Due to the rising cases of violence amongst children, Americans have been drawn to the idea that violent games can provoke actual delinquency or even serious crimes amongst children. The majority of the American children are playing violent video games, which comes with a combination of shooting, violence, and killings of the characters. During this time, children get exposed to such violent content and act of harming others while they are still at a younger age. And while the number of children participating in violent video games increases, there has also been an increase in the number of children who show signs of aggression towards their peers. This has led to an increasing debate amongst scholars and Americans over the role of violent video games on aggression amongst children. Over the past many decades, researchers have differed on whether violent games can lead to problems such as aggression and lack of empathy. Despite the rising controversy over this topic, the relationship between first-person shooter games and violence amongst children remains an area that requires research. The purpose of this research is to determine the impact of first-person video shooter games on aggression levels and juvenile violence. Even though the rate of juvenile delinquency has slightly dropped over the past few years, recent studies continue to find a strong connection between juvenile delinquency and violent video games. According to Chan & Yu (2019), children who play first-person shooter games tend to imitate such violent acts in their real lives, thus making them act violently towards others and engage in criminal activities. Anderson (2014) also supports this view by noting that children playing violent games are more likely to become aggressive and adopt behaviors that detract their feeling of empathy and sensitivity to aggression. The decline in the empathy levels amongst the children has been associated with the constant view of violent acts that make them develop a sense of pleasure in harming others. However, other scholars disagree with this idea and instead view the high number of juvenile arrests and crimes to the high school dropout and broken families as the major cause of juvenile delinquency. Other studies have also strongly linked violent video games to aggression and increased crime amongst the youth. According to Anderson (2014), children majorly learn by observation, and that children are more likely to practice what they have observed. By frequently observing violent games, children become less empathetic and may justify harming others as they watch the characters getting pleasures when they hurt other people. These studies show that the frequency and affinity for exposure to violent video games can lead to delinquent behaviors and violence. However, other researchers argue that many risk factors exist and affect the behaviors of the children and that violent video games alone do not contribute to the delinquency and acts of aggression amongst teens. The rising cases of juvenile delinquency have also been associated with the neighborhoods in which a child lives can determine their behaviors. According to Damm & Dustmann (2014), children who have grown up in neighborhoods with high crime rates are more likely to show delinquent behaviors and engage in criminal activities. In contrast, research tends to link the human brain. Learning and practicing what has been learned. As children engage in violent video games, their minds develop a positive feeling towards the acts that they view. A child who frequently plays violent video games is at more risk of imitating the same acts in real life. And while violent video games are addictive for children, they are more likely to plays it more often, thus increasing their ability to show less empathy and more violence.
Methodology
Research Question
How do first-person shooter games impact Juvenile Delinquency?
Hypothesis
The dependent variables in the research will be juvenile delinquency, while the independent variable will be the first-person shooter game. Seeking to present the relationship between the dependent and independent variable, the alternative hypothesis will be; first-person shooter games increase the rate of juvenile delinquency while the alternative hypothesis will be; first-person shooter games do not increase juvenile delinquency.
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Sampling Strategy
Random sampling will be used to select the participants for the study. The study population shall be a group of juveniles from the Killen Independent School District. The age bracket for the participants will be 13-18 years. Once sampled, the juveniles shall be subjected to experiment through participation in violent video games.
Design
Sixty juveniles will be aged between 13 and 18 shall be selected randomly, with 30 being the once who have experienced violent video games, and the other who do not have much experience with video games. Interviews shall be used to collect the data from the respondents regarding their views on how violent video games affect their behaviors. Trend analysis shall also be used to understand the relationship between the two. Data will be analyzed using regression analysis.
Ethical Consideration
The ethical consideration shall involve seeking the consent of the participants before they agree to participate in the study. No child shall be forced to be a participant as participation will be voluntary. Respondents shall also not be coerced to provide a specific response, and instead, they will be allowed to give their own responses to the interview questions.
References
Anderson, D. M. (2014). In-School and Out of Trouble? The Minimum Dropout Age and Juvenile Crime. Review of Economics and Statistics , 96 (2), 318–331. doi: 10.1162/rest_a_00360
Chan, K. L., & Yu, L. L. (2019). Moderating effects of personal strengths in the relationship between juvenile victimization and delinquent behaviors. Child Abuse & Neglect , 93 , 79–90. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.04.019
Damm, A. P., & Dustmann, C. (2014). Does Growing Up in a High Crime Neighborhood Affect Youth Criminal Behavior? American Economic Review , 104 (6), 1806–1832. doi: 10.1257/aer.104.6.1806
