The Possible Link between Video Game Violence and Children’s Behavior

By: Matthew J. Geiger

Living in Colorado and experiencing the tragedy of the Columbine shootings in the state, one has to wonder if the students played violent video games. In the past decade the Columbine shootings in 1999 just started a “trend” of students holding other students and teachers at gun point. Although parents are concerned that their children are being negatively affected by these violent video games, studies show that there is no direct link to video games causing violence. Many emotions have been linked to video games such as addiction, depression, and the most controversial is aggression. There have been studies showing the relationship between violent games and aggression, even aggressive thoughts and beliefs. The crime and abuse rate in the United States has risen in the past decade, and it is being argued that violent video games are to blame.
Many legislators in the country have passed a rule that if a video game that has violence in it should not be sold to anyone under the age of eighteen. There are many arguments concerning this, some are about what constitutes as violence, and then some are about the first amendment rights of this children. Children have first amendment rights just like their parents, but the courts can put limits on the laws at times, in order to protect the children. It is hard to put a band on violent video games because everything in society today is someway linked to violence.
If the courts ban violence in video games then the media has to ban violence in the news, and even cartoons. Society has the understanding of more than one influence on violent behavior. The courts and law is now requiring more evidence on how violent video games influence behavior rather than just violent images, and interactivity. Research has shown that violent media, and even real world experiences influence violent behavior, but the courts cannot attack all sources of violence.
Many researchers have shown a link between violent influences in behavior to violent entertainment, but they cannot directly link it to video games. Researchers are now paying more attention to the format of the game and the type of storyline of video games. This is now happening so the courts can determine what can influence children who play video games, and those who are influenced by real world violence.
Parents are now to the point where they do not want to sit on the sidelines and watch their children go into a media induced trance. A solution to this problem is to have parental intervention. Two major contributors with parents that can turn a child to violent acts is the lack of parent involvement and child abuse. These two factors can definitely raise a child’s risk of committing a violent crime. If the child’s behavior turns violent, then it is the duty of the parent to take it away and see if the child’s behavior changes. If it does then the child has no right to be playing violent video games. Many audiences use video games to deal with stress they are experiencing.