From humble beginnings in the late 1970’s, when they were considered to be a passing fad and catered mostly to a niche of technology lovers, the video game industry has mushroomed and now caters to a huge market worth $7.1 billion in the United States alone. However, despite this level of popularity and the fact that video games are fast eclipsing Hollywood as the premier entertainment industry, the amount of research that has gone into the effects of games is still insignificant. The purpose of this paper, then, is to investigate existing research into this field, and see if there is any basis behind the reasoning that video games actually promote violence in real life, or whether this is just a tide that has caught on due to sensationalist reporting.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Case For
- Case Against
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper aims to explore the relationship between video game violence and real-world aggression. It investigates existing research to determine whether there is a causal link between violent video games and violent behavior, or whether the media has overblown the issue.
- The impact of violent video games on aggression and desensitization.
- The role of interactivity and immersion in video games.
- The media's portrayal of video game violence and its influence on public perception.
- The legal and political responses to concerns about video game violence.
- The distinction between virtual and real-life violence.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: The paper introduces the topic of video game violence and its potential impact on real-world behavior. It highlights the increasing popularity of video games and the growing concern about their potential negative effects.
- Case For: This section presents evidence suggesting a link between violent video games and real-world violence. It highlights high-profile cases where violent video games were implicated in real-life crimes and discusses the role of the media in perpetuating this connection. It also examines legal and political responses to concerns about video game violence.
- Case Against: This section presents evidence challenging the direct link between violent video games and real-world violence. It argues that the vast majority of video game players do not engage in violence and that scientific research is inconclusive regarding a causal link.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key themes and concepts explored in this paper include video game violence, aggression, desensitization, interactivity, immersion, media influence, legal and political responses, and the distinction between virtual and real-life violence.
- Quote paper
- Rahul Massey (Author), 2007, The Link Between Video Games and Violence, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/127900
