Playing Computer Games Does Not Make People Violent - Research Paper Example

Playing Computer Games Does Not Make People Violent Technology is playing a major role in modern life. New technologies are influencing almost every aspect of life including education, business, traveling, security, communication, and social functioning. We are in the technology era where technology has become so vital in human life that it is almost impossible to live normally without these technologies. A good illustration of this phenomenon is the growing popularity and use of social media networks across the world. The availability of social media networks such as Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram has created a whole lot of young people who cannot spend a day without visiting these social media sited. This growing population of social media lovers has resulted in businesses, learning institutions, health organizations, and government agencies following suit by embracing social media to reach out to this large pool of young people on social media. While technology has enhanced life in many ways, it has also created and exacerbated problems in society. This paper focuses on one of the controversial issues regarding the effect of technology on society, the effect of computer games on violent behavior. The paper rebuts the widespread perception that computer games make people violent and argues to the contrary that playing computer games does not make people violent. The emergence of the computer revolutionized the world and set the pace for the development of the technology revolution. Almost all technologies that we see today can be attributed to the computer. For instance, the smartphones that have become so common across the globe have a lot to do with computers because they have literally become micro-computers performing many computer functions such as browsing, playing videos, editing documents, and storing files. Part of the effects of computer technology is the creating of computer games. Computer games are virtual games that are played on computer devices. These games are different from traditional conventional games in terms of their high levels of sophistication. Modern computer games are so sophisticated and advanced that they create the impression that they are a real reflection of the real world. For example, computer games involving car races feature names of popular drivers in real word car races such as Formula One. Therefore, when playing these games, you get the impression that you are actually representing the real world heroes. While there has been an increase in the number of computer games available, one specific trend has been the increase in the numbers of such games featuring violent themes. These violent computer games have become so easy to access such that many people especially children and teenagers are attracted to playing them. The outcome is the increased exposure of children to violence on the virtual world. Some of the computer games are based on real world scenarios such as the war against terrorism. The increased exposure to such violence through computer games has attracted attention from multiple stakeholders including teachers, psychologists, law makers, and governments. The US government has taken steps to address this issue by encouraging more research into the relationship between virtual games and real life violence (The White House 8).Parents are also concerned about the increased exposure of their children to violence through computer games. Such concerns and measures are based on the notion that exposure to violent video games causes people to become violent in real life. The link between computer games and real violence emerges from various studies that have shown computer games can cause people to become violent. In one such laboratory study, Bushman and Bryan sought to establish whether violent video games increased aggression even after the game was completed. They found out that people who played violent video games for about 20 minutes become more aggressive up to 24 hours after they had played the game (Bushman and Bryan 31). In explaining their findings, the researchers noted that aggressive behavior after playing violent video games was as a result of ruminating about the game. Apparently, rumination caused the violent thoughts and emotions from the game in the memories of the individuals such that it could be retrieved long after the game experience. While this study implies that playing violent computer games can cause violent behavior in real life, it has some shortcomings. The increased aggression was only recorded in the men participants (Bushman and Bryan 31). The fact that there was no significant increase in aggression levels in women participants in the study negates the notion that playing violent computer games causes people to become violent. If this were the case, similar findings would have been established among the women participants. In trying to explain the relationship between violent computer games and violent or aggressive behavior, several hypotheses have been proposed. One of the hypotheses links the development of aggressive behavior to the violent content in such computer games. Apparently, the exposure to violent content via computer games enhances an individual’s accessibility to and application of violent-related knowledge structures, which are strengthened with continued exposure and later lead to their usage in real life (Carnagey 16). This hypothesis is based on the active nature of computer games. When playing violent computer games, the players have to assume aggressive nature. They have to be aggressive to win or beat the rivals. Another common hypothesis that links violent computer games to real violent behavior is that the competitive nature of such games arouses aggressive thoughts, which can be applied in real life situations (Carnagey 16-17). The gist of playing violent computer games lies in the competitiveness of the game. Every player wants to win because victory is rewarded. In essence, violence is encouraged through playing video games. When this happens, aggressive behavior may follow in real life. These two hypotheses are concurrent with the classical and operant conditioning theories. According to these theories, behavior can be learned through observation, experimentation, and reinforcement (Engler 198-199). Despite the notion that exposure to violent computer games cause violent behaviors, new studies have shown that there is no significant connection between the two. This has been the case with longitudinal studies that have investigated the impact of violent games on aggressive behavior over extended periods. In one such study, Ferguson