Ahmed Al-azzawi

Comp 1
October 30, 2015
Stephen Burns
Editorial Writing

Frag Out!
Boom Reloading Kill Streak! are things modern generations are hearing
increasingly. A staggering amount of individuals worldwide are introduced to and many embrace
the term gamer. Whether it be RPG, MMORPG, or FPS video games always receive much hate
from the old generations and especially from our parents.
Along with the increase of gamers there are many claims that games, violent games in
specific, increase violent tendencies in the players. Those claims leave me dumbfounded. If we
look back in history before video games were introduced, ask yourself this: What games did they

play? What video game caused them to shed blood? Video games are not the cause of violence.
They are not the reason why there are guns and killing
In a trend graph showing the total violent crime offences in the millions compared to
computer and video-game sales in the billions (Chasing the Dream Economist, Aug.4,2005)
the amount of violence goes down over two million from 1996 to 2004. This bar graph is one of
many pieces of evidence that show that youth violence is going down as more video games are
sold. Sales went from below four billion to over seven billion within that time span.
Do not get me wrong, video games do not cause violence rather they expose it. You also
have to realize that games are not the only things that youth get violent exposure from. You have
to consider that the media portrays a significant amount of violence that surpasses that of video
games. Household and environmental factors significantly affect youth also. Youth living in
subpar and in poverty filled communities, experience more violent crimes than those who dont
live in the same environments.
There are many risk factors that the US Surgeon General list of youth violence tells us.
Those include abusive parents, poverty, neglect, neighborhood crime, and mental health. What is
not on that list, guess what! Video games. In 2014 a study was published Psychology of
Popular Media Culture stating that As more people have been exposed to violent video games,
serious and deadly assaults have not increased. In another study published in 2004 the Journal
of Communication also found that as video game consumption increased there was less
youth violence.

Not only has the crime rate lowered due to video games, but also many positive
outcomes arise. Many youth play video games due to its cathartic effect (the release of
stress and anger through nonviolent channels). A study published in the Journal of
Adolescent Health found that children specifically boys who played video games as a
method to manage their emotions: 61.9% of boys played to help me relax. 47.8%
because it helps me forget my problems, and 45.4% because it helps me get my anger
out. Researchers stated that the cathartic effect of video games is a possible reason
why the increase in sales of video games have been associated with lower crime rates.
In the same Journal of Adolescent Research it was concluded that Boys use games to
experience fantasies of power and fame, to explore and master what they perceive as
exciting and realistic environments (but distinct from real life), to work through angry
feelings or relieve stress, and as social tools. In other words, that the games serve as a
substitute for rough-and-tumble play.
Others claim that by playing violent characters, children are more likely to portray
the behaviors of those characters and confuse reality with fantasy. To that I would like to
point out that violent video game players know the difference between virtual violence
from a game and the appropriate behavior in the real world. Children learn to distinguish
fantasy from reality, and can distinguish the difference between video game violence
and real world violence by the age of seven. Gamers understand that they are playing a
game.
Not only from games but children see fantasy violence everywhere. Many
children are even introduced and taken to movies about it. If you do not believe me,

then I challenge you to say that you have never taken or shown your kids the Harry
Potter series, Despicable Me, Bugs Bunny and Tom and Jerry. These are some of the
few things that portray fantasy violence. Their ability to distinguish between the two
prevents them from emulation video game violence. Being exposed to fantasy is crucial
for kids. Fisher-Price toy company stated: Pretending is more than play its a major
part of a childs development. Fantasy not only develops creative thinking, its also a
way for children to deal with situations and problems that concern them. Even more so,
studies in Computers in Human Behavior discovered that violent video games have a
positive effect on a childs kindness, civic engagement, and prosocial behaviors.
Research show that playing those types of games create a feeling of guilt that causes
children to increase prosocial behavior, in other words: positive actions that benefit
others. Possibly due to the team-oriented multiplayer options in many of these games.
In conclusion, video games are not the cause for violence. I have given a few
studies and facts to support my claim. These are only few of the many supporting
studies, and benefits that young gamers gain. The bottom line is that I believe video
games are not the cause of violence, this is because I too am a gamer. I play video
games all the time, I started playing when I was twelve, and never did violent Video
games like Counter Strike or GTA make me more violent. I think the source of why
many people believe otherwise is our parents. Parents want their kids to behave like no
other, but when a young boy starts to walk the path of a gamer, then he would most
likely be in the teenager stage because that is when kids start to have situations and
problems that concern them and make them angry and unstable, so they go to fantasy
world to relive their stress, thus unacceptable behaviors perceived by the parents from

their kids are all blamed on Video games. Most parents dont give this a second
thought, they never even think of the possibility of them being in the teenager sage,
where they might be experiencing some self-conscious and confidence issues. Next
time you do not want your children to be violent, then do not be violent to others,
especially not too significant others. After all, children learn the most from their parents.
Boom, click clack...FRAG OUT!

Bibliography
GONCHAR, MICHAEL. "Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real
Life?" The Learning Network Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real Life
Comments. 13 Feb. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
<http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/do-violent-video-games-make-people-moreviolent-in-real-life/>.
Kleinman, Zoe. "Do Video Games Make People Violent? - BBC News."BBC News. 17
Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. <http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33960075>.

Reed, Chris. "Do Violent Video Games Make You More Aggressive?" The Cheat Sheet.
21 Aug. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2015. <http://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/do-violent-videogames-make-you-more-aggressive.html/?a=viewall>.