In Bernard Cesarone’s piece, “Violence in Video Games,” it is shown that Nintendo itself sold over 10.4 million systems and 69 million video games. Cesarone also stated more than 33 million people own a Nintendo system presently. Ceserone mentioned that in the year 2000 the video game industry will make 6 billion dollars. Each household in the U.S. owns a video game playing device on average, and for those who do not own a game playing device, many are able to be played by the public in stores and arcades, states Cesarone.
It is also know that video games do contain violence. Mike Snider’s piece, “Violent Video Games With in Kids Reach,” shows researchers to find that 70% of 150 games studied did contain high levels of violence. Violence is put into games in different forms; punching, biting, kicking, and shooting with various weapons. Although it may not be the main objective to do these violent acts in all games it is awarded in many with points. Even sport games, which were fairly free of violence in early video game days, have found a way to make violence part of the games. Gary Baum’s piece “Virtual Morality” emphasizes that 27% of games show violence upon females. Death and killing are all parts of video games today. When video games first hit the market in the early 80’s games like Pac-Man and Pong had no violent content. The lack of violence in earlier games may not have been a choice of the game-makers, but was largely due to the lack of technology. Graphics of today are very realistic and can show many different things, and violence in many forms.
Video games are played by all kinds of people. “Are Video Games really so Bad” by Joshua Quittner, shows Males age 11-16 are the most popular consumer of video games, which may be a reason that violent video games are the most popular. Quittner also states males over the age of 20 are the fastest growing market and are becoming more an more targeted. Mike Snider states 37% of females do not play video games at all. Quittner found 32% of children favor video games with fantasy related violence and 29% prefer human violence. These numbers are at a steady incline since 1991. The most shocking fact to Quittner may was that only 2% of todays youth play games with educational content. Studies in Cesarone’s piece show exposure to video game violence increases aggressive personality.
With all the commotion about violence in video games causing violent acts, game makers are now required by law to have there games graded. The Entertainment Software Rating Board is one form of grading which uses grades such as; Early childhood, for ages 3 and up, contain no violence. Kids to Adult, ages 6 an up, mild violence. Teens, 13 an up, more realistic violence than kid games. Mature ages 17 and up, blood, sexual content, and drugs. Adults only, ages 18 and up, strong sex an violence. Internet Rating Association rates computer games as follows: Violence; Level 1, Creatures injured or killed; damage to objects; fighting. Level 2, Humans injured or killed; with small amounts of blood. Level 3, Humans injured or killed; blood and gore. Level 4, Wanton and Gratuitous violence; torture; rape. Nudity and sex; Level 1, Revealing attire/ Passionate kissing. Level 2, Partial nudity / Clothed sexual touching. Level 3, Non-sexual frontal nudity/ Non-explicit sexual activity. Level 4, Provocative frontal nudity / Explicit sexual activity; sex. Language; Level 1, Mild expletives. Level 2, Expletives; non-sexual anatomical references. Level 3, Strong, vulgar language; obscene gestures. Level 4, Crude or explicit sexual references. Games containing violence have raised from 52% in 1988 to 92% in 2000, shown in Sue Macdonalds piece “Major Retailers Restrict Violent Video Games.”
A study displayed in Quittner’s article shows video games had more positive effects on children than observing t.v. programs. There are many studies done on video games each year by game makers, game lovers, and game haters. Some show harmful affects and some show no harmful affects at all. Games are blamed for murders, such as Columbine, yet games are also praised for being a healthy way to take out some hostile feelings. There is belief games strengthen ones mind and attention-spanned. On the contrary games are blamed for keeping children from doing school work. There are many arguments for both sides. After looking at all the research and reading pieces disapproving of violence in video games, I am still reluctant to believe that just a game can cause an act of violence. I do believe there may be some connection between violence in video games. Even though there are gradings for the games people under the age of playing a certain game may have access to it anyway. Games are blamed for violent acts as was rock-n-roll in early days. If people do the things they see in mass-media for the simple fact they witnessed them, those people need help whether it were video games or any other form of mass media which sparked a violent act. For that reason video games can not be made a sole violence creator. Perhaps they do give a child a wide imagination, which also can be a good thing or bad. I believe these games may give people ideas of a violent nature as do t.v. and other sources of mass-media, but in the end I believe it is more than the game which makes them actually do these violent asinine acts.
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