Grand Theft Auto, a video game that many people have in their homes, is blamed for the cold- blooded shooting spree carried out by Devin Moore in Alabama. The game is also under fire for the option it provides to unlock sexual content from the internet. Two teens, imitating moves from the Mortal Kombat video game, beat up and killed the 7-year old sister of one of them. According to a police affidavit, the teens were baby-sitting the girl while her mother was at work.
New Gaming Experience
The experience of being a gamer has changed radically. A new generation game console hits the market every 5 or 6 years, exploring realistic three-dimensional worlds in high resolution with surround sound. Latest are the next generation of consoles led by Xbox 360, Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.
Game consoles have replaced video games. There are a range of game console models available in the market nowadays. Nintendo GameCube Black Game Console is one of the widely popular multiplayer gaming and online gaming. This is popularly known as a home console for it is recommended for home use only.
Microsoft's Xbox, one of the most well-known game consoles, has been devised to interface with the Internet, keeping in mind that the Internet has made online gaming a more preferred platform than console games. Nintendo Co.'s Wii and Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 are also designed for online interaction, enabling gamers to compete against each other, download videos and games, or swap friendly insults in a chat room.
Game Addictions
Among all the charges leveled against game consoles, the foremost is that they are addictive. So addictive that if denied children are known to have all the symptoms of withdrawal, including the shakes. Among other charges are compulsive behavior and loss of interest in other activities.
Research reports of a decade ago had shown video game junkies to be highly intelligent, motivated and achievement-oriented individuals. But the 21st century games are so engrossing that today's studies reveal the opposite tendencies. This is attributed to today's games being more psychologically rewarding, which leads to addiction.
Cause for Growing Concern
Most of the video games in the market are meant for the 7 to 17 age group who play an average of eight hours a week. There is growing concern among parents, educators, child advocates, medical professionals, and policy makers about the subset of games that feature violence, gore, and antisocial behavior. It is believed that ultra violent games are inappropriate for all children and harmful to some.
Research had shown young people could generally distinguish "cartoon" violence from "real" violence, but the interactivity involved in today's games seemed to pose a much bigger risk than previous generations of young people had faced.
Concern about violent video and computer games is based on the scientific evidence providing a cause-effect relationship between television violence and aggression among the children and youth who watch it. This research became the basis of a hypothesis among many social scientists that video games could be expected to have an even greater impact for the following reasons.
As there is more personal involvement of the player with the characters in the game, children are more likely to imitate their actions
The nature of game consoles is such that they require active participation
There are lots of repetitions involved in these games which help increase learning. So if the games are violent the effect is a behavioral rehearsal for violent activity.
The reward system in video games promotes faster learning
Much less research has been conducted on video games compared to TV. But studies have constantly shown that violent games increase aggression compared with behaviors displayed after playing non-violent games. Another study among 8th and 9th graders showed that those who played more violent video games were also more likely to see the world as a hostile place. They tend to become argumentative and get into physical fights.
Only Some Are Violent
Game consoles are generally associated with violence though all games are not so. According to a rough estimate only 15 percent of the games are violent. They are all perceived as violent because most of the successful games are violent and these get maximum press attention because of their controversy. People remember news about Grand Theft Auto but possibly remember nothing about games like Banjo Kazooie, Gran Tourismo or any of their other non-violent counterparts.
Many argue that a few games cannot be used to brand the industry. Sims is very mentally challenging. And kids are getting a great mental workout from engaging in these games.
Parental Role
A study at the Indiana's School of Medicine in Indianapolis found that about two-thirds of parents surveyed said they had family rules about how much and when video games could be played. But half of the children surveyed said their parents never discussed video gaming with them. Three of every four parents said they "always" helped decide what video games their children might buy or rent, yet, only 30 percent of the kids said that was the case.
In this digital world, children are introduced to video consoles so early that they are tempted to spend more of their time on these than on their studies. Parents should take care to protect them from unfit games by providing them with the right games. Refer to full review of a game God of War [8] which warns parents not to expose this game to children because of excessive violence in it.
Video game addiction experts from the Nottingham Trent University provide a ready reckoner for concerned parents:
First find out if:
your child plays every day
often plays for over 2-3 hours at a stretch
derives excitement out of the games
feels deprived and restless when they are not allowed to play
plays at the expense of social activities
neglects homework
tries to reduce play hours but can't
If the answer is "yes" in most of these cases then your child may be playing too much and you have to take steps to
Replace violent games with educational games
Discourage solitary play. Make him play in groups
Set strict time limits for play
As a last resort take away the game from him and give back in parts.
Also read Violent Toys
Related article School Violence
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