Concerns Over Aggressiveness of American Teenagers Playing Violent Video Games
There have been significant concerns among the Americans over the aggressiveness of the American teenagers who indulge in playing violent video games because they tend to imitate or engage in the violent activities they observe during the gameplay. An APA Taskforce Report as indicated by Calvin et al., (2017, 126) indicated that "There is a high level of aggressiveness to children who watch and play violent games than those who do not. People tend to experience increased aggression when they play violent video games." However, the report revealed there was insufficient evidence to link violent video games to criminal behavior.
Impact of Violent Games on Children's Personality and Social Life
American society is yet to comprehend the consequence of violent games on children's personality and social life. Violent video games tend to decrease pro-social behavior and virtues such as empathy, compassion, and care for others but instead depicts that life's activities can be solved through violence. Hollingdale and Greitemeyer (2005, 13) noted that "There is a significant interrelationship between persistent video game playing and real-life aggression of the children." Children who play violent games tend to apply them when solving real-life situations.
Importance of Age Restriction Guidelines
Developing age restriction guidelines is amongst the most effective approach the society can take to reduce the aggression among the minority. The young children lack the cognitive ability to make smart decisions and therefore the enforcement of age restriction will allow them to only select video games that are appropriate for their respective ages. Despite most minors being tech-savvy, the level of cognitive growth is not yet mature and therefore need to be guided on which games are suitable for them. Parents have to develop keen consideration on the kind of games their children are playing with their friends. A Centre for digital Democracy research showed that "Children take at least thirteen years to develop cognitive structures that facilitate ethical thinking," (Benbenishty, & Astor, 2003, 317). This implies that children with less than thirteen years have an underdeveloped cognitive structure which makes them be unable to discern what is beneficial or ethical to them.
The Role of Cognitive Maturity in Mitigating Aggressiveness
Developing and emphasizing on age restriction enables of a particular age bracket with mental maturity to overcome the aggressiveness that is associated with watching violent videos. Cognitive maturity increases with corresponding increase in age and thus they can understand and distinguish between fantasy is and reality. Even when they play these games, they do not affect their belief and attitude toward the real world. Markey (2015, 278) outlines that "Children who are mature seldom become aggressive even after continuous exposition to violent games." Older children also have a greater understanding of societal norms, virtues, and values and thus there is a limited chance of the older children to become a sociopath. It is critical for the parents and the gaming industry to develop restrictive guidelines that will only see children play games that are designed for their ages. According to Anderson et al. (2015,151), "the government need to consider personal values when developing public policy decisions." It is due to the societal need for safety that the US Senate pressured the video games to establish a rating system in 1993.
Parental Responsibility in Guiding Children's Game Choices
Parents need also to take personal initiative in dictating what their children are watching or playing. Therefore, parents can develop restrictive or controlling measures to shield their children from accessing violent games or provide them with alternative non-violent games. In fact, Markey et al. (2017, 290) note that "If parents do not allow their children to watch movies rated 18+ then they should subsequently not allow their minor children from playing movie rated 18+." There are a lot of games from different age brackets and parents need to ensure they provide their children games that are in tandem with their age. For instance, there are more than 18,000 games on Amazon with an age rating of 3+ some of which are beneficial to the children. Alternatively, parents can engage their children in alternative activities and hobbies such as playing the violin, piano, or learning fractions.
Evaluating Video Game Content and Solutions
There are different approaches parents can follow to access the right video game for their children. The parent needs to evaluate the content of the video before allowing their children to play the game. The following are the steps a parent can take to identify if the game is violent or not. First, the parent can play the game alone or with another party to develop a perfect understanding of the contents of the videos. After playing the game, the guardian can ask themselves the following questions. Does the video game cause harm to other parties? Is the harm presented humorously? Is there the use of vulgar language in the game? Is torment praised on the game? If the answer to the above questions is positive, then the game is not suitable for the minors. "No matter the rating of the game is important for the parent to look at the back of the box to see the content of their descriptors. These descriptors can be crude humor, language or the violence content," according to Johannes (2015, 305).
Teaching Non-Violence and Pro-Social Behavior
The parent can also train their children on how to amicably solve the challenges they face in life. This can be done by developing a close rapport and ties with the children. The parent can also advise their children why particular games are not good for their well-being. The parent can also foster non-violence behavior by adopting pro-social means of solving problems. Children who are addicted to violent games also need to be corrected and trained to undertake other alternative activities or develop enthusiasm in the different genres of games. Markey et al., (2015) indicate that "video games have the ability to desensitize humanistic feeling of sympathy and empathy, but instead make them believe that aggression is an act of heroism" (178). Therefore exposing these children to pro-social activities such as playing football with peers will enhance their communication and interaction skills and thus foster the development of social skills.
Feasibility and Importance of Proposed Solutions
The proposed alternatives are feasible because it allows the parents to directly manage the content played by their children and offer an appropriate guideline. Parents are more likely to impact the decision making of their children than the outsiders. The proposed not only reduces the aggressiveness of the child, but it also fosters parent-children and the children-peers relationship which is a significant element in enhancing pro-social activities. The government on the other side has to ensure effective implementation of the age restriction on the games developed by the children.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is evident that there is an interrelation between violent games and aggressiveness in children. Violent games corrupt the perception of the children on the essence of peace in society and the need to adopt amicable problem-solving techniques. Unless the parents start managing the content their children are exposed to, then increase cases of aggression amongst teenagers will be inevitable. We, as a society, need to join hands in one accord and combat the violent game predicament before it gets out of hand.
References
Anderson, C. A., Gentile, D. A., & Buckley, K. E. (2007). Violent video game effects on children and adolescents: Theory, research, and public policy. Oxford University Press.
Benbenishty, R., & Astor, R. A. (2003). Violence in Schools. Violence in Schools: The Response in Europe, 317.
Calvert, S. L., Appelbaum, M., Dodge, K. A., Graham, S., Nagayama Hall, G. C., Hamby, S., ... & Hedges, L. V. (2017). The American Psychological Association Task Force assessment of Violent Video Games: Science in the Service of Public Interest. American Psychologist, 72(2), 126.
Hollingdale, J., &Greitemeyer, T. (2004). The Effect of Online Violent Video Game Habits on Adolescent Hostility, Aggressiveness Behaviour and School Performance. Journal of Adolescent, 27, 5-22
Johannes, B. (2015). Violent Video Games and Physical Aggression: Evidence for a Selection Effect among Adolescent.
Psychology for Popular Media Culture, 4(4), 305.
Markey, P. M., Charlotte N. M., & Juliana, E. F.(2015). Violent Video Games and Real World Violence: Rhetoric versus Data. Psychology for Popular Media Culture, 4(4), 277-294
