Video Games Violence: Aggression in Young Adults

Introduction

Although the effects of media violence have been under thorough scrutiny for the past 4 decades, serious researches on the effects of video game violence did not start until 3 decades ago. At the same time, for the past 3 decades, the idea of leisure time has tremendously changed due to the advent of video games. While early generations of video games were simple games of shapes and colors, the introduction of Nintendo and Playstation in the market provided the public with more advanced, and unfortunately, more capacity for violent games with better graphics. Despite the ongoing controversy regarding video game violence, there is still no general consensus among experts on this matter. Studies on the effects of violent video games on young adults show varied results. Due to this, the paper aims to accumulate results across various empirical studies on exposure to violence, particularly in video games, to figure out a general view of the scope of effects and to recognize moderating variables and crucial patterns.

Brief Background

Several studies on video game violence (VGV) conducted in the U.S. show that exposure to VGV results in little to moderate effect on aggression and hostility (Konijn, Bijvank, & Bushman, 2007 and Swing, 2007). Furthermore, most of these studies state that the effect, if any, are only there for a short period of time (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). However, several critics expose the problems in such researches. For one, it is difficult to qualify and quantify the amount of violence shown in video games (Porter & Starcevic, 2007). A lot of these existing studies do not pay much attention to the measuring of the amount of violence on the video games included in the researches. Critics have also argued that the idea of aggression in most of these studies is not specific and not measured using standard criteria applicable in the real world. Also, even though most of these studies show that there is little to moderate impact on the aggressive and hostile behaviors of those exposed to VGVs, it is still a well-accepted fact that such VGVs are played by a large part of the society, and should thus require more concern (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005).

Unlike the controversy on violence in the media, the existing researches by social scientists and other experts on the impact of VGVs is not nearly as powerful. Despite over 3 decades of studies, there is still no consensus among experts whether VGVs should really be a cause of concern not only among young kids, but also on adults (Porter & Starcevic, 2007). The results of researches that claim how little VGV impact is on behavior should look into matters such as the “Columbine High Shooting,” where Harris and Klebold played a VGV called “Doom,” and were reported as stating that the massacre they will do would be “just like Doom.”

Summary of Recent Literature

According to statistics, the video game industry has become a dominant player in the entertainment market and is currently a multibillion dollar industry. Growth rate in the employment in the video game industry increases at approximately 10 percent annually. This means that there is a continuous rise in the production and sales of video games, and consequently, VGVs. In fact, the video game industry has surpassed the growth of the music industry in th U.S., and has continued to grow despite the decline in the movie and music industries Konijn, Bijvank, & Bushman, 2007).

According to statistics from AC Neilsen, at least 1 video game console is in each of the 45 million households across the U.S. The average age of those who play video games has also reached age 34. Around 60 percent of these players have reported to play video games regularly, or even everyday. Amidst all these statistics, and despite the current belief that video games have little to moderate short-term effect on the behavior of the players, youth violence rate has increased over the years along with the increase in the consumption of video games. Furthermore, even though as of 2010, only around 5 percent of the produced new video games were given the “M” or “mature” rating, video games in this category account for over ¼ of the total sales of video games in that same year. The popularity of VGVs or video games with mature content is troubling because it is becoming the regular, common pastime not only among children and adolescents, but also among young adults (Murray et al., 2011).

Still, despite these numbers, experts do not agree on the idea that VGV indeed affect behavior. Some gathered studies conducted during past decade state that there is lack of scientific credibility in studies that show video games causing harmful effects on behavior (Radford, 2009). Also, another study state that gender, violence within the family, and trait aggression predict violent crimes more than exposure to VGV does, and that video games actually promote increase in visual memory recall (Ferguson, et al., 2008). It is also further stated that exposure to violent television shows predicted really aggressive opinions, as compared to exposure to VGVs that merely predicted very few aggressive opinions (Eyal, Metzger, Lingsweiler, Mahood, & Yao, 2006). Also, according to Williams & Skoric (2005), longitudinal study on the impact of VGV does not show rise in real-world violence.

Contrary to these studies, it is stated that males who identify with the characters in VVGs have increased aggressiveness (Konijn, Bijvank, & Bushman, 2007). Furthermore, another study reports that children and young adults are susceptible to heightened aggression even after merely a short exposure to VGV (Swing, 2007). It is also stated that VGV players are less courteous in real life (Cicchirillo & Chory-Assad, 2005). Also, according to Bartholow, Sestir, & Davis (2005), players of VGVs show desensitization to violence, thus increasing their own violent behavior.

However, it does not stop here. Lack of consensus among experts are shown in other studies that report neutral results. For example, it is said that aggressive behavior may be caused by playing VGVs or the trait aggression of the individual even prior to playing VGVs. Furthermore, it could also be a result of a combination of factors, thus making it unclear whether VGV actually causes increase in violent behaviors (Porter & Starcevic, 2007). Also, according to Bensley & VanEenwyk (2000), there is no consistent proof that aggression and hostility are affected by playing VGVs.

Limitations and Significance

The major limitations of this research are 1) the possibility of literature bias; 2) the lack of own experimental studies that can be conducted to compare and contrast with the results of the existing literature, and; 3) the lack of studies on whether other risk factors may be involved (i.e. violence inside the family, history of abuse, etc.). However, despite all that is lacking, is it still important to understand the various arguments involved around the impact of VGVs on aggression and violence. This is to be able to judge whether this matter should rally b a major cause of concern, or that issues surrounding it are merely caused by media hype and paranoia among parents and policymakers. Furthermore, it is also good to understand the differences of the effects of VGVs among kids and young adults, and what the reason for these differences are.

Considering the increasing popularity of video games among kids and young adults, more research really needs to be done regarding this issue. Despite the existing arguments that video games can have positive results among individuals, there are reports on the links of VGVs to real life crimes and assaults. On the other hand, despite the argument that VGVs really do impact aggressive behavior, the exact relationship between VGVs and aggression and hostility is still undetermined. In relationship to psychology and due to varying reports, the best way to go in this research is to determine why there is a difference in the effects of VGVs among kids to the effects among young adults. This could open an avenue towards understanding the differences in the psychological make-up of young kids and young adults that cause the differences in the effects of VGVs to their behaviors.