Violent Video Games Effect on Children

Violent Video Games effect on Children

How many times have we turned on the Television and heard the news about acts of crime children have committed. We see it happen plenty of times all over the world. One of the many overlooked issues that possibly contribute to the crimes is violence in video games. Video games have a part in contributing to children's behavior. In today's society children are addicted to video games and these games are having a negative effect on children.

There are plenty of video games on the market today, and some of them are good. Unfortunately, the majority of the top sellers are full of negative themes and they promote killing, drugs, criminal behavior, sexual exploitation, stereotypes, and foul language (AACAP). These features alone on the games should be enough of a red flag for parents not to buy the games for their children. As adults we should encourage our children when they grow up not to act out in these manners. Then the question is why should we let our kids have access to something like this?

Children are like sponges they absorb everything they see and hear when they are young. So if this is what they see mostly is it true to say that they will act upon what they see in the video games? If you're an honest parent then the answer would probably be yes. So why don't people take these games out of their house? People as a society put the blame of aggression and violence in children on so many other things, but in reality if parents would just cut out the games in the first place there may have never been a problem in the first place. News studies suggest virtual violence in these games is linked to aggressive behavior in children after they have played these violent video games (Harding).Another study shows boys who average thirteen or more hours a week tend to be more aggressive, prone to confrontation with their teachers, encourage fights with their peers, and a decline in school achievements (Norcia).

Parents should be aware of the studies doctors and scientists have conducted to prevent their children from being a part of the statistics. People should start off by knowing the rating of the video games they are buying. The ratings are Early Childhood (EC), Everyone (E), Teen (T), Mature (M), and Adults Only (AO) (Norcia). Early childhood (EC) and Everyone (E) are explanatory, but the Mature (M) and Adults Only (AO) is where parents need the enlightenment. Mature (M) means content suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Adults Only (AO) means the content is only suitable for persons 18 years and older it is full of adult violence, language, and may contain graphic scenes (Norcia). People may wonder where they can find out the rating of any video game. All video games have their ratings on the front lower left hand corner of the case. That should make the selection on buying video games easier for parents.

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