The 21st century has witnessed an unprecedented increase in the use of video games. This is attributable to the increased use of mobile devices. Further, developers have created more video games; some games are paid for, while others can be accessed for free. By 2005, more than 83 percent of American homes have video game equipment ( Huesmann, 2013 ). More than 97% of Americans aged 12-17 play video games (American Psychological Association, n.d.) . While the games are a good source of entertainment, concerns around the effects of violent video games on behavior continue to grow. Researchers have conducted various studies to establish whether there is a correlation between exposure to video game violence and violent behavior. Video game violence increases the risk of violent behavior in both children and adults.
Most of the research on the effect of video games violence on behavior has been in the form of empirical studies, experimental studies, and psychological theories. Psychological theories explain how exposure to video games can affect a person's cognition in the short term and long term. Empirical studies attempt to find a statistical relationship between exposure to violence and violent acts. In this context, violence does not refer to physical aggression only; violence refers to any action that is meant to harm or irritate others; verbal insults are also treated as violence (Ferguson, 2009). Researchers use different indicators to measure violent behavior. Laboratory violence measures entail the use of simulation. The participants are made to believe that they are playing against a real human opponent. How the player treats the 'human' opponent is used to measure violent behavior (Ferguson, 2009). Surveys and interviews are also common data collection methods in studies on the effect of violent video games. The researcher can use self-reported data, data from law enforcement agencies, or collect primary data by observation (Ferguson, 2009). A considerable number of video violence researchers have children as the study population. Such studies collect data through laboratory tests and reports from teachers and parents.
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Video game violence leads to aggressive behavior among children through social learning. Children learn by imitation. For instance, they learn how to hold a mug by observing how adults do it. When children are exposed to violent video games, they tend to mimic the behaviors of the fictional characters in real life (Bushman & Anderson, 2002). The violence in video games trains their cognitive systems to react to provocation like fictional characters. Friedrich and Stein (1973) used multiple aggression measures to test the hypothesis of whether exposure to mediated violence made children more aggressive in their interpersonal interactions. Though they found out that exposure to video game violence did not increase fantasy and verbal aggression, Friedrich and Stein (1973) concluded that video games increase initial aggression. Initial aggression is observed early on in childhood but disappears as the child grows. From the studies, exposure to video games is one of the risk factors for violent behavior, not the primary cause. Other predictors of violent conduct include genetics and early- childhood trauma.
The studies on the effect of violent video games on children are essential to understanding the overall impact. Many cognitive processes develop during childhood, so video games are more likely to have adverse effects on children than adults. Also, understanding the impact of mediated violence on children is crucial because many literatures assert that aggressive behavior during childhood is carried on to adulthood. According to Huesmann (2007), violent behavior in childhood is the single best predictor of aggressive conduct among adolescents and middle-aged adults. In another study by Huesmann and Ecron (2013) that analyzed the effect of television violence, participants that were exposed to violence during their elementary school years were more likely to become aggressive teenagers. There are no effective policies to protect children from violent media content, so children in the United States have access to violence-themed video games.
Violent video games have several short term and long term effects that increase the risk of violence. The short term effects include priming, arousal, and mimicry (Bushman & Huesmann, 2006). Priming is the process by which repeated exposure to external stimuli triggers an involuntary response to similar stimuli. For example, if the person responds to provocation with violence in the video game, their cognitive systems may be primed to react the same way when someone provokes them in real life. Priming is a short-term effect and it should not be confused with observational learning. Arousal also increases the risk of short term violence. It does this by inhibiting the standard response to social stimuli (Bushman & Huesmann, 2006). Arousal increases a person's situational awareness, distraction, stress, and attention. Video game players might transfer the excitation caused by the games to real-life interactions. For instance, if the player is angered by losing a character or a competition in the video game, they might vent their anger on the people around them. Mimicry is part of observational learning; human beings, especially children, tend to copy what they observe.
The long term effects of violent video games that increase the risk of violent behavior include enactive learning, desensitization, and enactive learning. Desensitization occurs due to prolonged exposure to certain stimuli. When the stimuli become normal, the body's emotional response reduces in intensity (Huesmann, 2007). For example, a person may be mentally disturbed the first they see violent images, but the effect wades off with repeated exposure. In the same way, when a person is repeatedly exposed to violence in video games, they might begin considering violence as normal (Huesmann, 2007). Enactive learning entails learning by doing. Unlike television or movies, video game players are active participants. They are often forced to use aggression to resolve conflicts or free their characters from some situations. With time, the player may transfer the use of violence to their daily lives. In observational learning, video game players learn through passive participation. They get accustomed to using violence, just like the characters in the video games.
