Do violent video games have a negative effect on children?

1. 60

   OutsideTheLinesposted 13 years ago

   Do violent video games have a negative effect on children?

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2. 61

   mjolnir1122posted 13 years ago

   Both yes and no.
   
   Children are very impressionable, therefore violent video games can make a very negative impact on a child.  However, there should be no reason a child should be playing those games in the first place.
   
   The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) is very strict with their ratings on games, and each game is clearly marked on the front and back with the audience it is intended for.  To go a step further, on the back rating, it even lists exactly why the game has such a rating.  If a 12 year old gets a game for their birthday that is rated M (17+), then that is the fault of the parents, not the child, nor the game.
   
   Many times I have seen in the news how they want to take games off the shelves for being to violent or too sexual or whatever it may be.  But they clearly have no idea what they are talking about, because as I stated before, there are clear ratings as to what audience the game is intended for.
   
   Too many times do we point fingers at the game developers, the electronics stores, anyone under the sun who takes part in the selling of those violent video games.  But what everyone seems to forget, is that it is really the parents who are at fault here.  Would you let your child watch an R rated film? No?  Then why would you let them play an M rated game? It's the same standard
   
   Also, if the child is not taught to distinguish fact from fiction, fantasy from reality, then again, it is the parent's fault.
   
   So yes, all in all, violent video games DO have a negative impact on children, but there is no reason why any children should be getting their hands on those video games in the first place

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3. 72

   lburmasterposted 13 years ago

   A negative effect. The children are then used to the violence and could handle other violent crimes or actions. It is common to them. They do not see it as wrong as someone who does not play violent video games.
   There was an amnish teenager, age 17, who had never seen a television before. He entered a friend's home to find the tv turned on to an old western movie. These films have very poor violence action. Yet when he saw someone being shot on the tv, he ran outside directly before throwing up. A child who has played video games would laugh at the teenager because of his reaction.

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4. 61

   JeremysStuffposted 13 years ago

   I second mjolnir1122's comment... It truly is up to the adult to make sure they either:
   
   a.) don't let their kids get their hands on a video game title that is intended for an adult/older crowd; or
   b.) reinforce what happens in the video game to make sure they understand what is good/bad and right/wrong.

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5. 60

   wingedcentaurposted 13 years ago

   If there were not already violence in human beings, the violent video games could never generate such enthusiasm, I think. But I do think that as our compassion and sense of interconnectivity grows (yes, at a seemingly agonizingly slow pace), and our sense of empathy grows (I do think there is such a thing as human spiritual, psychological, emotional, progress) this enhanced humanity will be reflected in the kinds of games children like to play.

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6. 52

   gamsterposted 12 years ago

   yes point blank yes ive seen little 9 year olds playing call of duty and cussing at me for no reason and ive noticed i even cuss at people for no reason sometimes and im 15

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7. 52

   kirkneelyposted 12 years ago

   I think the answer is yes, but doesn't have to be yes.  In the games most popular with young kids, like Halo and Call of Duty, you kill enemies indiscriminately. 
   
   Now we have incredible graphical power combined with a community of gamers like myself who have grown up playing video games.  And we want more realistic violence because we're adults and we can handle it.  Then people buy their 9 year old's a copy of these games that us adult gamers have been craving and complain that games are too violent and tell congress to ban all violent games.
   
   I think the best solution is to keep these games out of kids hands until they're old enough to understand that murdering 340 people in an afternoon, even for the toughest soldier, would weight pretty heavily on his conscience.  I have never served in the military, but I have relatives who have.  And none of them reminisce of all those good times they had killing people. 
   
   In real life, whether you're fighting nazis, communists, or terrorists, those are all actual people.  They have mothers and fathers and possibly wives and children that will be greatly affected by the loss of their relative.  Our men and women fight their soldiers because we are at war.  There is a whole debate about whether or not the way we wage war is the best method to solve our problems, but the bottom line is all those involved are actual, living, breathing humans with a lifetime of experience that brought them to the position they are in that made them decide to put it all on the line for their cause.
   
   If you're lucky enough to have a war veteran relative, neighbor, member of your church, or whatever, you should sit down (or have them sit down with your video game addict kid) and talk about the brutal reality of war.
   
   In conclusion, yes, violent games have a negative effect on children.  But so do violent movies and violent tv shows and violent behavior in the home.  Basically, children being exposed to violent behavior in a nature that makes it seem like violence is natural, it will negatively effect them.  Violence is natural and sometimes necessary, but the complexity of when violence is appropriate and the consequences of violence are too much for most children.  So it's best to let them stick to Mario and Zelda games until they are either old enough to buy the games themselves or you think they are mentally mature enough for the games they want.

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8. 75

   rumanasaiyedposted 11 years ago

   Yes, violent video games do affect on the mental condition of children's.
   Refer my article to get more information on this topic
   http://rumanasaiyed.hubpages.com/hub/Ad … Television

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   1. 0

      Jay C OBrienposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, violent video games are military training.  Our government sponsors it.  Parents must keep such games from their children.  I am not Amish, but I sympathize with the story above.  Maybe we should become more Amish.

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9. 89

   suzettenaplesposted 10 years ago

   I believe they do affect children.  And it affects differently as to how much time is spent playing these games.  I believe these games desensitize children  to violence and death.  These types of games are used by our military to train sdiers on their way to Afghanistan and other places of war.  If they teach our soldiers to kill and fight then they certainly are teaching our children the same thing.  To think these games do not teach our children violence and killing is naive.

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    Ralph Castroposted 10 years ago

    definitely! it wouldn't be called "violent" if it isn't dangerous right? And I think that the so called violent games are not suitable on children. there is an age limit(I think) on who should the game play.

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11. 71

    Mickjiposted 10 years ago

    It is like asking if watching the news is good for children or it is not. About this, I know a girl who have never seen a news for all of her life because dad thought that in the news there was only dead and violence .... Well now that children is not a good one, even if she watched anime till she was 20 and now still watch them. It is not a game a movie or the news who makes childrens violent, it is the parent to be able or not to follow their childs and teach them what is right or wrong. Sure while playing a game everybody become more affected by emotions, but in this case anyone of us should stop playing games, any kind of game,even candy crush ....

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    Boombazticposted 7 years ago

    I don't think so.
    I used to play much violent games and I didn't hurt any real persons yet
    I'm a foreign language teacher now and still love to spend some time playing games (now it's Overwatch). You can release your stress virtually and you do not hurt anyone by doing it this way. I think computer games make our lives better.
    And I think, that people whose hobby was playing violent games and who have killed a dozen of people at school had other problems and it was not a video game, that made him do this. There was something wrong with those people from the very beginning.

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