Fullerton, Jacob

English 1A

Professor Bradford

11 October 2010

Argument Essay

From the excitement over the advent of the first video game consoles in the 1970s

to the more habitual application of today’s seventh generation devices, video games have

become an established form of recreation in today’s society. Over time, technology has

become increasingly advanced, allowing for the incorporation of even more vivid, lifelike

qualities into the games that people of all ages to engage in. However, these recent

ventures towards a new level of realism may be having an effect on the minds of

underage gamers. War and violence have been perpetual elements of human history,

media, and literature, and capitalistic game developers have brought those elements down

to a harmless level.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, sixty-seven percent of

American households play computer or video games, and twenty-five percent of the

people in those households are under eighteen years old. This puts into context how much

of the gaming population is composed of young people, and these young people are

susceptible to psychological influence by violent videogames. A study was performed at

the Indiana University School of Medicine in which forty-four adolescents were

randomly divided into two groups, with one group playing the racing game Need for

Speed: Underground, and the other playing the first-person shooter, Medal of Honor:

Frontline, each for thirty minutes. After the time had elapsed, each individual was given
an MRI of his or her brain. The scans of the adolescents who played Medal of Honor:

Frontline, the more violent of the two, “showed an increase in emotional arousal – and a

corresponding decrease of activity in brain areas involved in self-control, inhibition, and

attention.” While these variations in brain activity will not immediately lead to behavioral

issues, they do provide physical verification of mental changes. Also, this study provides

lucid evidence that video games can have an immediate effect on the brain in as short a

time as half an hour. Typically, however, individuals will play video games for hours on

end, which may result in a more severe outcome in the long term. At such a young age,

children do not yet comprehend the significance of self-control, and will play until they

are either forced by their parents to stop, or decide to do something else

There has also been more concrete evidence of the effects of violent video games

on today’s adolescents. According to Lawrence Kutner, PhD, and Cheryl K. Olsen ScD,

writers of Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Games and What

Parents Can Do, fifty-one percent of boys who played Mature-rated games had gotten

into a physical fight, thirty-five percent got poor grades on a report card, and sixty

percent got in trouble with a teacher or principal. These statistics were around ten percent

less for girls, with the exception of getting poor grades. Video games, like any other

activity, take up time. When young gamers come home from school, they usually have

homework that is meant to take up the time that is consumed by video games. Since

children obviously do not flock excitedly to their rooms to take part in the exhilarating

rush of homework, video games provide an accessible, but unproductive alternative do

doing something unenjoyable. Jeff Columbus stated that a 2004 study published in the

Journal of Adolescence, “adolescents who had both a high hostility rating and were
exposed to high levels of video game violence were the most likely to get into [physical]

altercations.” At this point, it is clear that video game violence plays a role in the mental

and behavioral problems projected by the young individuals who play them.

Because of this apparent relationship between violent video games and behavioral

problems, measures must be taken by parents who wish to keep their child both

physically and mentally protected. Another study by the Entertainment Software

Association stated that seventy-six percent of parents “believe that the parental controls

available in all new video game consoles are useful… [and] impose time usage limits on

video games more than any other form of entertainment.” The 2004 study from Journal

of Adolescence also indicated that “students who reported parental limitations on video

game play exhibited better performance in school and were less likely to be involved in

physical fights or arguments with their teachers.” The creators of video games and

consoles have thoughtfully taken into account that certain games may negatively impact

certain people, and give parents the option to place restrictions on their child’s gaming, in

both time and appropriateness. These parental locks should be taken advantage of by

most, if not all, parents. By becoming accustomed to these limitations, young gamers will

begin to learn how to manage the time they are given while also prioritizing taking the

time necessary to complete homework and other more important responsibilities.

Although the children who play video games are vulnerable to their influences, it

ultimately falls to the parents to remain vigilant and monitor their childrens’ activities.

When buying or renting a video game for their child, a responsible parent should make

sure that the game meets their approval and that it is appropriate for their child to play

without having a negative effect on their mentality. Even in the cases of age appropriate,
nonviolent games, the importance of time management should also be acknowledged, and

the parents should give their child an allotted time in which they can play video games.

An even better solution would be to restrict use of video games altogether until higher

priority activities like homework are complete. These systems will be beneficial to the

child by providing exemplary instances of both efficient time management and self-

control.

The negative effects of video games stem from their more common adherence to

more violent themes that draw players in through their abundance of action or thrill.

While studies by the Entertainment Software Association “point to games’ potential

benefits for developing decision-making skills or bettering reaction times,” it is the

concept of excessive use that condemns video games in the eyes of parents who have

trouble getting their son or daughter to put the controller down. If parents see that their

younger child is glued to the screen, a more beneficial step to take would be to search out

video games that may have educational value, as opposed to simulated blood and gore or

driving at absurdly fast speeds through crowded streets in an attempt to avoid the virtual

authorities they tried to run over. Another option would be to seek video games that are

family oriented, providing an activity that promotes bonding and family time.

Video games, from “Everyone” to “Mature,” from Pong to Halo, have become

one of the most dominant forms of entertainment in society today, occupying nearly three

quarters of American households. These games, appropriate or not, are there to entertain.

Many of them are not released with a rating of “M for Moral,” and they are often not

intended to have moral content. They are, however, released with the assumption that

parents who buy them for their kids possess the morals that the video games may lack.
It is in this respect that parents should realize that video games are fun for their children,

and at times, too fun.

 Works Cited

"22 Charts & Graphs on Video Games & Youth Violence - Video Games - ProCon.org."

Video Games ProCon.org. 12 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Oct. 2010.

<http://videogames.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=003627>.

Columbus,, By Jeff. "Effect of Video Games on the Behavior of Children | EHow.com."

EHow | How To Do Just About Everything! | How To Videos & Articles. Web. 9

Oct. 2010. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6641539_effect-video-games-behavior-

children.html>.

"Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry." TheESA.com.

Entertainment Software Association, 2010. Web. 08 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_Essential_Facts_2010.PDF>.

Kalning, By Kristin. "Does Game Violence Make Teens Aggressive? - Technology &

Science - Games - On the Level - Msnbc.com." Breaking News, Weather,

Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports, Politics, Travel, Science, Technology,

Local, US & World News- Msnbc.com. Web. 10 Oct. 2010.

<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/>.