Argumentative Essay - Games and Violence

Argumentative Essay

Games and Violence

Move I : Introducing the issue in contention

Computer games have seriously caught the attention of Mass Media and now days every channel considers its duty to remind people how much damage these games cause to children and adults. The increasing amount of games, with violent scenes, shock the society and makes it aware of them.

Move II : Presenting counter-thesis and counterpoints

It is already common knowledge that violent games cause violence in people. This fact is not even doubted by the majority of people. Every other person says that the reason lies in games being too close to reality. The opinion that the games make violent actions normal for the player and there fore make the player pitiless can be often heard. In this case the game is the cause of violence and the act of violence by itself is a consequence. And can real-life violence exist in the reality of game? Is the transfer of the definition of the violence with all its peculiarities from one world to another justified only according to the external similarity of these two worlds? But there are some certain dangers of the electronic games revealed by the experts: when you play these games you are not only a viewer but also a participant to the violent acts, and for those who can be easily influenced the real world could be identify with the virtual one. Such as a drugs a games can make you neglect some important obligations or even relationships. Games can take away lot of time which kids could use it for more important activities like study, conversations or playing creative games. And watching too long a screen can cause ocular tension and obesity by neglecting physical exercises.

Move III : Arguing thesis and points of proofs

Games originally are entertainment. On the market among the 7000 video and computer games some of them are considered to be instructive, amusing and inoffensive. For example some games teach you how to pilot a plane, others help the player to develop his logical thinking and the ability to solve problems. Some games have the role to be a therapeutic effect at the player. But there are a category of games with themes which defies the social rules, like violence, sex and vulgar language said David Walsh, the president of National Institute of Family and Mass Media Researches. Unfortunately, it is about a category which seems to have more success among the children between 8 and 15 age. A study made in U.S. revealed that almost 80% from the computer games, preferred by youth, include violence. Rick Dyer, the president of the Virtual Image Production Company says: They are not only simple games anymore, they are devices for teaching. We learn our children in the most incredible way, how to push the triggerbut the most important thing is that kids dont learn what are the consequences over the real life.

The protest against the violent games was first in 1976 when the video-centers made the game Death Race available for the public. The games mission was to kill all the goers seen on the screen. The winner was the player with the highest score on victims. Lots of persons seized there is a connection between the violence of the games and the growing aggressiveness of the players. The incidents in which young people are developing violence are considered by many like being a proof of this connection.

Some specialists minimize the influence of the games over people, saying that other factors are more important. According to their opinion, children who already have violent inclinations are those who choose these games. But are really the violent games representing a negative influence over the players? It is illogic to declare humans cant be influenced by the things they see. If it would be like that, why commercial companies spend annually milliards of dollars on commercials?

The expert in military psychology David Grossman claimed that violence in computer games has the same effect with the military training over the soldiers, that is to overcome the instinctive aversion upon the killing act. For example, the military workers noticed that at more infantrymen this aversion can be annihilated during exercises with the simple replacement of the traditional target with a human shape. Alike, computer violent games develops the familiarization and will of killing.

According to the results of some researches in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology digest, violence presented in computer games can be more dangerous than the one showed on television, because the player identify himself with the violent personages. If through T.V. we are only spectators, in computer games we participate at violence.

Contemporary games are very realistic and for this reason they are a source of great experience for the player and develop the imagination. Games are entertainment and even more then that. In addition, the statistics of the New York University lead by Green and Bavelier claim that the player preferring active games get an improvement of some types of brain activity, related to processing of visual information. In particular, game players cope with problems of simultaneously tracking several moving objects at the average of 30% better than people who dont play active computer games. The gaming violent experience my not be the cause of violent behavior in reality. None of the playing experience will become the priority in making important decisions concerning problems in real life. A game is an abstraction. A player gets abstract tasks and acts to abstract rules.

Games are also the possibility to be however a person wants to be and the rest from the outside world for some time. But what if a person gets so much excited with the game scenes that he becomes violent in reality? Then, it proves that the games cause people to be violent. Those who do not participate in this type of activity usually make the conclusion of presence of violence in the game-world. Nobody will ever hear this kind of statement from those who play, from those who know the rules of the game and understand that it is just a virtual world. A psychologically healthy person will never confuse or connect these two different worlds. A game is a virtual world with visual images very similar to human. These images represent by themselves nothing but simple playing obstacles. A game may potentially give the opportunity to destroy the obstacles that may not be destroyed according to the rules but it is more about personal choice whether to do it or not.

This leads us to the conclusion that violence is not a consequence but the cause. People who are originally prone to violence may get irritated by games and perform violence in the real world. But in this case violence in games is a simple justification of the violent nature of the player.

The consequences over health are remarkable. According to a sounding 40% among the children in U.S. between 5 and 8 years old are obese as 60% of them revealed they play more than they intended. The study revealed the games stimulate only a few part of a childs brain and children should read and write more and play outside interacting with others for a fully development. Another problem is the ocular disturbance, which can appear after watching a long time at a monitor. Studies reveals us 25% among computer users have ocular problems, like eye irritation and dry eye. Not being fully aware about these dangers they are exposed at kids can play with hours without a break. This can cause them ocular tension and focalization problems. Specialists recommend short breaks after each hour of using the computer.

Move IV : Concluding by enhancing the validity of thesis

As the developed proofs about the great damage of the violent games are showed we can now aware of them even if they represent a big temptation by number or by the similarity of effects with real ones, and taking into account people, especially youth can be influenced mostly by what they see. The increasing games with violent scenes can really damage to people and deviate them from real life which can be only a space to get money and continue the games, which allows hidden wishes and passions to be revealed in a fantasy way.

Bibliography:

Jehova Witnesses Magazine-December 22th 2002 The changing world of Electronic games

Pages nr.3 to nr.8

Internet- https://www.lionlamb.org/factsheet1.htm