Aggressive Behavior and Video Game Link

Essay by VazieraCollege, UndergraduateA, November 2014

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Hayes 1

Professor Dixil Rodriguez

English 1302

4 December 2013

Aggressive Behavior and Link with Video Games

Video games have been around for almost 60 years. The very first video game was invented in 1952 and was little more than a fancy Tic Tac Toe game. It was not until 1976 when the first video game that could even remotely be considered "violent" was invented, and by today's standards the game "Death Race" could hardly be considered violent. Death Race consisted of a somewhat car shaped blob running over stick figures which would turn them into tombstones. It would take close to 20 years before some of the more modern versions of early violent video games came into existence, such as Mortal Kombat. So why are video games that fall into this category being blamed and "linked" to violent behavior, aggression, and even crimes? Its the wake of tragedies such as the school shootings at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and Columbine High that has stimulated more researchers to address the question "Are Violent Video Games Responsible for this Aggressive or Violent Behavior?".

I intend to show that the research does not support the claims that video games are making our children violent.(Savage) In fact, video games are no more a cause of violent behavior as viewing pornography is to committing rape.(Ferguson) They have become a scape goat to explain away horrific and devastating behaviors from our youth when we just do not comprehend the motives behind such behavior. It is our society's way to find someone else to blame for something we should be taking the responsibility for. I also intend to explain how it is virtually impossible to even be able to prove that video games could cause any particular behavior as complex as violent behavior or...