Society’s Most Recent Scapegoat Video Gaming - 1637 Words

Rebellious, violent behavior in youth is often treated simplistically – whether Elvis Presley’s latest hits, the programs airing on Saturday night television, or the newest film playing in theaters were popular amongst children and young adults, the blame for unfavorable behavior has always had its scapegoat. One of the most recent additions to society’s scapegoats is video gaming. Whether the objective of a given game is to fight crime or cause it, the morality of video games is often questioned and scrutinized by analysts and citizens alike. People like Amanda Schaffer, a staff writer for the Internet magazine Slate, will explain that â€Å"children who are immersed in the world of violent video games may be more likely to get into†¦show more content†¦Williams stated that he found no evidence of increased aggression of aggressive attitudes in his subjects (Kushner). Morality and human nature are important factors when considering the behavioral influ ences of video games, whether they are positive or negative. Violence in the real world involves much more complexity than any influence by the media. As previously stated, simple factors such as one’s home life, environment, and general human nature are ignored when video gaming’s influences are under scrutiny. In a world where millions of people are dying in real wars, it is a luxury to harbor concern for children to be excited after playing a shooting game (Gee). The moral and behavioral influences of any video game are left up to the interpretation of the player; there is no direct influence in any game that dictates bad behavior to their players. James Paul Gee provides an incredibly important point in stating, â€Å"Video games are neither good nor bad on their own, and induce neither violence nor peace.† It is important to consider the context of video games. In David Kushner’s article, he quotes The British Board of Film Classification’s co nclusion from a survey: â€Å"The violence helps make the play exhilaratingly out of reach of ordinary life†¦ Gamers seem not to lose awareness that they are playing a game and do not mistake the game for real life.† If a violent child did not play video games, then where would the blame fall? An important question to consider whenShow MoreRelated Violent Video Games Dont Lead to Increases In Violent Behavior1424 Words   |  6 Pagesopponent with no fear. Her fellow combatant is a skilled warrior and a member of a Shirai Ryu clan. He’s spent years mastering his own special style of martial arts. The woman observes him carefully. He’s muscular and, no doubt, fast. She cannot see most of his face, as a gold and black mask obscures it, but she can see his eyes. They’re merciless. She eyes the harpoon at his hip. He’ll probably go for that first and try to stun her with it. The cue is given and, sure enough, he grabbed his harpoonRead MoreVideo Games: A Contemporary Scapegoat2374 Words   |  10 Pagesof, if not the, most popular fighting game franchises ever created. At its conception in 1992, it was hit with a hard wall of controversy for its heavy use of gore and the general fear it would influence children to reenact these so-called â€Å"fatalities† in real life. Ever since the 1970s, man was finally able to interact with the screen, creating a universe written in ones and zeros. However, does the screen speak back to us, and cause effects outside of the console? Though video games have widely