Hirahoka 1 Daniel Hirahoka Professor Vana DerOhanessian English 114A 5 December 2013 Video Games and Violence Video

Games have been a part of peoples lives since 1972 when the first home console was invented. As technology progressed, the video games followed and started to look better and feel different, we started to see video games immerse the player into the game. In 2013, Video Games now look better than ever, people compare what we play in video games to what you see at the movies. It looks real, to some extent, and we feel like we are part of the world we are playing in. That is the start of what the mass media might think the problem is with video games is that they are too immersive and that one person might lose touch with reality and do very violent things. With the first-person shooter genre being one of the most played types of games, we can see why the mass media would relate violence and shooting with people who play video games. Fortunately for us players who play games it has been stated before that video games are not really the problem and there are other sources that play in part for those violent acts. In fact, people can benefit from playing video games for a certain amount of time, and it would help improve your day to day lives. The mass media is constantly monitoring what video games are being released and whether or not they portray a bad image to society. Games like Grand Theft Auto created by Rockstar, and Call of Duty created by Treyarch and Infinity Ward are only a couple of games and developers being monitored and criticized by different news stations. News stations such as Fox, describe Grand Theft Auto as a game that was designed to allow the gamer to cause as much

Hirahoka 2 carnage as physically possible and is continually monitoring what Rockstar offers to their fan base. Fox being the center of all the problems between video games and how it may relate to violence have been trying to prove this since 1997 when the first Grant Theft Auto was released. They have posted many articles about how someone who committed a crime might be linked to a few video games and how it may have cause their acts. One of their recent claims would be a video posted on September 10, 2013 where they said that there is a link between teen killers and video games and how the people who were the cause of these shootings were video game addicts. The claim here is very extreme and it is very hard to tell that video games really caused their acts of violence because we know they were mentally unhealthy to begin with. Fox mentions Adam Lanza who caused the Newtown Shooting as an example but evidence posted by the Huffington Post states that the killer fed his obsession with violence by keeping meticulous records about mass murderers for years. The evidence here is a lot more accurate and physical than what Fox has said, because their claims come from views of the suspects friends and families nothing more than perspective. People need to know that as of 2010, 67% of the United States play video games so it is easier to make these claims because you have many people to point fingers at. Its easier to make the relationship when people are doing violent things and that they are most likely also someone who plays video games. So when looking to see what caused the problem look further back and see their history, learn what they might have done before and dont jump to what might be the easiest way to connect the problem to another idea. Doing this can help provide better information of the incident and help others prevent incidents by showing them signs of the problems.

Hirahoka 3 Now people are going to assume that video games are bad for everyone because they are creating these thoughts in people and might want to avoid video games. My mother is one of those individuals who are scared of seeing kids play violent video games. She always tells me that if I keep playing video games I would turn into one of those killers on the news. Trying to convince her that one person doesnt just turn into a killer by playing video games wasnt working because she was already convinced on what she saw heard from different news stations. This shouldnt be the case because video games can also provide for you and one can benefit from them. People have seen more and more reasons to hate video games because of the relationship between games and violence but there are reasons one should play video games. Some improvements can be in multitasking, building confidence and even exercising. Video games are not always about shooting people like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty are about because there are many other games out there for everyone. ABC News explains how by playing Pac-Man you can improve your multitasking because you must navigate your character through a spatial layout while monitoring the separate paths of four additional objects (the ghosts), while keeping the overall goal of clearing the small pellets in memory, as well as keeping track of the remaining large pellets. Now it may help you with driving or just walking down the street because you are more alert with the things around you and you may be able to react a lot better to different dangers that come your way. They build confidence because games introduce achievements and rewards for doing certain objectives. When someone does something correct like reaching the end of a level they are rewarded with points or prizes that give us that feeling like we really did achieve something.

Hirahoka 4 With the Xbox, Wii, and PlayStation being the main consoles of the market they each have their own way of promoting exercise and self-confidence. Each have their own motion controlled games that provide entertainment for a party or individuals while giving them the exercise they need. Xbox with their Kinect, Wii with their motion controllers and PlayStation with the PlayStation Move they provide an easy way to have fun and exercise at the same time from their homes. ABC News states that while many shy away from exercise because they see it as an activity that isnt enjoyable, organizations like the American Heart Association now cite, and even recommend, video games as a fun and entertaining way to enjoy physical activity. This way is also accessible to anyone and is not restricted to just children so its an easier way to obtain exercise than trying to force someone to go to the gym or running. These are just only a few ways that video games benefit the individual and gam es arent just limited to people they can help improve society. We are seeing a rise in games being applied to different and more unique tasks with things like helping doctors train and scientists using games to solve problems. As we improve the image of video games in the mass media and see the benefits from video games Im sure we will to apply video games to more things in our lives. Games like Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty will be looked at as just entertainment like shows and not associating them with everything violent. Instead we will be suggesting to people that they should play video games because people will finally see the benefits from them.

Hirahoka 5 Work Cited ABC News. "The Benefits of Video Games." ABC News. ABC News Network, 26 Dec. 2011. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. Shaw, Adam. "Has 'Grand Theft Auto V' Grown Up?" Fox News. FOX News Network, 16 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. You're Watching... Link between Teen Killers and Violent Video Games? Prod. Fox News. Perf. Dr. Keith Albow and Gretchen Carlson. Fox News. FOX News Network, 10 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. <http://video.foxnews.com/v/2661369285001/>. "Video Game Industry Statistics | Entertainment Software Rating Board." Video Game Industry Statistics | Entertainment Software Rating Board. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. McCormack, Simon. "Adam Lanza Kept Spreadsheet Of Murderers For Years Before Newtown Shooting: Report." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 26 Nov. 2013.