Violent Video Games: Emotional Effects on Adolescents

Transcription

1 Violent Video Games: Emotional Effects on Adolescents Red tinged the edges of the T.V. as I gripped my Xbox controller tighter in anger. I had just lost another round of Call of Duty. I sighed and looked over at my little brother. His attention was fixed to the T.V. screen, his face radiated joy. His small hands nimbly worked the controller and his counterpart on the T.V. responded in perfect unison. At only eight years old my brother was already an expert video game player. I felt a pang of unease at watching him play such a violent game so expertly. His skill level showed his many hours of playing this video game. I wondered how were all of these violent games affecting him? By understanding how video games have changed and how much they are in the entertainment industry, it s easier to show how much video games affect, or don t affect people. The title of first video game has many contenders, each vying for the top honor. But in an industry with such complex genres, it makes it hard to define which game was the first. In 1958, Willy Higinbotham invented an interactive table-tennis game which was displayed on an oscilloscope, which is a device that was used to monitor radio waves. This unpatented game is considered the processor to the ever popular Pong game, which was the first true successful video game. In 1972, Al Alcorn developed Pong for Atari and it soon prompted several other companies to try making similar games; the video game industry was born. Death Race 2000, released in 1976, was the first violent video game to ever be released. This game caused such uproar to the public that it was taken off the market soon after its release (Herman). Today, everyone has been affected by video games in some way. Whether it is from advertisement of games on T.V, or actually playing the games, video games are an essential part of the entertainment industry. Video game releases of blockbuster games, or big franchised 1

2 games such as Call of Duty and Halo, generate more money than most films. The video game industry as a whole is a $60 billion industry. Individual games, such as Call of Duty: Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2 have generated $1.5 billion and $1.3 billion in revenue respectively. Those games combined have matched the top grossing movie in history, Avatar, which has generated $2.8 billion in revenue. In addition, the next installment in the Call of Duty franchise, Modern Warfare 3, is expected to sell 20 million copies or $1.2 billion in estimated sales before the end of this year alone. This almost equals the highest grossing movie of 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which grossed $1.3 billion in revenue. According to Mike Snider, a writer for USA Today, not only does this show how much only one gaming franchise has impacted the entertainment industry, but it also shows how powerful and widespread video game effects are felt. This year alone, 20 million people are expected to, not only spend money on buying Call of Duty, but also spend a lot of time playing this game. The debate about violent video games effects on adolescents has been ongoing since the dawn of gaming. And while most studies focus purely on the physical and/or mental effects, the emotional effects of violent games are less commonly known. However, it is important to include these emotional effects when investigating how violent games effect adolescents. Many people believe that violent video games and aggression tend to go hand in hand. One can t go into a conversation about violent video games without the word aggression being immediately brought into the conversation or how violent video games affect adolescent s developmental wellbeing. This debate has even been brought before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2005 when California decided to ban the sales of rated M video games to minors (Azar). This court case was later over turned because the lawsuit violated the first amendment. While the courts may have determined that video gaming is protected under the 1 st amendment right to free 2

3 speech, our society will continue to hotly debate the effects of violent games on adolescents. This debate will most likely never be resolved and video games will continue to be violent and people will continue to buy them. Violent video games cause aggression. This is the claim of several studies conducted in the past 20 years. In a journal article titled This is your brain on violent video games: the results of one study try to show the link between how violent video games desensitize adolescents to violence and increase aggression. The study found that, for individuals whose prior exposure to video games was low, playing a violent video game caused a reduction in the brain s response to depictions of real-violence, and this reduction, in turn, predicted an increase in aggression (Engelhardt 6). This assessment is directly contradicted by a different study outlined in another journal article, The effects of playing violent video games on adolescents: by Gabrielle Unsworth. This article examined the results of a study that that had adolescents play a violent game, Quake 2. The study concluded that in playing the video game Quake 2, that some people increase some decrease, and the majority show no change in anger ratings (383). This study also found that... there is no evidence to suggest that exposure to violent video games is related to aggressive temperament (state anger, trait anger or anger expression) (391). In addition to the Unsworth article, other studies have also concluded that there is no specific association with violent video games and anger or aggressive behavior. In the journal article, The Hitman study: by Christopher Ferguson and Stephanie Rueda, the authors conducted a study that had 103 young adults play one of three video games; Hitman: Blood Money, Call of Duty 2, or Madden The study found, As with aggressive behavior, the evidence did not support that short-term randomized exposure to violent video games either increased or decreased hostile feelings (105). 3