Analysis of violent crime data does not show a direct correlation between violent video games and aggressive behavior. The United States experienced a reduction in violent crime rates in the first decade of this century, compared to the 1980s and 1990s (Ferguson, 2009). The violent crimes recorded between 2000 and 2007 were the same as the 1960s and 1970s (Ferguson, 2009). That is despite video games becoming more violent during that period and increased ownership of mobile devices. This data cannot, however, be relied on to conclude that violence in video games does not influence people to commit violent crimes. Many video games-inspired crimes may go unreported. Also, the crime data lacks information on what inspired the violence acts, making it unreliable.
Despite a general reduction in crime moving from the 1960s to the 2000s, several high profile violent crimes have been associated with violent video games. The Columbine High School Massacre aroused public and scholarly interest in the effect of violent video games. This is after it emerged that the two teenage perpetrators were committed players of violent video games such as Doom (Kaplan, 2012) . In the ensuing investigations and public debates, psychologists indicated that desensitization resulting from persistent exposure to gory scenes in the video games might have made the shooters depersonalize the victims. These assertions were supported by a study by the US Secret Service and the US Department of Education. The study investigated 37 school shootings that happened between 1974 and 2000 in the United States. They found out that more than 50 percent of the attackers had shown interest in at least one form of mediated violence ( Vossekuil, 2002 ). This confirms that exposure to violent video games is a risk factor for violent behavior.
Empirical studies have confirmed a significant statistical relationship between violence in video games and violent behavior among players. As Cook (2000) indicates:
More than 3500 research studies in the United States and around the world using many investigative methods have examined whether there is an association between exposure to media violence and subsequent violent behavior. All but 18 have shown a positive correlation between media exposure and violent behavior (p. 1223).
Experimental studies have also shown a positive association between exposure to violent video games and violent behavior. In experimental studies, the participants are exposed to mediated violence in the form of video games or films. Their behavior, such as reaction to provocation, is observed afterward. Josephson (1987) noted that when children are exposed to violent films before a hockey match, they tend to be more aggressive during the game.
In summary, exposure to violent video games in the United States has increased a great deal in the 21 st century. Though the games are a good source of entertainment, there is overwhelming evidence that they increase the risk of violent behavior. The short term and long term effects of video games on players are risk factors for aggressive behavior. Short term effects include arousal, priming, and mimicry. Desensitization, observational learning, and enactive learning are some of the long term effects of violent video games. The effects of video games are more pronounced in children than adults, but violence during childhood is one of the predictors of aggressive conduct in adults. Finally, different literatures confirm that there is a positive correlation between exposure to violent video games and violence. These literatures include experimental studies, quantitative studies, and reports of inquiries into different school shooting incidents.
References
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Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2002). Violent video games and hostile expectations: A test of the general aggression model. Personality and social psychology bulletin , 28 (12), 1679-1686.
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Cook, D. (2000). Testimony of the American Academy of Pediatrics on media violence before the US Senate commerce committee. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.
Ferguson, C. J. (2009). Media Violence Effects and Violent Crime. Violent crime: Clinical and social implications , 37.
Friedrich, L. K., & Stein, A. H. (1973). Aggressive and prosocial television programs and the natural behavior of preschool children. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development , 1-64.
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Huesmann, L. R., & Eron, L. D. (Eds.). (2013). Television and the aggressive child: A cross-national comparison . Routledge.
Josephson, W. L. (1987). Television violence and children's aggression: Testing the priming, social script, and disinhibition predictions. Journal of personality and social psychology , 53 (5), 882.
Kaplan, A. (2012, October). Violence in the Media: What Effects on Behavior? . Retrieved May 3, 2020, from Psychiatric times: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/child-adolescent-psychiatry/violence-media-what-effects-behavior
Vossekuil, B., Fein, R. A., Reddy, M., Borum, R., & Modzeleski, W. (2002). The final report and findings of the Safe School Initiative. Washington, DC: US Secret Service and Department of Education .
