From my research I have found out from certain books and websites that video games do affect some peoples brains in ways which could affect violence. Kalning 2006, took time to perform a research test of 44 volunteers and has found out that by playing the game Medal of Honour for 30 minutes then it sends a reaction to the brain affecting the amygdala which is involved in emotional arousal. Whereas by playing games like Need for Speed it affects different areas of the brain which does not carry the same effect.
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Kalning quotes
“Based on our results, I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent video-game playing and brain function.”
Parents should be made aware of this because if there children grow up playing these violent video games on a regular basis then they may be more prone to violence as they may think they can do it in a game why not in real life. Parents should also be aware of the recommend game age that is displayed on the back of each game cover as this gives a very good indication of what the game may have included into it.
Willenz 2000 has created an article on the subject of violent video games can increase aggression. She also quotes:
"May Be More Harmful Than Violent Television and Movies Because of the Interactive Nature of the Games"
The current games out now have a lot of violence in them; from war to games where you go around doing missions killing people and stealing cars. A lot of these games are repetitive so you are doing the same things over and over again which means people will take all what they are doing into their brains. Also, if people are playing games on a regular basis then they are not watching TV and movies as much which in turn make Willenz 2000 statement in a way very true.
Willenz 2000 also carried out 2 studies. The first involved 227 college students who reported their playing habits. Willenz 2000 found out that the students in junior and high school engaged in more aggressive behavior. In the second study he found out that the users who played the violent video game 'received a noise blast with varying intensity' than those who was playing the non violent game myst. From both of his tests he come up with the statement -
"In the short run, playing a violent video game appears to affect aggression by priming aggressive thoughts. Longer-term effects are likely to be longer lasting as well, as the player learns and practices new aggression-related scripts that can become more and more accessible for use when real-life conflict situations arise."
Willenz 2000 is saying that if you play video games on a regular basis all of the time then it will affect your brain because when and if you are in a similar situation to one that is in a game then you may use it in the real life world.
Video games clearly have a serious affect on some people lives as an article made by AJ Glasser 2009 proves.
"Houstonian Ofelio Antonio Otero, 40, allegedly shot and killed his 17-year old son yesterday morning after arguing with him about a missing video game."
This shows how much a person is affected by a video game. Antonio had been drinking heavily when he got into an argument with his wife; his son stepped in and was then shot in the neck. By reading this article it is clear that video games take over some peoples life and therefore makes people violent if something does not go their way.
