Developmental Psychology in the Media
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Developmental Psychology in the Media
Video games are unique as they encourage the users to be part of the game script. The games allow players to participate actively as characters by choosing how they interact with other characters. They allow players to select weapons in order to attack their opponents. Most of the weapons used include knives, guns, bombs, and pipes among others. Because of the increased demand, most of the video games produced are violent and at the same time require the players to pay close attention as compared to watching movies and television. This paper provides different perspectives of researchers and other interested parties on the relationship that exists between playing violent games and aggression.
Despite the intense debate and various studies on the relationship that exist between playing video games and aggression, there are mixed findings. Ferguson (2007a), found some biases in many of the published literature about violent video games. According to Ferguson (2007b), video game violence is a highly politicized issue for the researchers as well as the public. There is a lot of concern among various stakeholders that playing video games is likely to increase the risk of aggression among the players. Little is discussed about the positive effects of playing video games and therefore this could contribute to skewed assumptions. In his meta-analytical review of studies aimed at examining the impact watching and playing games with violent episodes on both aggressive behaviors as well as visuospatial cognition, Ferguson (2007b) asserts that there was no hypothesis that supported the fact that these video games were associated with higher aggression. However, it was evidenced that playing violent games was related to higher visuousspatia cognition. Therefore, this study contributes to the scope of knowledge on the effects of playing video games as it provides other perspectives on the debate referring to the potential costs and benefits of these forms of media.
According to Lemmens & Brad (2006), many adolescents who play violent video games usually score high in trait aggressiveness, and score lower in empathy. This finding suggests the possibility of desensitization. The concept behind this finding is that children that play these games want to exercise what they do in the games in the real world. A child who has not been exposed to such games is less likely to engage in violence or aggression because he/she lacks the exposure. Furthermore, this indicates a possibility of violence cycles since the aggressive people or youth will often appreciate and play these violent games.
Ever since video games were invented in the last 30 years, various researches have been conducted on the short and long-term ramifications of violent games and videos on aggressiveness. According to Barlett & Rodeheffer (2009), advancement in technology has enhanced the concept of realism, which is defined as the probability of seeing an event in real life. Technology has improved the images in the games, making characters look like real humans and less like a computer image of humanity. This has contributed to the way players associate and behave in real sense. In their study, Barlett & Rodeheffer (2009) played a realistic, unrealistic, and non-violent game for 45 minutes and measured aggressive feelings after 15 minutes. They measured arousal continuously among 79 participants. The findings revealed that playing violent games stimulated aggressive thoughts and feelings. However, playing a more realistic violent game stimulated significantly more aggressive feelings and arousal over the course of the play. The higher the person is exposed to such videos, the higher the level of aggression and vice versa. Similarly, it implies that people that get exposed to violent video games have higher chances of becoming aggressive compared to those that are less exposed.
According to Ashworth, Pyle & Pancer (2010), most of the researches on violent media content focuses on the consequences of exposure, with little attention placed on the domination effects. Therefore, there appears to be consensus that exposure to violent depictions increases aggressive tendencies among the viewers and the players. According to Ashworth, Pyle & Pancer (2010), the level of domination that accompanies depiction of violent movies increases the level of aggression. Polman, Bram & Marcel (2008) point out that in these current days, most children have accessibility to these violent games as well as television programs. Therefore, many of the children spent most of their time either playing or watching these contents. In a study, it was established that on average, most children spent approximate of nine hours every day playing video games and twenty-five hours per week watching television programs (Polman, Bram & Marcel, 2008). Extensive studies have been carried out on the effects of exposure to games and television programmes that are violent. On a theoretical platform, it is expected that exposure to violent plays contributes to increased level of aggressiveness among the players and viewers. In Bandura’s social learning theory, he asserts that in playing a violent game, the participant modeling is assumed as the player or viewer of violent game and television becomes part of the character depicted in the games or the television (Coeckelbergh, 2007). As the player is given the discretion to control his or her character, a greater impact is expected from video game violence when compared to watching television violence. Violent video game players also receive rewards for the acts of aggression they exhibit in terms of high scores, musical interludes, and an extra life. Therefore, reinforcing this aggressiveness in the video games promotes the adoption of aggression among such children in their real life. These games are programmed in such a way that they enhance interactions between the player and the computer interface; when the player is awarded points, the motivation and the urge to continue playing the games are increasing. Therefore, this culminates to addiction and increases the chances of the player to be involved in aggressive behaviors. In a study conducted by Polman, Bram & Marcel (2008), fifty-seven children aged between 10-13 years were exposed to non-violent, as well as violent video games and to violent televisions programs. The level of aggression in this study was measured in relation to the real life incidents of aggression at the playing grounds at their school. Results indicated that after exposure to playing violent videos, boys behaved more aggressively compared to those that were exposed to passive game conditions. On the other hand, girls’ game condition did not indicate any signs of aggression (Wagner, 2004). Therefore, results indicated that boys are more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior after playing these violent games compared to watching television violence. This finding provides an insight to the fact that playing violent video games is likely to affect the psychology of the children. Therefore, it is prudent to ensure that children are under control to avoid over exposure to such content. Interesting findings concerned girls. This indicates that the level of reactions or exhibition of aggression after playing violent games is different between the genders. Girls’ reactions may imply that they are not violent in nature due to their socialization. Moreover, in the games, most of the images represent males.
According to Sultan (2009), people are affected differently when they play violent video games and view television violence. Some of the people exposed are non-violent. Therefore, this means that other factors drive people to commit violence. However, this does not imply that exposure to violent games has no effects. The effect may not be immediate but rather progressive. Exposure to violent games can be compared to the connection between cholesterol and heart attack. Eating bacon or foods with high cholesterol does not make an individual have a heart attack on the spot. Therefore, highly exposed children have a higher chance of becoming aggressive. For instance, a German teenager who recently shot and killed 15 people before killing himself was reported to have played violent video games. The same case was also evidenced with the Columbine shooters (Sultan, 2009). This shows that over exposure to such content is likely to cause negative impacts in the real life situations, such as killings and aggressive behaviors against other people.
The three major criticisms found in the gaming literature include: playing violent video games gives players skills to hurt others effectively, weakens the feelings of empathy, and motivates players to commit violent acts (Schulzke, 2010). According to Schulzke (2010), these claims are flawed as they rely on faulty analogies between real and virtual world. It is also a misrepresentation of cases in which games may have played a role, and a distortion of the empirical data on the link between games and the crimes. These views are in tandem with Ferguson’s (2007a) view that there is no relationship between gaming and aggression, as there is bias in the publications that show this connection (Schulzke, 2009). Therefore, many of the findings in various studies are baseless and suffer significant shortcomings. The assertion that violent video games teach players weapon skills and make them violent is not supported.
According to Waddington (2007), even though recent violence in current videos has made many people uneasy, it is difficult to specify the nature of the wrongness that these videos have, because they are more virtual than real. There is no proven causal connection between the video game violence and real violence; therefore, these incidences of wrongfulness can be explained through philosophical analysis. According to Ferguson (2011), the potential influence of violent games on youth violence remains an important issue of concern for psychologists, the public, and the policy makers. Ferguson (2011) asserts that neither video game violence exposure nor television violence exposure contributed to the serious acts of youth violence or aggression. The depressive symptoms and antisocial traits among the youths were the factors that were inclined to cause youth violence. Therefore, the reasons for aggressive behaviors among the youths are not associated with exposure to violent games and videos, but are contributed by other factors in the environment such as family and peer delinquencies.
From these reviews, it is apparent that many researches and studies have been conducted in this area. Various findings and views are also extrapolated from the studies. Many of the studies assert that there is a close relationship that do exist between watching violent video games and playing such games and aggressive behaviors while other researchers such as Ferguson are opposed to these studies because of their degree of bias. The latter category claims that the studies are skewed because they rely on assumptions and personal views. However, those that sustain that indeed exposure to video games leads to aggression support their view trough the studies and experiments they carry out on children in real world. Furthermore, different theories such as social learning theories are adopted in trying to provide an understanding of how children learn behaviors from their exposure to violent contents. Therefore, these studies have been of great importance in enhancing the understanding on whether the violent games children play and movies or television they watch affect them. From the various studies conducted, I believe that to some extend children who play violent video games and watch violent television programs are affected, and most of them become aggressive. Aggression among children may not be evident immediately, but it develops as they continue to play such games. When children play these games, it affects their psychology and most of the times they will tend to try the same in the real world when they play with the other children. The second reason that makes me support this school of thought is the warning statement that violent programs on television provide. For instance, in programs such as wrestling, children are warned not to try the same at home. This clearly indicates that there is a likelihood of children copying what they see at home on their colleagues. Therefore, I believe that there is a relationship between playing violent video games and watching violent television programs and the level of aggressiveness.

