Does this sound like the type of game you would wish your child to be playing?
Violent games are now one of the most widespread forms of gaming, with the most popular console, the Playstation 2, having six of its top ten games being heavily violent. The PC contains many violent games, some titles that you may recognise: Grand Theft Auto, Quake, Doom just to name a few well-known titles. These all involve killing, mass amounts of blood and many different weapons. Would you wish for your child to be subject to this harmful and mindless violence? Would you wish for your precious little child to work for a gang, with his sole purpose being to kill innocent people? Does this sound like the type of game you would wish your child to be playing?
In recent studies it has been found that adolescents have been spending increasing amounts of time on computer games. 36% play on computer games 1-2 hours per weeks, while 29% played 3-6 hours per week. This, accompanied with the fact that games of a violent nature were preferred by over 50% of the students asked . Also under 2% said they preferred educational computer games. These statistics are a great concern to parents.
Many studies have indicated that violent computer games induce aggressive behaviour. Also many young children may see the people featured in the games as heroes, someone who they can admire. This is especially obvious in the “WWF smackdown!” games. They have a massive following on the games as well as the television show, with wrestlers such as “The Rock” and “Stone Cold Steve Austin” being some of the favourites. Young children try to copy these moves, even though they are advised not to. There has already been two deaths from incidents where people are performing these wrestling moves. My next-door neighbour’s son is only seven years of age heavily idolises the wrestlers and tries to re-create the moves with his friends, risking injury.Does this sound like the type of game you would wish your child to be playing?
I firmly believe that computer games do have a negative effect on both children’s minds and behaviour.
Violent computer games encourage and applaud the player’s ability to inflict pain, and to main, injure and at worst kill the opponent.
Due to the increasing number of hours children spend playing these violent games. It can only encourage violence. It would be naïve to think that children are able to discern the real from the fictional. The proof of this can be seen in the statistics relating to the injuries caused directly by children imitating characters from games.
In conclusion I believe that age ratings should be raised on violent games, however this requires consenting adults to behave responsibly and not allow children under the age to play the offending games.
We must address this issue. Surely we can't let the whole world become violent, drug abusing, alcoholic hooligans who kill for fun? We cannot let this happen.