Violent Video Games Affecting our Children

Pediatric Nursing, Nov, 2000 by Judith A. Vessey, Joanne E. Lee

"Certain types of violent video games ... may be as effective in training killers as flight simulators are in training pilots" (B. Sullivan, as quoted in Wood & Johnson, 2000).

Video games, a ubiquitous part of today's world, are the preferred leisure activity for many youth. Unfortunately, 80% today's most popular video games contain violence. This has lead parents and other responsible adults to be concerned about the potential negative effects associated with playing such games has on children's behavior (Wood & Johnson, 2000).

Overview

When electronic video games were introduced in the late 1970s, they were basic, animated interactive games such as Atari's Pong, a simplistic version of Ping-Pong. Early popularity of video games was somewhat sporadic until the late 1980s. When the Nintendo system with its more sophisticated graphics was introduced, a surge in video game interest resulted (Cesarone, 1994). Constantly improving technologies (e.g., laser applications, virtual reality), varied platforms (e.g., handhelds, CD ROMs, cartridge consoles, Internet, etc.), and increasingly realistic and complex game scenarios have resulted in growing popularity and increased profits ever since. Annual industry sales figures have climbed from a mere $100 million in 1985 to $4 billion in 1990, and now exceed $10 billion a year (Provenzo, 1991; Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999).

Unfortunately, greater sophistication and realism found in today's video games is associated with increasingly violent themes. One of the first "violent" video games was Pac-Man; however, in today's games, children can battle realistic looking characters and witness the resultant blood, gore, and mutilation. The intense, active nature of children's play when interfacing with violence further underscores these concerns (Anderson & Dill, 2000).

There has been concern about the effect of video games on children's behavior almost since their inception. As early as 1982, the Surgeon General of the United States, C. Everett Koop, stated that "children are into the games, body and soul -- everything is zapping the enemy" (cited in Scott, 1995). Since then, public concerns intensified. Following the Columbine High School shootings in the spring of 1999, President Clinton and the first lady addressed "children, violence and marketing." President Clinton stated that "... over 300 studies report that the boundary between fantasy and reality violence, which is a clear line for most adults, can become very blurred for vulnerable children. Kids steeped in the culture of violence do become desensitized to it and are more capable of committing it themselves" (White House, 1999). Most recently, public concern over violent media content has lead to the U. S. Juvenile Justice Act (Senate Committee on the Judiciary, 1999), a policy statement that encourages responsible corporate behavior and parental empowerment, although foregoing compulsory industry regulation.

Video game violence appears in fantasy, action, and sports games alike and ranges from being highly realistic to cartoonish and slapstick in its portrayal. Regardless of its form, real-life consequences, such as lingering psychological or physical effects, are rarely incorporated in the game. Social content presented in a violent context can affect children's attitudes toward sexual stereotypes. For example, females are often portrayed as more passive and in need of rescuing (Provenzo, 1992). Over 20% of the most popular games actually include violence against women (Dietz, 1998). Despite these findings, proponents of games frequently espouse the belief that games help youth deal with pent-up feelings of aggression and hostility (Emes, 1997). Others justify the games that contain violence as prosocial by seeing violence as an acceptable method for defending good from evil.

In spite of these concerns, children see video game play as socially desirable. Neither gender is immune to the lure of violence, with children of both sexes preferring video games that contain violent content (Funk, 1993). One study reported that of 357 seventh and eighth grade students, approximately 32% selected games that involved fantasy violence, 17% selected games that involved human violence, and another 30% selected sports games, many of which have violent sub-themes (Funk, 1993). In general, boys prefer games with sports and action violence, while girls prefer fantasy violence (Buchman & Funk, 1996). Boys also play video games far more frequently than girls (Clark, 1993; Funk, 1992; Funk & Buchman, 1996).

Video Games and Behavior

The exact contribution that violent video games play in shaping children's behavior is virtually impossible to isolate when considered from broader intra-personal and environmental contexts (Dill & Dill, 1998; Emes, 1997). Atheoretical studies and common methodological problems, such as poor study design (e.g., no controls, relying on children's self-report), further confound research findings. Despite these limitations, data support that repeated exposure to media violence is associated with a desensitization to violent behavior; less trust, increased fearfulness, and decreased empathy when dealing with others; and a disinhibition of aggression for some youth (Griffiths, 1999).