Ashley Heiberger:
Most of us can agree that the “M” for “Mature” on video games does not necessarily come across like an “R” for “Restricted Audiences” on a movie. Why is that? Most parents are not aware of the ratings on video games and if so, they do not realize the content involved in the video game. Another point is that children, and teens, get older friends or relatives to buy the “mature” game for them. While parents are at work, it is relieving to know their son or daughter is at home in front of the television playing a video game instead of running around getting in trouble. “98% of the 95 million American homes have television sets” (McQuail 399), while about 90% of “young people have a game console at home, and half have a game device in their bedroom” (Baran, Davis 203). That number only increases with the new technology becoming available.
There is no denying the increase in violence in America. There are school shootings, bombings, hazing deaths, etc. Three-fourths of “adolescent killings” involve a gun (McQuail 399). Violence surrounds us not only in schools but also in the media. According to McQuail, “By the time the average American child graduates from elementary school he or she will have seen over 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other assorted acts of violence” (399). Although it is not proven that viewing violence is the main source of imitation, it is proven that “more than 40 years of research indicates a relationship between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior” (McQuail 399). Imitation is the “direct mechanical reproduction of behavior” and it is proven that teens have imitated the violence they witness through video games (Baran, Davis 194).
I agree with Ashley here in that parents do seem to have a tendency to feel relieved when they know their son or daughter is at home sitting in front of a television screen doing nothing but playing video games, but I feel that also helps generate the negative aspects of young teens sitting at home in front of a TV. The argument is always made that violent video games cause kids to go out and be destructive and cause problems, but I have always felt that kids do things like that because it's just the way they are wired. If a young child goes out and attempts to steal a car off the street after playing a game like Grand Theft Auto, that's because it was something that child was probably going to do anyway. As stated in Ashley's blog, "Although it is not proven that viewing violence is the main source of imitation, it is proven that more than 40 years of research indicates a relationship between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior", according to McQuail. I agree that there has to be some kind of small link between the viewing of violence in the media with games like GTA, but in my opinion, that also depends on how developed the young person's brain is. Like Ashley mentioned at the beginning of her blog, video games have certain ratings that are based on the age of the user. Those ratings are there for a reason, and if they are not followed, there is a chance that the game may have some kind of influence on the user of the game. A game like GTA is rated "M" for "Mature", which according to the ESRB, equates to at least 17 years old. Also, imitation is the "Direct Mechanical reproduction of behavior" (Baran, Davis 194). If a user is 17 or 18 years old and they are playing a game like GTA, they are less influenced by what they see on the screen and more likely to realize that it's all fake.
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely an increase in violence among young people, but can we blame it on video games? There were many arguments made that the Columbine shootings were cause by Marilyn Manson's lyrics, and that the shooters were told to go and do what they did. There was no one who told those kids to take those guns and shoot at their fellow students and teachers. Those kids did what they did because something in their brains told them it was ok to do that. It couldn't have been a video game, because there wasn't anything that resembled GTA in 1999, and even if there was, they were at least 16 or 17 when it happened, so according to the ESRB, they would be allowed to play a game like GTA anyway. Video games specifically can't be blamed, but there is no arguing the fact the the media in general plays a large role. Between the music, movies, television and perhaps certain video games, the media is definitely a place of high influence. Personally, I feel it's simply a matter of parents being more cautious of what their children are exposed to on a day-to-day basis.
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