4 Both of the studies agree that violent video games do not cause aggression in adolescents, however, in spite of the studies, many people still continue to believe that violent video games increases levels of aggression. One possible reason for this unnecessary outcry against violent video games is that the parent s, the people who are the most opposed to violent video games, are following the age old routine of resisting change. Many times when there is a new type of medium or new type of art, many people become instant critics. Like rock and roll of the 1950 s and 60 s, the parents didn t like the new form of music, and cried out against it, similar to today and violent video games. Some of this certainty that video games causes violence, was partly formed through the widespread rumors that certain criminal acts were conducted because of violent video games. In the journal article, The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development the authors used the Washington Sniper, Lee Malvo as an example of a crime that was said to have been caused by violent video games. The D.C. Sniper s attorney cited that Malvo s exposure to violent games was a factor in his behavior (Olsen, et al 57). But this assessment of Malvo s reasons behind partaking in this terrible crime didn t include several other factors, including a history of animal torture and violent attacks as reasons why Malvo acted with such violence. The article further explained that, although the majority of adolescent boys now play violent video games, juvenile violent crime (including murder) has steadily declined in the United States: arrest rates are down 49% from their 1994 peak, reaching their lowest level since at least 1980 (57). This information really diffuses the defense case as well as the general perception that that violent video games cause youths to commit murder. Further support for the notion that violent acts cannot be tied to video games, is the article, Video games and youth violence: The author, Christopher Ferguson, who has 4

5 conducted several studies about the effects of violent video games on adolescents, argues, Thus far, results have been mixed and arguably limited by use of aggression measures that do not necessarily tap well into serious aggression or violence, nor use sophisticated controls for third or confounding variables (378). His analysis concludes that there can t be a reliable answer because the tests that have been conducted so far have not been able to capture the subjects history with violence, aggression, and/ or other factors such as family environment and personality (Ferguson). This further supports why cases like the Lee Malvo, the D.C. sniper, can t blame violent video games alone for a person s action. The defense in Malvo s case didn t include Malvo s history of violence and aggression, which were the main reasons behind his partaking in the heinous crime. Violent video games, some believe, not only can affect adolescents emotionally, but can also be a form of emotional management. In the Hitman Study, the author, Ferguson, describes the catharsis hypothesis which believes that, aggression is a biological drive which requires release (100) and that in the case of humans, a human may release aggression by engaging in aggressive sports than harming another person (100). This can carry over to violent video games. Instead of harming real humans, adolescents are able to take out their aggression and other violent feelings in the games. But this theory is not widely used in research involving video games because some scientists believe it s wrong. It s argued that studying video game effects does not directly study catharsis and that there is better ways of conducting experiments that can prove or disprove the catharsis hypothesis (Ferguson). The leading theory in emotional management is that people will seek out media that will best allow them to come to terms with their emotions (100). Ferguson goes on to relate this to violent video games by stating, violent video games may particularly provide 5