conducted a longitudinal study that compared the increase in violent motion pictures and the rate of violence among youths between 1920 and 2005. Overall, the study found no correlation between the exposure to violent video games and crime rates among the youth. In fact, the study found out that the increase in consumption of such games was inversely proportional to the rate of homicides especially in the 1900s (Stuart Para 2). This study provides a new insight that challenges the common notion that playing violent computergames causes people to become violent. It is important to realize that the development of behavior is a complex process that involves various factors. Apart from genetic factors, the behavior of a person is influenced at different levels ranging from the individual to the society levels. Assuming that people become violent by playing computer games negates the role of the various factors that are at play in the development of behavior. For example, violent behavior can develop because of living in an environment where violence is common. An individual can become violent in such a community by learning that violence is tolerated or is the normal thing. In such a case, the violent behavior is not linked to playing computer games. It is also important to understand that computer games are not evenly distributed across the world. In some countries, accessing computer games is quite difficult because of a myriad of factors including poverty and prohibition. Yet, violence is spread across the world even in such areas where computer games are rare. This means that violent behavior is not caused by playing computer games. If this was the case, there would be less or no violence at all in some countries and regions of the world. Based on the arguments and counterarguments above, we can deduce one major theme that playing violent computer games has temporary or short-terms effects on aggressive/violent behavior outcomes on individuals. There is a clear distinction between the studies that show a correlation between violent computer games and violent behavior patterns and those that show minimal or no correlation at all. In the former, the evidence seems to be based on short-term analysis. Most studies that show violent computer games as causing violent behavior in people focus on very limited time frames. In most cases, these studies are based on laboratory settings. The laboratory setting means that the studies can only be conducted over a limited period such as several days. However, the studies that show no correlation between exposure to violent computer games and actual violent behavior are mainly based on long-term analysis. Most of these studies study the behavior patterns of individuals over an extended period covering many years. This noticeable difference is the main reason why there are still controversies regarding the effect of playing violent computer games and aggressive behavior. Considering the short-term and long-term outcomes of playing violent computer games, it is clear that the long-term effects bear more weight than the short-term goals. The short-term effects of playing violent computer games cannot form the basis for concluding that such games make people violent. The competitive and content hypotheses of development of violent behavior from playing violent computer arguments are limited in scope. They do not take into account other factors that may influence behavior patterns after playing a violent computer game. While the violence-related structures may emerge after playing such computer games, there lacks adequate evidence to show that such a structure is retained over the long term. To put this issue into perspective, it can be argued that playing violent computer games is only a risk factor for violent behavior. Causes of violence are the real reasons why an individual may engage in violent behavior. On the other hand, a risk factor is a condition or factor that increases the chances of someone becoming violent. According to Krug et al. (1085), one of the risk factors for violent behavior is exposure to media violence. It is highly unlikely that an individual who has been playing a violent computer games would start being violent towards his peers or family without any reason. Playing a violent computer game cannot make an individual to physically attack his wife or children. For one to become violent there must be a solid reason such as when acting in self-defense or when defending loved ones. In conclusion, this paper posits that playing computer games does not make people violent. Evidence from longitudinal studies shows no correlation between playing computer games and actually becoming violent. Apparently, there has been a political side of this issue that tends to convey the wrong perception about computer games and violence. This perception is triggered by the increase in violent incidents. In the US, the growing incidents of violent attacks in schools have tended to support the notion that violent computer and video games have something to do with this shocking trend (Anderson and Brad 353). While such incidents may have something to do with computer games, they should not be used to come to the unfounded conclusion that computer games cause people to become violent. After all, many students play violent computer games but do not end up being violent. Going by the evidence from longitudinal studies and the fact that violent behavior has multiple causes, computer games are only part of the risk factors that increase the likelihood of people becoming violent. However, computer games do not cause violent behavior. Works Cited Anderson, Craig, A. and Brad J. Bushman. “Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Proposocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature.” Psychological Science 12.5 (2001): 353-359. Bushman, Brad J., and Bryan Gibson. “Violent Video Games Cause an Increase in Aggression Long After the Game Has Been Turned Off.” Social Psychological and Personality Science 2.1 (2011): 29-32. Carnagey, Nicholas Lee. "Is it Competitiveness or Violent Content? The Effects of Violent Sports Video Games on Aggression." Order No. 3229055 Iowa State University, 2006. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. Engler, Barbara. Personality Theories. 9th Ed. Cengage Learning, 2013. Web. 22 April 2015. Krug, Etienne G., et al. "The world report on violence and health." The lancet 360.9339 (2002): 1083-1088. Stuart, Keith. “Video Games Are Not Making Us More Violent, Study Shows.” Guardian, 2014. Web. 22 April 2015. The White House. “Now is The Time: The President’s Plan to Protect Our Children and Our Communities by Reducing Gun Violence.” 2013. Web. 22 April 2015. Read More