Video games are the newest form of entertainment that is being assessed for the damage it can cause children. The effects of violent video games on children, has not been looked at in depth as other mediums of entertainment. This is because the video game industry is a newer market, and research hasn’t had enough time to truly evaluate the effects of violent video games.

Initial Look At Effects Of Violent Video Games

When beginning the research into the effects of violent video games, it can be pointed out that one big difference between video games and television or movies, is that the viewer is not a bystander in the make-believe world. With television or movies, the viewer is passive; they can not control the action, where a video game is completely controlled by the player. Making the player responsible for the action within the game.

With this in mind, the effects of violent video games, can be far reaching. After all, a player is the one that is killing someone within the game; they are in essence doing this themselves. Another one of the effects of violent video games, is the fact that not only is the player responsible for the actions of the characters, they can be rewarded within the game for killing, stealing, maiming other characters. This sets up a cycle of rewarding rather extreme behavior.

On the other hand, many say this not a problem, that children realize that these games are not reality; it is cartoon, not real. The effects of violent video games may correlate to the number of hours that children play the games too. This may reflect in their ability to interact with “real people” as opposed to the world that they have created in a video game.

The gaming industry does have ratings on games. The games have a code, explaining why they are rated as they are, and it is up to parents to check into these ratings and determine their acceptability for their children. This allows for parents to be in control of what games their children are playing.

The effects of violent video games may not be completely realized for some years. Studies need to be long term to evaluate just what kind of impact games have on children. Limiting the type of games played by younger children, and minimizing the hours that the games are played is a good start in keeping kids balanced.