6 opportunities for coping with frustration and hostile feelings aroused through stressful or depressing life events via the assertion of power and dominance over virtual settings and situations (100). As a form of emotional management, violent video games allow an outlet for adolescents to de-stress themselves and take out their frustrations of the real world, inside of a fake one. This idea of mood management is agreed by the study conducted in, The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development by Cheryl Olson. This study also supports the catharsis theory for how games can be an emotional outlet. Another assertion that violent video games negatively impacts young people is based upon studies conducted on violent T.V. shows and its possible connections to violence. This debate is similar to the debate on video games and violence. But the key differences in these studies are in the fact that, Unlike television, video games allow player directed acting out of aggressive fantasies (59). The main difference between violence on television and in video games is that people have control over the actions of the characters in the games. The gamers are the ones who decide what happens in the games; they are the ones who choose what to do. This allows the player to become the character and therefore to channel their emotions through that onscreen avatar and not on a real human. This study also asked the young test subjects how they thought video games help them cope with anger and frustration. One boy said, Getting wrapped up in a violent game, it s good. Cause if you re mad, when you come home, you can take your anger out on the people in the game (65). Another boy said that Say some kid wants to fight you, and he talks about you, when you go home and play, you re like, This is the kid that I hate, and you beat him up and stuff (65). Both of these boys reflect that most children, the ones who are playing the games, feel that the games are a great form of stress relief and a good way to manage their emotions. As the second boy said, he can go home and channel his anger for a boy 6

7 he hates, not by actual, physical violence, but through harmless, virtual violence in video games. This article also brings up the idea that rather than encouraging aggressive or violent behavior, video game play may help adolescent boys consider issues of war, violence, and death (59). This idea directly contradicts the notion that violent games are desensitizing gamers to violence. Critics of violent video games believe that the more realistic the video game, the greater the desensitization to violent acts. Desensitization to violence, with regards to realistic games vs. non-realistic games and player character attachments, are all interconnected. Studies have indicated desensitization to violence may or may not be caused by how real the games look, or how realistic they are. Some studies have even indicated that realistic violent video games can possibly cause an emotional attachment to in-game characters. This attachment may support the position that realistic games have negative or positive impacts on a young player based upon the character the player emotionally bonds with. Those who believe that violent video games desensitize young people can reference the article This is your brain on violent video games: by Christopher Engelhardt. He conducted a study that found, playing a violent video game caused a reduction in the brain s response to depictions of real-life violence, and this reduction, in turn, predicted an increase in aggression (1035). Some of what causes this belief that violent games desensitize adolescents to violence, is due to how realistic the games are portrayed. In games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Medal of Honor, players play as characters that go through realistic military missions. Call of Duty even has a warning at the beginning of the game that says there are certain missions in the game that can be too realistic for some gamers. Call of Duty creators give the gamers a chance to opt out of 7

8 playing those missions. The graphics of the games also have improved dramatically over the years. The first recorded violent game, Death Race 2000, was a game where players run over stick figures (Herman 5). Today, the recently released Battlefield 3 has extremely realistic graphics. So much so that in a commercial for the game, in-game graphics and real footage were seamlessly connected to make a single, seemingly all real footage commercial. These new graphics are made by game engineers who try and create believable, human-like, anthropomorphic game characters, (Hartmann, et al. 96) But despite all of the new technology in gaming graphics, many players still feel that they are able to dissociate real-life actions and characters. In other words, gamers never become so lost in a game that they become completely engrossed in a game. In Olson s article, one interviewed boy said: The whole thing seems kind of cool, but in real life, I wouldn t really want to have that life. In here, you don t mind just getting out of your car and killing somebody, because you re not going to get in trouble for it. You can just turn off the game system and you re done (Olson 64). This boy s statement shows that gamers know that what s going on in the game is unrealistic, and could never happen in real life. Studies back this belief and have proven that gamers still can perceive what is real and what is not real. But the graphics alone are not what may cause desensitization to violence, but rather the interconnection between games having the good graphics and realistic characters. If a gamer can become attached to a character, then the chances of being affected by the realism of the game are increased. If an in-game character with...indicators include[ing] eye-gazing, biological motion[s], display[s] of natural facial activity, 8

