Video Game Violence In Children

Game Violence Children are playing too many video games, and unfortunately the majority of these games contain some kind of violence. This problem began in the 90’s as video games became more popular, but the first game to include some type of violence was Death Race (NCAC). According to a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which focus on major health issues in the U.S, children from ages 8-18 spend an average of 7 ½ hours on entertainment media a week. Video game violence has been a controversial topic for many years as it has been linked to violent and aggressive behavior in children. The problem with these games is that it may confuse children between the real world and their virtual world (Casey), and this poses a threat …show more content…
When parents limit the amount of time their child plays the less likely they are to show violent behavior. Studies have shown an increase in aggression and bullying, delinquent behavior, and problems at school in children who play M-rated video games compared to children who don’t play video games (Kutner 97,98). The studies prove a relationship between those who play violent video games and aggressive behavior, and 11% of the children who play at least one M-rated game play 15 or more hours a week compared to 3% of children who do not play M-rated games (Kutner 94). In Ohio 2007, 16-year-old Daniel Petric snuck out of his house to buy a Halo game even though his father had told him no, his parents eventually banned him from playing the game since he had spent too much time playing it, and secured it in a safe in a closet where the father also kept his handgun. Seeing that Daniel was clearly addicted to the video game, Daniel used his father 's key to open the safe and remove the gun and the game, and he then entered the living room of his house and shot both of them in the head, killing his mother and wounding his father, this can help us realize that video games truly do have an effect on behavior. The judge who ruled this said that the teen may have believed that death isn’t real such as in Halo where you simply respawn. This solution works because it …show more content…
Checking the ESRB ratings to select appropriate games, both in content and level of development, can help children from playing these video games. Although, they can’t always just go off the ESRB rating as 35/55 of E-rated games contain violence. In 2000, an Indianapolis ordinance which would have prohibited any operator of five or more video-game machines to allow a minor unaccompanied by a parent or guardian to use an “amusement machine” that is harmful to minors, but it was rejected by the Supreme Court. The Indianapolis ordinance wanted to regulate violent video games not because they are offensive, but because they believed that they cause temporal harm by giving rise to aggressive attitudes and behavior, which have been known to lead to violence. Store-bought video games are evaluated by the Electronic Software Ratings Board (ESRB) and rated for how appropriate they are for children and teens, and the ratings are featured clearly on the front of the video game box or on the back. Of course some video games may promote learning, problem solving and help with the development of fine motor skills and coordination, however, there are concerns about the effect of video games on young people who play video games excessively, especially violent video games. Checking the ESRB ratings to select appropriate