Here is an interesting webpage asking the question “Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?”
http://videogames.procon.org/#pro_con
This webpage then lists numerous arguments making the case for and against. What’s quite interesting is that the Pro side argues that violent video games increase aggression, increase desensitization and decrease empathy. While the Con side argues that violent video games do not increase violent crime.
Unfortunately the Pro side ignores the fact that violent crime rates have gone down substantially. This is, I think, a mistake. The whole issue of violent crime rates going down, while at the same time sales of violent video games have gone up, should be dealt with. It could very well be that violent video games (and violent TV/movies) do indeed contribute to violent crime, but that this effect is masked by the enormous increase in the incarceration rate. Basically, the question should be “if we had the same rate of incarceration as we did in the early 1960s, would the violent crime rate be as low as it was during the early 1960s?”. Or in other words “could we release 80% of the prison population without an increase in violent crime?” Personally, I think not.
http://tvsmarter.wordpress.com/2012/01/ ... ent-crime/
Meanwhile the Con side focuses on the issue of violent crime, pretty much ignoring the issue of increased aggression and decreased empathy. Their attitude seems to be that as long as violent video games don’t increase violent crimes that any other effects don’t matter.
Personally, I do believe that violent media was the main cause of the doubling of the homicide rate from the early 1960s to the late 1970s and which stayed very high until it finally started to come down starting in the early 1990s. But it is impossible to prove this one way or another.
But let’s say, for the sake of argument, that violent media (for whatever reason) has not contributed to increased violent crime. Nevertheless increased aggression, increased desensitization and decreased empathy do lead to other bad outcomes. Note the term ‘aggression’ is used by researchers to mean “willingness to harm others”. So what are the effects on society when more and more children are being taught (by violent TV/movies and video games) to be more willing to harm others?
Could all this violent media be contributing to:
- more physical bullying
- more non-physical bullying, such as name-calling and spreading ugly rumors
- more cheating, fraud and lying inside and outside of school
- more glorification of guns
- more glorification of violence
- more glorification of torture
- less civility
- less ethical behavior
- less kindness
- less interest in the common good
- a coarsening of the culture
- a meaner society
We do live in a society that has gotten meaner and uglier. Personally, I believe that violent TV, violent movies and violent video games are a big reason why.
“Television Viewing and Forms of Bullying among Adolescents from Eight Countries”
http://www.bullylab.com/Portals/0/Telev ... ntries.pdf
“Four-year-old children who watch more television than average are more likely to become bullies, research suggests.”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4408709.stm
“Indirect Aggression on Screen… They successfully spread rumours, damage relationships, distort reality, and destroy the reputations…”
https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http ... 04coyn.pdf
“Exclusion, humiliation, gossiping, name-calling, and cutthroat alliances – we can’t get enough! We panic when these behaviors are directed at our own children and we express outrage when the consequences turn deadly, but over the past few years we, the adults, have turned cruelty into entertainment and sport.”
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ord ... al-pastime
“Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility: Research in U.S., Japan Shows Aggression Increased for Months After Play”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02392.html
“…their study shows that young men are more likely to see others’ attitudes toward them as hostile if they’ve just played a violent game.”
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 612435.htm