References
Ashworth, L., Pyle, M., & Pancer, E. (2010). The role of dominance in the appeal of violent media depictions, Journal of Advertising, 39(4): 121-134.
Barlett, C., & Rodeheffer, C. (2009). Effects of realism on extended violent and nonviolent video game play on aggressive thoughts, feelings, and physiological arousal, Aggressive Behavior, 35(3): 213-224.
Coeckelbergh, M. (2007). Violent computer games, empathy, and cosmopolitanism, Ethics and Information Technology, 9(3): 219-231.
Ferguson, C. (2007a). Evidence for publication bias in video game violence effects literature: A meta-analytic review, Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12(1), 470–482.
Ferguson, C. (2007b). The Good, The Bad and the Ugly: A Meta-analytic Review of Positive and Negative Effects of Violent Video Games, Psychiatric Quarterly, 78(4): 309-316.
Ferguson, C. (2011). Video Games and Youth Violence: A Prospective Analysis in Adolescents, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(4): 377-91.
Lemmens, J., & Brad J. (2006). The Appeal of Violent Video Games to Lower Educated Aggressive Adolescent Boys from Two Countries, Cyber Psychology & Behavior, 9(5): 638-641.
Polman, H., Bram O., & Marcel, A. (2008). Experimental study of the differential effects of playing versus watching violent video games on children’s aggressive behavior, Aggressive Behavior, 34(3): 256-264.< Sultan, A. (2009). St. Louis Post-Dispatch Dirty Laundry column: Violent video games not a safe outlet for aggression, doctor says, McClatchy – Tribune Business News [Washington] 28 Mar 2009.


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Schulzke, M. (2009). Moral decision making in fallout, Game Studies, 9(2), http://gamestudies.org/0902/articles/schulzke, Accessed

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Waddington, D. (2007). Locating the wrongness in ultra-violent video games, Ethics and Information Technology, 9(2): 121-128.

Wagner, C. (2004). Aggression and Violent Media, The Futurist, 38(40): 16.