Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Harm Teens
Teens at Risk, 2009
"Violent video games have been around since 1991, yet clear evidence of any harm has
yet to emerge."
The author of the following viewpoint contends that the stigma attached to video gamesthat
gaming is unhealthy and can even lead to violenceis unproven and unwarranted. Gaming is a
cultural phenomenon that has captured the interest of teens as well as adults: the average video
gamer is thirty years old. The author examines the lack of scientific validity of the studies that insist
upon a correlation between violence and videogames. Benjamin Radford is managing editor of
Skeptical Inquirer science magazine; he previously wrote about the video game violence debate in
his book, "Media Makers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us."
As you read, consider the following questions:
1. Has video game violence resulted in an increase in violent crime?
2. What does the study by Craig Anderson and Karen Dill, which examines the link between
aggression and violent video games, prove?
3. The author lists two other forms of entertainment that were accused of corrupting youth. What
were they?
The debate about violence in entertainment has surfaced once again.
In late November, a media watchdog group, the National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF), issued
its annual report on video games. Not surprisingly, the institute was not happy with what it found: animated
violence, profanity, and some sexual content. (Its latest report even includes a made-up word to describe
the video violence, claming that "killographic and sexually explicit games are still making their way into the
hands ... of underage players.")
The findings caught the attention and support of several politicians, including Senators Joe Lieberman and
Hillary Rodham Clinton, both of whom promised to enact legislation to stem the threat posed by video
games.
Yet before rushing to craft new laws, we should make sure there is a problem to fix. Moving from the realm
of advocacy and politics into science and evidence, several issues should be considered.
While many teens do play video games, including some violent ones, the games are hardly kids' stuff: the
average video gamer is 30 years old. Most "Mature" or "Adult" rated video games are purchasedand
playedby adults.
Relationship to Violence
While some studies claim that violent entertainment may be linked in some way to violent behavior, many
other studies contradict that assertion. Where are the mountains of evidence demonstrating the harmful
effects of fake violence? Richard Rhodes, a writer for Rolling Stone, tackled that question and found that
the alleged mountains of evidence are really molehillsand shaky ones at that.
The approximately 200 studies on media violence are remarkable primarily for their inconsistency and
weak conclusions. Some studies show a correlation between television and violence; others don't. Some
find that violent programming can increase aggressiveness; another finds that "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood"
does. Several studies, including the most-cited ones, are deeply flawed methodologically. Still, those
fighting media depictions of violence cite the studies and ignore their lack of scientific validity. Rhodes
notes that "The research no more supports the consensus on media violence than it supported the
conclusions of the eugenics consensus eighty years ago that there are superior and inferior 'races,' with
White Northern Europeans at the top."
The assertion that video games make people violent got a boost in May of 2000, when the American
Psychological Association issued a press release saying that violent video games can increase
aggression. That conclusion was taken from a study by two researchers, Craig Anderson of Iowa State
University and Karen Dill of Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina. The pair claimed that they had found
a link between violent video games and aggression.
figures showing that the U.S. violent crime rate declined again last year. In fact, violent crime has dropped
significantly over the past twenty yearsjust as video games have become more violent. The NIMF and
Senator Lieberman even decried "graphic scenes of cannibalism" in video games.
Should America brace itself for a rise in teen cannibalism? Violent video games have been around since
1991, yet clear evidence of any harm has yet to emerge.
Further Readings
Books
Gerald R. Adams and Michael D. Berzonsky, eds. Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence. Malden, MA:
Blackwell, 2003.
Cecilia Breinbauer Youth: Choices and Change: Promoting Healthy Behaviors in Adolescents.
Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization, 2005.
N.H. Cambron-McCabe, M.M. McCarthy, and S.B. Thomas Public School Law: Teachers' and
Students' Rights, 5th edition. Boston: Pearson, 2004.
Michael A. Corriero Judging Children as Children: A Proposal for a Juvenile Justice System.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2007.
J. Shoshanna Ehrlich Who Decides? The Abortion Rights of Teens. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2006.
Robert Epstein The Case Against Adolescence: Rediscovering the Adult in Every Teen. Sanger, CA:
Quill Driver, 2007.
Rhett Godfrey The Teen Code: How to Talk to Them About Sex, Drugs, and Everything
ElseTeenagers Reveal What Works Best . New York: Rodale, 2004.
Gina Guddat Unwrapped: Real Questions Asked by Real Girls (About Sex). Houston: Providence,
2007.
Marya Hornbacher Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia. New York: Harper Perennial, 2006.
Periodicals
Associated Press "Scientists Say Teen Brain, Still Maturing, Key to Behavior," Daily Herald, December
2, 2007.
Salynn Boyles "Teens Are Hardwired for Risky Behavior," WebMD Medical News, April 13, 2007.
Maria R. T. deGuzman "Friendships, Peer Influence, and Peer Pressure During the Teen Years,"
NebGuide, University of Nebraska, August 2007.
Paul Grondahl "There's Nothing Funny About Being Fat," San Diego Union Tribune, January 22, 2008.
Lawrence Jones "Popular Culture Driving Teen Violence, Say Christians," The Christian Post,
December 12, 2007.
Christopher Maag "Technology Leaves Kids with Nowhere to Hide from Cyberbullying," San Diego
Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2009 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.
Source Citation
Radford, Benjamin. "Violent Video Games Have Not Been Proven to Harm Teens." Tee
ns at Risk. Ed. Christine Watkins. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing
Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Reality Check on Video Game Violence." livescience.com. 2
005. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 15 Apr. 2014.
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