Video games causing violent
behavior in children?
Taha Amir
22090047
“Violent Video Games Change Kids to Think
More Aggressively.” Time, Time,
[Link]/34075/how-violent- video-games-
change-kids- attitudes-about- aggression/.
The article mentions a JAMA Paediatrics study which showed
how violent video games were causing increased aggression in
children. This article led me to the study from which I gained
valuable information to write the essay. The article talks about
how prolonged exposure is affecting kids in their social relations
as they are becoming number towards the feeling of others.
[Link]/2010020211
0916tf_/[Link]
The UK parliament commissioned a panel of experts to
study how the internet and violent video games are
affecting children. The experts recommended different
measures to reduce violent behaviour in children. One of
the suggestions put forward by it approved the changing of
the rating systems so that younger children cannot access
violent video games. It also called for parents to do more
and keep an eye on their children. The report mentioned
studies which concluded that violence was more prevalent
among children who played more violent games.
“Top 10 Violent Crimes Tied To Video Games.”
List verse, 28 Oct. 2017,
[Link]/2017/10/28/top-10-violent-
crimes-tied-to-video-games/.
This article mentions a host of crimes in which the
investigators or the criminals themselves blamed video
games for the offense. This helped to develop an overall
picture of how law enforcement agencies and the public
tend to blame video games for crimes
Casey, Michael. “Do violent video games lead to
criminal behaviour?” CBS News, CBS Interactive,
17 Aug. 2015, [Link]/news/do-
violent-video-games-lead-to-criminal-behavior/.
The article talks about how people tend to blame video
games for mass shootings. The article mentions a study
American Psychological Association which suggests that
there is no causal relationship between video games and
violence. While it agrees that video games may increase
aggression, but aggression alone is not enough to be
blamed for the violent behaviour. The experts studied more
than 150 research papers which concluded that violent
video games tend to increase aggression and anti-social
behaviour.
“Violence in video games.” Law Teacher,
[Link]/free-law-essays/sports-
law/[Link]
This is an article which gives a balanced view of the essay topic. It
presents both sides of the coin. It refers to studies and reports to
support both views. The article mentions Cheryl Olson's response
to the belief that violent video games cause violent behaviour in
children. She argues that children encounter a lot of stress due to
their hectic routines. She mentions an article which says most
children are sleep deprived. So she contends that video games are
a better avenue for them to channel their aggression instead of
taking it out in the real world.
Gentile, Ph.D. Douglas A. "Violent Video Games
and Aggressive Behaviour.” JAMA Paediatrics,
American Medical Association, 1 May 2014,
[Link]/journals/jamapediatrics/fullai
cle/1850198?resultClick=1.
This research was published in the JAMA Paediatrics journal. This
study is one of the defining investigations in this field and helped
to serve as one of the most influential arguments in my research
essay. The experiment was conducted on among 3034 children
over three years. The study concluded that violent games increase
violent behaviour in children. The increase in aggression was
reported while keeping all other factors constant.
Prensky, Marc. "Dont bothers me, mom,
I'm learning!" how computer and video
games are preparing your kids for 21st-
century success - and how you can help!
Paragon, 2006.
The book contains invaluable information on the essay topic. He
coined the phrase ‘Digital Native’ which represent the children
born in the digital age. Prensky argues that due to the
advancements in technology, we have to adopt a different
approach to children’s learning. . Prensky argues that games like
Civilization are a better way of teaching kids about history while
games like Call of Duty and GTA teach critical thinking, planning
and communicating effectively.