There has been so much controversy in recent years regarding violence in video games. Could a game like Grand Theft Auto actually trigger violence in real life? In 2011, the Supreme Court decided to give a verdict in the case of Brown vs. Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly known as Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association) . The case was brought to the Supreme Court after California senator, Leland Yee, tried to establish a ban of sales of violent video games to minors. Yee, like many others, believe that violence portrayed in video games can cause aggression and violence in players. However, others argued that censoring the sales of these video games was unconstitutional, a direct violation of the First Amendment. In court, it was asked how video games differ from other forms of violent media such as violent movies, music, or books. Why should the Court make an exception for video games?
According to Chief Justice Roberts, a main distinction between video games and other forms of media, is that "a child isn't sitting passively there with a video game. That child is doing the killing, the maiming, the sexually assaulting." In the end, the Supreme Court ruled the California law was indeed a violation of the First Amendment and the law was overturned. Here's a short clip from PBS News regarding the arguments made for this case in court:
Although it has been ruled unconstitutional to withhold sales of violent video games to minors, it doesn't change the fact that the violence in the games may be contributing to real life violence. There have been many instances in which video game murder scenes have been re-enacted in real life. It's almost impossible to argue, then, that video games don't have any influence over the minds of killers. Perhaps, some may argue, video games can even lead a "normal" person to become more aggressive and act violently.
For example, take the case of teenage boy Devin Moore. In 2003, he shot two police officers and a dispatcher to death, "mirroring violent acts depicted in the violent game [Grand Theft Auto]." The boy's nonstop playing of Grand Theft Auto that went on for months is believed by many, including family members, to have inspired the teen to kill and then immediately steal a police car and drive off. This case is specifically interesting, because Moore had no prior criminal record. After being arrested, Moore had reportedly told police that "life is like a video game. Everybody's got to die sometime."
Child psychologist David Walsh, co-author of a study that examines the link between violent video games and aggressive behavior, explains that, in-line with recent research done by the National Institutes of Health, it makes perfect sense that David Walsh was affected by Grand Theft Auto. Research shows that the prefrontal cortex in the brain is underdeveloped in the teenage brain. This part of the brain is responsible for thinking about consequences of actions and managing urges. So, therefore, "when a young man with a developing brain, already angry, spends hours and hours and hours rehearsing violent acts, and then, he's put in this situation of emotional stress, there's a likelihood that he will literally go to that familiar pattern that's been wired repeatedly, perhaps thousands and thousands of times.. " Walsh further explains that "not every kid that plays a violent video game is gonna turn to violence. And that's because they don't have all of those other risk factors going on... It's a combination of risk factors, which come together in a tragic outcome."
Sources:
Leung, Rebecca. Can A Video Game Lead To Murder? CBS News. February 11, 2009.
AP. Lawsuit: 'Grand Theft Auto' Led Teen To Kill. February 16, 2005.
Court Evalauates Violent Video Game Case. PBS News. November 2, 2010.
Violence video games are very aggressive and are increasing the bad behavior for our kids and teenagers. I like to play video games, but many of the interesting and famous games are not entertaining our kids, they are killing the minds of our children. I think that many of the aggressions or murder scenes showed in some video games reflect the actual problematic in many middle and high schools. Real guns are not toys; they can kill others. The industry thinks in make money through of entertainment games but they are really entertaining or just making business to increase sells.
ReplyDeleteI think that you've made a good point. We can't outright prove that video games cause violence, because there are many factors that it could be blamed on. But I think it could greatly affect the amount of violence in a person. It is a hard argument to make, and a very difficult topic to prove.
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point and provide good examples and information. I do not believe that video games are at all to blame for violence. If you commit a violent act I believe that it is because of a deep rooted mental issue within yourself and not from the influence of something like a video game. Every sane person has the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong and do not just commit a crime because they saw it in the media.
ReplyDeleteThis is a powerful case that reverberates through many different demographics. As a person who enjoys video games, even violent ones, but understands the weight of reality over fantasy, I have to defend the theory that risk factors are the first place to look when assessing crime such as this, and not merely trying to point the finger at something like a game. There were other reports released later that the same accusers of the video game industry had also tried this several times before with other games without actually knowing about the games. I cannot recall now the specifics, but G4 (a gaming channel and website) posted several pieces regarding this where they brought to light accusations about violence in games that had no violence. Some politicians were blindly throwing daggers hoping to hit a target and stick the blame somewhere. This was very much the case years ago when some protesters and politicians tried to persecute musicians such as Frank Zappa for their art and the contents of albums such as Jazz from Hell, which was in fact an instrumental album with no lyrics, but because of the desire to place blame on the industry rather than the consumers the case was thrown out. It is disappointing that such people 'run' our government.
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