9 display[s] of emotions, as well as breathing, natural vocal tone[s] and display[s] of intelligence, (Hartmann 96) have more realistic features and motions, gamers are more likely to believe, to a certain extent, that the characters are real. Another factor is the type of game and the story of the game that the character is in. If the gamer is playing a realistic FPS (first person shooter) like Call of Duty and Battlefield, the main and supporting characters are put into situations that soldiers experience every day. This can lead to more emotional attachment to those characters than to characters in games like, Halo and Gears of War, where the characters are in a fictional world with aliens. But in the study conducted by Hartmann, he found that In the study (H1), players who fought against nonhuman creatures did not feel less guilty[about killing them], did not have less negative affect, and did not enjoy the game more than players who fought against human opponents (104). Whether a game has a realistic story or not, may or may not be a factor in whether adolescents can have an emotional attachment to in-game characters. Another potential cause of emotional attachment to characters may be the idea of the character themselves. Gamers can grow attachments to the characters because they either see a certain aspect of that character s personality, skills, or appearance similar to their own, or that they like what the character stands for (Olson, et al 63). In Olson s study, one boy said about his favorite Grand Theft Auto character; I like Tommy Vercetti because he never gives up and he never quits or anything, (63). This boy has an attachment to this character because of what that character believes in. Video game characters also all share a single and probably most important connection; they are the characters the gamer plays. In-game characters are controlled by the gamer, and through that, the players feel connected to the characters because essentially, they are the characters. 9

10 However this character attachment may contain emotional risks to adolescent players as quoted in the study, I Wish I Were a Warrior: by Elly Konijn. The authors found that: The interactive features of video games encourage players to identify with violent characters. TV and film viewers simply watch violent characters. Video game players, however, must take the perspective of the violent character to play the game (1039). This simple fact, that the players become the character, can lead to a multitude of consequences or benefits, depending on which side of the violent video game debate you support. Some can consider this a reason for why violent games cause aggression and for character attachment. If players are able to control a violent character, they are, hypothetically, more likely to have more aggressive feelings. Konijn said: In conclusion, to our knowledge, ours is the first study to show that violent video games are especially likely to increase aggression when players wishfully identify with violent game characters. Boys in our study who identified strongly with violent characters were willing to administer noise loud enough to permanently damage the ears of another boy who had done nothing to anger them (1043). Gamers are also able to grow attached to the characters they are playing. This attachment may contain a certain risk depending on what a young person does through this attachment. Players become attached because they are so involved in that character s actions and choices. The player moves the character, decides the character s fate, for the most part, and they become the character. Games with silent protagonists such as Halo s Master Chief were made specifically so that the players can become the main character and so that the player s own personality is able to be projected into the game. There are a lot of positive and negative 10

11 characters in violent video games, as there are on television and in real life. Choices adolescents make can often be impacted by those whom they choose to emulate. It is clear that violent video games do affect adolescents; but if this impact is negative to the developmental well being of an adolescent, will always be up for debated. Both sides are so strongly opposed to the other, that there is most likely no possibility for compromise. Aggression, the main argued emotional effect, has evidence on both sides, but through both personal experience and the studies presented, violent video games do not cause aggression. The video game graphics of today make the games have a movie-like feel to them. This alone makes it easy for a person to believe that violent games are desensitizing adolescents to violence. However, the quality of a violent video game alone does not make an adolescent become more aggressive. It is what the content of the game provides and how the developers of the game depict their character, that may impact an adolescent in developing emotional attachment to what their character represents. This attachment may occur without premium graphics. Adolescents throughout history have been exposed to various genres of influences from verbal stories, printed books, games, music and television. Each of these mediums of entertainment has had their critics and supporters. There have been many stories, books, music and movies that critics have claimed will negatively impact our adolescents. However, each new generation of adolescents becomes adults and our society continues to flourish. Even if violent games desensitize adolescents to violence, there is not clear evidence that it affects adolescents emotionally and is a detriment to society. Statistics show that our adolescents are not growing in violent behavior; in fact it is declining in the age of violent 11

