Revised Essay

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It should be illegal to sell video games that contain too much violence in order to ensure the mental health and safety of the kids who play. Studies have shown that one in ten kids are addicted to playing video games. According to popular opinion, this addiction is said to be the cause of many psychological and social problems. These games tend to promote aggressiveness, thereby desensitizing violent acts to the kids who play. After spending hours a day killing their virtual enemies, kids begin to incorporate this aggressive attitude into their everyday lives. They start seeing the world as a hostile place and believe that it is acceptable to treat others rudely and aggressively. While some argue that video games can help kids improve various skills, like hand-eye coordination, there are several other activities that do not contain violence that can help kids improve their skills just as well.

What makes video games so popular is their addictive quality. Studies show that the excitement that exists within these games is what makes them so addictive; leaving kids always wanting more. Dr. Charles Ungerleider, a specialist in media literacy, explains that “they’re very compelling with increasing complexity; so a child becomes more facile, yet wants to know more and apply new skills.” Kids enjoy mastering a skill and then being challenged with another puzzle to solve and master. It is this sense of achievement and instant gratification that makes video games so enjoyable and addictive. In a study done by Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University, it was found that out of 45 million youths from ages 8 to 18 in the U.S., 88% play video games. Out of that 88%, over 3 million show signs of addiction. Gentile found that these 3 million did worse in school, had trouble paying attention in class, and were more often diagnosed with having attention disorders, such as ADD or ADHD. Statistics show that in the year 2008 software sales increased by 28%, bringing the sale numbers up to $9.5 million. This means that an average of nine games were sold every second of the year. Some may say that this addiction can only occur if a kid spends excessive amounts of time playing video games. But even when parents limit the amount of time their child can play, signs of addiction still show. Whether it be fantasizing about the game when they are not playing, disobeying their parents’ time limits, or losing interest in other hobbies or activities, once a kid becomes addicted it is very hard to go back.

Once a kid has become addicted to playing video games, parents must pay greater attention to the types of games their child is playing. If the games that their child is playing are violent games whose main focus is fighting, the addiction may be more severe. Richard Gallagher, Ph.D, is the director of the Parenting Institute at the NYU Child Study Center. This institution is dedicated to increasing the awareness of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. Gallagher explains that when kids become immersed in violence, they begin to see the world with a more aggressive attitude; making them more prone to act violently toward others. While many parents may think that their child is perfect and will not be affected in this way, studies have shown that kids who play violent video games show more aggressive behavior, even months down the line, than their peers who do not. An online survey, “The Gallup Poll”, found that 34% of teenage boys who admitted to being in a physical fight in the last year have played violent video games. Statistics show that out of the top 70 video games of 2001, 89% of them contained some kind of violence. Of those games, 17% had violence as their main focus. This much exposure to violence is not healthy for kids. Children interpret the message of these video games to mean that violence is the best way to deal with problems in the world. It has been found that in 98% of the most popular video games, aggression goes unpunished. Furthermore, in over 50%, players are awarded for their aggressive actions. This gives players the message that it is acceptable to treat others rudely and aggressively.

It has been shown that the worst kinds of violent video games are “first person” games. “First person” games are when the players themselves are killing and harming people, as opposed to being the ones who prevent violence or harm from occurring. Being the one who actually participates in the violence has a much stronger effect. Studies show that several teens responsible for school shootings were addicted to playing “first person” games. Parents may say that their kids do not participate in such violent games, but statistics show that 80% of the best-selling video games contain violence. “Carmaggedon” is an example of a best-seller, in which players run down pedestrians and crash into other cars. If all levels of the game are completed successfully, the player will have killed almost 33,000 people in total. This doesn’t seem like something that can improve any skills in a positive way.

Besides for promoting violence, there are several other negative effects that violent video games can have on those who play. These include attention problems, decrease in school performance, laziness, obesity, muscular disorders, and video-induced seizures. In a study done in the University of Kentucky, several students were asked what they thought about the correlation between playing video games and their school performance. Matt Babiak, a sophmore, did not own any video game systems in high school but moved into a residence hall where his roommate owned a console. He admitted, "Yes, it has affected my grades. I did better in high school when I didn't have constant access to video games because it wasn't there to distract me. I studied more.” Many others agreed with Babiak and felt the same way.

Many say that, regardless of the amount of violence they contain, video games are beneficial to kids. They say that video games improve kids’ problem-solving skills, as well as quick decision-making and planning abilities, because once they see a problem in the game they need to quickly figure out a way to fix it in order to move ahead. They also say that these games are a way for kids to “blow off steam” in a manner that does not harm anyone else. For example, if a kid is upset at his friend at school, instead of beating him up the next day, he plays video games that night and gets out all his anger on the characters on the screen. So according to advocates of video games, violent games actually reduce violence in the real world. In addition, many view video games as a healthy means of competition for kids. They play, cause no harm to anyone in the real world, and receive rewards that make them feel good about themselves. In a way, video games can serve as confidence boosters; giving kids a feeling of self-worth. After playing, kids with low self-confidence feel excited about their lives. Those who have no objection to violent video games believe that the violence that happens in the world is caused by bad parenting, not exposure to violence in the games. Although these claims sound valid, there is no evidence to support them. In fact, crime rate and aggression has increased in correlation with the increase in violent video game sales.

There have been several suggestions for ways to decrease the amount of violence children are exposed to from video games. The most popular suggestion has been to limit the amount of time children spend playing. In general, parents should create a healthy leisure time “diet” for their kids. It should include acceptable amounts of sports, reading, playing games, various hobbies, as well as electronics. There should be a limit placed on every leisurely activity a child participates in. But even with a limited amount of time spent playing video games, kids still become exposed to the violence that the games contain. There must be a way to allow kids to play fun and exciting video games while not being exposed to such violence and aggression. There are laws that prohibit stores from selling video games rated “M”, for “mature”, to kids under the age of 18. But this does not stop parents from buying these games and giving them to their kids to play. Some countries, such as Germany and Australia, have banned the selling of certain violent video games altogether. The U.S. game industries should only be permitted to create games that do not contain violence, while still being entertaining and helpful in developing certain skills.

The most sensible solution is to outlaw violent video games in the U.S. Game companies should not be allowed to promote shooting and killing to our youth. Instead of the goal being to kill the enemy and win the game, it should focus more on skills and interests; such as sports. This way, kids can incorporate their other hobbies into their fun video games. Sports video games do exist, but game companies should revise them to make them more challenging and as entertaining and violent video games. Then kids can improve their hand-eye coordination and problem-solving skills without any promotion of violence or aggression.