Introduction
The article in question was supported by the Limburg University College, the University of Antwerp, and Sage Publications. Importantly, the authors of this essay are students at these institutions. Sage publications, on the other hand, endorsed this piece in their position as publishers (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). It is vital to note that the article was published in 2015 after a thorough assessment to confirm its legitimacy and dependability. The rise in popularity of violent video games was a key driving force for the study. The essay offers a detailed examination of the various ways in which young people engage in violent video games (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015).
Perception of Video Games
Not to mention, video games are some of the things perceived as 'cool' in the modern world. More so, violent games give their connotations of making the player seem 'tough.' Besides addressing violence incited by video games, the article implicitly highlights some of the demerits of technology. After all, video games are made possible by technology otherwise, they would not be in existence. The young adults often affiliated with playing violent video games are those in colleges. Playing these games too often influences an individual's temperament and public relations. The colleges supporting the article may have influenced it for these reasons.
Research Design
The research backing the contents of this article follows a descriptive research design specifically a case study approach. Ordinarily, the research is meant to establish the extent to which playing violent video games influence violent tendencies among the players. To this end, the case study sought to seek answers to three main questions. The first entailed the extent of orientation that the player has towards the narration in the based on the exposure degree to varying qualities and quantities of violent video games (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). The second question sought the extent of orientation that a player has towards the rules of the game and the resulting exposure degree to varying qualities and quantities of violent video games. The final question revolved around the orientation of the player towards other players and the role that this plays in influencing the quantity and quality of violent video games they play.
Limitations of Case Studies
One of the major limitations of the case study research design is the lack of methodological considerations. Some researchers perceive case study approach as a research approach where everything goes. It means that case studies lack systematic procedures that are considered essential in backing up the research findings. Another limitation of case studies is that they allow for a small number of participants and tend to be very expensive. These means that the sample may not accurately represent the entire population.
Selection Strategy
The selection strategy for participants in this study was simple random sampling. Specifically, the study participants were students pursuing their bachelors in communications. The focus of the study was on interactions of players in the games and game analysis. The study lasted for quite some time considering that about 73 students participated between September and December 2008 and 2009 respectively (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). Notably, the participants were college students, which emphasizes the backing of the colleges in the authoring and the publication of this article. The duration of the analysis was between September 2008 and December 2009. In specific there were 26 male respondents that accepted to participate in a shooting game for a 12 hour duration and also participated in data collection iterations.
Limitations
One of the major limitations of simple random sampling is that it is prone to bias. The approach is meant to eliminate the possibility of bias, but there is a possibility of sample selection bias. The participants, in this case, were just 73, which is hardly a fair representation of the entire population (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). The findings therefore don't portray the true picture of the subject matter as it was based on the results gathered from this population. A conclusive finding would result from analyzing a huge number of people who are geographically disbursed. It is also likely that the researcher exercised bias when choosing the participants that took place in the study. As much as it was random there may have existed some elements of biasness which would influence the final findings. Additional techniques might have been considered such as systematic and stratified sampling. Additionally, the process can be time-consuming and expensive in comparison to other techniques. The other likely limitation is that the study occurred over a one year time period which means that the findings don't provide a true reflection of the subject matter. It ought to have occurred over a longer period of time to make it more accurate.
Key Terms
Interactivity- this is defined as the interaction that happens between a computer program and a human being. The case study in question uses this term to define the interaction between the players and the video games (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). Video games require that the players get involved with them. Otherwise, the rationale behind video games would be lost. Programs that do not require human interaction are referred to as background programs or batch programs. A good example, in this case, is the programs that make video game interface possible.
Violence- it is defined as the tendency to use the power of physical force against oneself or another person in which case the result could cause injury, death or psychological harm. In this case, the article evaluates the degree of influence the playing violent video games has in inciting violent tendencies among the players.
Video games- these are electronic games that allow participation through a user interface. Essentially, one can play these games while seated or standing. Notably, playing these games is very common among the young adults. The article focuses on the interaction between young adults and the video games and the cognition effect that this has.
Video games are conceptualized as forms of entertainment, but little consideration is placed on the implication that this has on players' behavioral tendencies (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). The interactivity of players with violent video games may be considered as hapless yet has the capacity to spark violent behaviors in the players.
Research Implementation
The research was implemented using paper interviews in which case the participants were asked to jot down their favorite games and the experience in playing listed games. This provided samples from which seven shooting games were selected for evaluation (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). The selection of the games was based on its diversity and familiarity among the participants. The major limitation of this implementation method is that only male participants opted to participate in the shooting game for at least twelve hours. The implementation does not mention the participation of female players in the game. Hence, the data collected may not be reliable when assessing the effect of violent games on female players.
Notably, the research was partially confidential. The participants were required to write down their favorite games and experience to determine the games for selection (Ribbens & Malliet, 2015). This process was confidential in that the participants were not required to write their names on the response sheets. However, the games were played in groups, which did not allow for anonymity. Regarding ethics, the major ethical issue raised I the implementation is the conspicuous absence of female participants.
Conclusion
The case study in question is a credible source of reliable knowledge in several measures. First, the findings presented therein are backed by actual research meant to assess the impact of playing violent video games on behavior. Secondly, the article enjoys the collaborative participation of several parties, which further acknowledges its credibility. Largely, this case study is scientific in nature. The fact that the findings are based on collaborative research reduces the chances of it being classified as pseudoscience. The case study is not without limitations, but all things considered, it is a good source of valuable information. It is however recommendable if a research undertakes an extensive research of the topic from other sources as a way to ascertain whether the findings portray a true reflection of the subject matter.
References
Ribbens, W., & Malliet, S. (2015). How male young adults construe their playing style in violent video games. new media & society, 17(10), 1624-1642.