12 videogames. This statistic supports the idea that violent video games help to manage aggressive behavior. Players can develop emotional attachments to characters in games. These attachments may be positive or negative based upon the character and the attachment that the adolescent develops with that in-game character. Video game developers offer additional safeguards to allow players less violent options for video game play and to make sure gamers have options about how violent the game play will be. The Call of Duty franchise uses warnings and allows gamers to skip certain levels that may be considered to realistic and violent. Other games allow players to adjust the levels of violence in the game, and finally, other game designers allow gamers to turn the blood effect off completely. But at some point, the one character that has the biggest impact on an adolescent is the parent. This character needs to be a part of the process. If a game is too violent for an adolescent, parents should not buy the game or just take the game away. Games are classified into certain ratings; if a game receives the rating of Mature 17+, this means that the buyer must be at least 17 years old to even buy the game. If parents, the main critics of violent video games, are so worried about adolescents playing violent video games and the possible effects on adolescents, they need to stop buying the games for their children. In the end a violent video game is still a game. Critics and supporters to the argument of violent video games being a benefit or a detriment to adolescents haven t been able to completely support their sides. So until complete, undisputed evidence is presented, it is safe to say, let a game be a game. Research aside, I have learned to trust my own personal experiences. I have played video games for many years, including violent games rated Mature 17+, long before 12

13 I have reached the age of 17. Not once have I, or any of the fellow gamers I know, have ever been affected by violent video games in such a way that would lead to violence, or other negative effects. If a parent allows adolescents to play the latest Call of Duty game, they should be able to play the game. Violence in a video game affects each adolescent differently, as with other events in their lives. Adolescent s development and growth relies on many facts and activities, one very small piece of which is their exposure to violent video games. Works Cited Azar, Beth. "Virtual Violence." American Psychological Association. N.p., Dec Web. 17 Oct < Barlett, Christopher, et al. "The Effect of Advances in Video Game Technology and Content on Aggressive Cognitions, Hostility and Heart Rate." Media Psychology (2008): Taylor and Francis. Web. 17 Oct < 13

14 Engelhardt, Christopher R., et al. "This is your brain on violent video games: Neural desensitization to violence predicts increased aggression following video game exposure." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 47.5 (2011): ScienceDirect. Web. 15 Oct < Ferguson, Christopher J. "Video games and youth violence: A prospective analysis in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 40.4 (2010): springerlink. 27 Sept Web < Ferguson, Christopher J., and Stephanie M. Rueda. "The Hitman Study: Violent Video Game Exposure Effects on Aggressive Behavior, Hostile Feelings, and Depression." European Psychologist 15.2 (2010): PsycARTICLES. Web. 15 Oct < Hartmann, Tilo, and Peter Vorderer. "It's Okay to Shoot a Character: Moral Disengagement in Violent Video Games." Journal of Commnication 50.20: PsycARTICLES. Web. 18 Oct Herman, Leonard, et al. "The History of Video Games." Gamespot.com. N.p., Web. 17 Oct < Konijin, Elly A., Marije Nije Bijvank, and Brad J. Bushman. "I Wish I Were a Warrior: The Role of Wishful Identification in the Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression in Adolescent Boys." Developmental Psychology 43.4 (2007): PsycARTICLES. Web. 22 Oct < Snider, Mike. "'Battlefield' throws down gauntlet before 'Warfare' lands." USA TODAY. N.p., 24 Oct Web. 24 Oct < battlefield-3-cover/ /1>. 14

15 Olson, Charyl K., Lawrence A. Kutner, and Dorothy E. Warner. "The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development." Journal of Adolescent Research 23.1 (2008): SAGE Journals Online. Web. 16 Oct < Unsworth, Gabrielle, Grant J. Devilly, and Tony Ward. "The effect of playing violent video games on adolescents: Should parents be quaking in their boots?" Psychology, Crime & Law 13.4 (2007): Taylor & Francis Online. Web. 14 Oct < 15