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.

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.

References:

• 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.

• American Psychological Association 2004, ‘Violent Video Games - Psychologists Help Protect Children from Harmful Effects’, <http//www.psychologymatters.org/videogames.html>

• Vessey, Judith A; Lee, Joanne E. 2000, ‘Violent video games affecting our children’, Pediatric Nursing, 26. 6 , p. 607-9, 632.

• 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.