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Video games have been a pivotal part of our society for the past 30 years and have evolved a substantial amount since their first release. Genres would change; with the most popular genre being action which is almost always accompanied by violence. This violence has caused negative responses from the community, due to the consequences of violence when exposed to children.

In my opinion, I believe there is no significant harm in this activity as I have played such games and have had no aggressive repercussions. In addition, my very first game was Duck Tales which showed harmful scenes. This contrasts with the games that modern children play due to the majority playing violent games. Is the exposure of violence inappropriate for children?

These activities involve repetitive killing, which can desensitize the young and train them to act aggressively. The endless barrage of bullets and grenades can cause a child to be blind of the real world, war would no longer be an event of sadness but a potential game. Evidence of overplaying can be seen from a meta-analysis, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin in 2014, where researchers from Innsbruck University tested nearly 40 000 participants. The results showed that over-exposure to violent video games can affect the social behavior of the gamer. Furthermore, it led to an increase in aggressive outcomes and a decrease in pro-social responses. There has also been severe cases of overexposure to violence which leads to death. In 2004, a teenager had allegedly murdered his friend due to having major influences from the game ‘Manhunt’ which had been criticized to be sadomasochistic. These are ‘severe’ cases, meaning the mental state of the virtual ‘killer’ may not be the same as a gamer who plays the same (Manhunt) in the same amount of hours. The evidence does show that prolong exposure to violent video games can cause negative effects.

Virtual activities can behave like drugs. A modern game whether that be a Call of Duty or the innocent Candy Crush can become very addictive if abused. Rewards placed in these are the main source of these addictions. According to Springer Link research study, addiction statistics show that as much as 40% of users play these to escape from the real world. Numerous studies have shown that being associated with this addiction would produce poor academic performances, work-related difficulties – as well as psychological problems like anxiety and depression. These traits will hinder the younger generation to succeed as it limits them to talk to strangers or to their future CEOs. Another study found in the American Academy of Pediatrics showed statistics of children playing for long hours had poor grades in school and difficult relationships with parents. As the amount of time decreased when playing games, the children had reduced levels of aggression, better grades and improved parental relationships. This strengthens the theory that video games are inappropriate for the younger audience.

Games are a source of motivation not addiction; the theory is that through determined interactions, young people would develop a sense of identity. They begin to believe in their intelligence and abilities through their achievements in this. Carol Dweck, a renowned Professor of Psychology, spoke of the difference between an entity theory of intelligence and an incremental theory of intelligence. Kids develop an entity theory of intelligence as they believe to have fixed traits which is when they are praised for doing certain tasks, however this can have a negative impact on long term attitudes. The incremental is when they understand what certain skills they have, so instead of praising the child of what they did, you explain what they did. Video games mimic this as they give conclusive feedback through the use of coins or dead ends in mazes which serves as a reward. This keeps the gamer motivated not addicted as it balances challenge and resentment. This teaches the child of the key skills they will need, therefore these ‘distractions’ are appropriate for children.

Are these games causing negative effects on the younger generation? In my opinion, they do not cause negative impacts, but are viewed to be so. Those who do not play video games tend to reach for violence as an excuse whilst those who do – simply acknowledge it as a form of escapism. These do have a ridiculous amount of violence but that is it’s purpose, it is similar to a fictional movie, it is an illusion. Parents who blame virtual reality to their kids educational demise simply did not read the age rating on the cover as it is there for a reason.