and teenagers
will agree that it is hard to stop playing a game once they have started.
This “addiction” is not the actual problem;
it is what comes after the “addiction.” Being completely preoccupied
with screen-based games leads to a lack of social interaction with others
and loss of time for other important activities, which may include homework
and other physical activities. Eventually, children begin to turn
to the video games and use them as a replacement for actual social interaction
and friendship (Sanger 64). In the end, the child ends up in a world
engulfed by little social interaction, violent and stereotypical images,
and isolation.
In a world where businesses place profits
and entertainment before the values and general well-being of our youth,
there is little hope that the violence contained in video games, movies,
and on the television will disappear or even lessen in the future.
The world is going to continue to accept violence in the media. When
children are too young to help themselves, the only hope is parental intervention
and assistance. Parents and guardians are the first defense mechanisms
and they should be equipped with the knowledge and power to fight media
violence in video games and computer games.
It is almost inevitable that children,
at one time or another, are going to get their hands on a game that is
not suitable for their age. However, the games that are owned and
rented by the children should be acceptable. It is always good for
a parent to check the content of a game before allowing their child to
be exposed to it. A few ways to check would be to ask an employee
at the store, read the labels on the game, or take a glance at the back
cover of the game. The appropriate age-level should clearly be marked
on the front cover.
The next helpful hint for parents would
be to sit down with your child while they play the game. This could
potentially solve many problems. For instance, if there is inappropriate
material on a game, the parent is already there to comment and interpret
what is seen. This will help the child understand and stop any improper
thoughts from wandering through the child’s mind. With the help of
a parents, a child can properly assess reality and fantasy. Also,
the presence of a parent might lower the child’s desire to play video games
that contain violent, aggressive, or stereotypical imagery.
The best solution to regulating violence
viewed by children is to simply limit the time that a child is allowed to
play a video game. It is helpful to get the child involved in other
activities. For example, extracurricular activities like sports and
various clubs that are extremely more beneficial that playing a game in
their room. Another good alternative is reading. Subscribing
to popular children’s’ magazines or making weekly trips to the library all
encourage healthy behavior. Promoting music and playing musical instruments
are thing that children can appreciate.
Now, the problem has been identified and
potential solutions have been offered. How much longer are we going
to allow our friends and children play games that do nothing but add more
indecency in an already hostile environment? Everyone should be able
to recognize the dangers associated with these video and computer games.
They are notorious for having the characteristics of being a subtle, often
innocent looking alternative for entertainment. However, these violent
screen-based games have enough immoral images contained within them to
feed all of the animosity in the bizarre world that we live in. It
is time that everyone is aware of this problem.
