Violence in Videogames

The issue of violence in videogames is certainly one that is becoming more and more commonplace in the mainstream media. The big question it seems is does playing violent videogames affect the psychological wellbeing of the player to any extent, or is it all just harmless, interactive fun.

Over here in the UK, the whole debate doesn’t seem to be as significant as it is in the United States. You may recall the outcry against Manhunt when it was released a few years ago, which did result in the game being pulled from the shelves briefly. The main problem I have with this debate is that parents who complain about violence in videogames are often the very same people who buy age rated games for children too young to legally play them. People seem to be eager to respect the laws with regards to watching films, though for some reason not games.

I think then, that to some extent a lot of what is going on is people shifting the blame onto others. In America there have been occasions when crazed lunatics have gunned down people and videogames have taken the blame for turning people into killers. People conveniently forget these people were nutters beforehand, playing Grand Theft Auto did NOT turn them into brainless killing machines. That being said, there are reports that violent videogames can increase aggression:

“WASHINGTON - Playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings and behavior both in laboratory settings and in actual life, according to two studies appearing in the April issue of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Furthermore, violent video games may be more harmful than violent television and movies because they are interactive, very engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor, say the researchers.”

Article link: http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html

Overall it is my personal belief that there shouldn’t be this whole debate. If people would respect the age certificate on the games then I can’t see where the problem comes in. There isn’t this debate on whether watching violent 18 rated films makes people more aggressive as the only people watching them (in the cinema at least) are those old enough and responsible enough to not be influenced in a negative way by them.