TV/Media vs. Video Games

Research has always focused on television and film violence. Maybe because television and film have been around much more than video games. However, there is existing research that determines violent video games have the same type of effects as television and films do. The National Institute of Mental Health made a researched identified these major effects of seeing violence on television:

• Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.
• Children may be more fearful of the world around them.
• Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward others.

                          

Video game does lead to changes and violent behavior among gamers. It is believed that violent video games may have bigger harmful effects than violent on Television and films.

Since the video game player has an active participant rather than just being a viewer more violence can occur. About 97% of children play video games, on computers, Wii, PlayStation and/or Xbox. Now some violent games can be played on smartphones and tablets as well.

The main question many people ask is, "Does media violence actually lead to real world violence? Some people may not distinguish between what is real and not in television. Violence has always been a part of the media, but with the viewer’s growing the violence is also growing because more viewers find violence more entertainment. Research that was made on violent television and films explain that media violence actually does increases the aggressive and violent behavior in both a short or long term in a kid, teenager, or adult. Short term increases by damaging physically and verbally behavior, as thoughts and emotions. Long term increases and can damage someone by making them physically hurt someone. Today's society many children and teenagers spend a big amount of time absorbing violent in the media. Although it is said that by reducing media violence it also reduces aggression a violence towards people. With a more useful media changes can improve, but it is difficult and costly, especially if the people if media violence more entertainment than other media. 

The increasing of bullying in school can be cause to the fame violent video games towards teenagers, and adults. Some studies suggest that when violence is rewarded in video games, the players may increase the aggressive behavior, rather than when in other video games violence is punished or not allowed. In 2000 the FBI said that playing violent video games is in the list of behaviors related with school shootings. It's said that violent video games can teach people that violence is acceptable when solving a problems and a way to achieve one's goal. Also video games can cause players to feel happy with having the control to cause pain to others. In some cases young children are the ones that may confuse the fantasy world of a video game with the real world and try to fix everything with violence. Also playing video games can affect one physically, as in 2009 a study found that it takes about four minutes for the level of aggressive thoughts and feelings in children to return to normal.