Andrew Schow

CJ 1010-007
November 18, 2015
Violence in Video Games

Once, when I was young, I was at a friends house and we were trying to decide what we
wanted to do. Our typical repertoire of board games, racing games, and hot wheels had gotten
old, and we were looking for something new. He told me about a new game that his family had
on their computer: doom. This was my first experience with a first-person-shooter, and I found it
to be quite enjoyable. The only catch was that it was just a single player game. So we had to do
something that seemed to defy convention. We had to take turns. We would alternate each level,
and would work together to defeat the monsters who were trying to stop us from reaching our
goal at the end. It worked quite well. When one would control the character, the other would
call out hints, and point to items we might have missed while exploring. I am going to look at
the pros and cons of violence in video games, their effects on the minds of the individuals who
play them, and the benefits of video games in police and military training.
Arguments have been made both for and against the use of violence in video games.1
Because of this, this issue seems particularly difficult to take a firm stance. In order to do so, one
must first explore both sides of the issue with an open mind. I will begin by examining the cons
of violent video games. The most prevalent argument I have heard against them has definite
merit. The argument that because video games are so interactive, they encourage those who play
them to exhibit this same violent behavior. According to Andrew K. Przybylski, Ph.D.:

1 Przybylski, Andrew K. PhD Who Believes Electronic Games Cause Real World Aggression?
(Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Media, 2014) 228
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It makes intuitive sense that the immersive and interactive nature of games
could be more influential than familiar forms of media entertainment such as
music, books or films. (Przybylski)
Dr. Przybylski is not wrong. Having played many games from many different genres, I have
seen the effect it has in my life. I have also noticed the effect it can have in the lives of other
people. The effect isnt always the same. It changes constantly from person to person, from
game to game. For instance, some games, even violent ones, can be therapeutic rather than
forcing an adrenaline rush.
Much as there are arguments against violent video games, often times with merit, there are also
arguments for them. Usually these arguments are based in the idea that video games, particularly
violent action games, are beneficial for the mind.2 This is partly because the medium of video
games, unlike other well-known media formats, is interactive. Alan Gershenfeld, President of ELine Media, noted:
Games are different from other popular media in that they are interactive and
participatory.

They enable players to step into different roles, confront

problems, make choices and explore the consequences Most significant, they
give players agency the ability to make a difference in both virtual and realworld environments.(Gershenfeld)
Again, I have noticed this in myself over the years. Video games have the ability to stimulate
various parts of the mind, allowing the player to use what would normally be underutilized.

2 Gershenfeld, Alan Mind Games (Scientific American, 2014) 54-59

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Both sides of this argument have valid points, and as such neither can be justly discounted.
Thus, we must now take a look at what they have in common. The idea that video games,
violent and non-violent, have some effect on the mind. At E-Line Media, Gershenfeld and his
team work with various organizations, such as the National Science Foundation and the
Smithsonian Institution,3 in an attempt to merge video games with education. He believes that
putting video games in the classroom has potential to increase student performance. This is
because at the core, video games are about verbs, what the player does in a game.4 Of course
putting games in the classroom is not about to happen any time soon, as this theory is as yet
untested. What he does say is that for many kids, traditional education is neither relevant nor
engaging. Digital games, on the other hand, captivate them.5 Realizing that this approach to
education will take time to develop and catch on, Gershenfeld hopes to reach that point in the
next ten years.
Arguments aside, there has been much research into the subject of video games and their effect
on the mind even going as far back as 1994 by Patricia Greenfield, Ph.D., a professor of
psychology at UCLA.6 Even law-enforcement and military organizations are beginning to use
these games in their training. According to Officer Paul Markel, it seems all too typical in
todays society that a news media story gets picked up and repeated over and over again without
question. Case in point: Video games are bad. Officer Markel also noted:

3 Gershenfeld, Alan Mind Games (Scientific American, 2014) 54-59

4 Ibid.
5 Ibid.
6 Markel, Paul Video game training? (PoliceOne.com, 2005)
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When it comes to the media: doom and gloom are front page news. This has
been the standard template for as long as I can remember. To find positive, good
new stories, one has to do their own research and digging. (Markel)
This proved to be true during my research. In order to get a fair mix of information, I found that
I had to dig through what seemed designed to persuade those who read it that video games are
bad. Nevertheless, despite this popular view of this entertainment medium, it is proving to be
quite beneficial, not only for those who may use firearms on a regular basis, but also for the
general population.7
With the information I found, it is difficult to believe that violence in video games has any direct
correlation with violent crimes. When one-third of all households have game systems, and a
large percentage of video games are violent, we should be seeing an unprecedented rise in
violent crime.8 However, the FBI Uniform Crime Statistics [had] reported just the opposite.
(Markel) With violent crime down in 2002 by sixteen percent since 939, and nearly 50 percent
from 94 to 2014.10
A few years ago, I was at an arcade with some friends. We decided to play a competitive
shooting simulator where each player is shooting at the other players character, while trying to
avoid the other player hitting you. When we had finished playing, my friend asked how I had
gotten so good without having played many games like that before. What I learned from this

7 Markel, Paul Video game training? (PoliceOne.com, 2005)

8 Ibid.
9 Ibid.
10 Bailey, Ronald Kill Pixels, Not People (Reason, 2015)
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was that, to an extent, my experience with real firearms had translated into the virtual world as
well. If the firing range can affect the game, who is to say that the game cannot affect the results
of the firing range. In fact, some of the research into the effect of video games on the mind deals
with exactly this subject. In May of 2003 Professor Daphne Bavelier of the University of
Rochester, New York, published her findings regarding the benefits of first-person action
games. (Markel) Professor Bavelier conducted a series of clinical repetitive visual perception
exams on both gamers of more than six months and non-gamers: locating the position of an
object on a cluttered screen after only 1/160 of a seconds exposure; identifying the number of
objects shown on a screen over a short window of time; and identifying the white letter amidst a
sequence of black letters, and whether or not it was followed by a black x. In each test
performed, the experienced gamers performed far better than non-gamers.11 But this was not the
end of the testing, there was still the question of happenstance. Do people with good visual
perception gravitate toward video games?12
First, the non-gamers were separated into two groups. One group was instructed
to play a first-person shooting game, Medal of Honor, for one hour a day for ten
days. The second group was instructed to play Tetris, a puzzle block game for the
same amount of time. During the second round of testing, the Medal of Honor
group showed a marked improvement in visual perception skills. The Tetris
group did not. (Markel)
As this shows, video games of the first-person-shooter genre have the potential to increase
observation skills.
11 Markel, Paul Video game training? (PoliceOne.com, 2005)
12 Ibid.
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The aforementioned tests did focus on certain abilities related to observation. For instance, the
ability to identify an object on a cluttered screen translates to picking out a dangerous felon
among a group of innocents. (Markel) The next test applies to the plus 1 or plus 2 tactical
theory (Markel) which states that an attacker may have an accomplice or two. This would
eliminate the danger of tunnel vision.13 The third test could be beneficial by helping with the
speedy identification of objects. For example:
Last year my friend took part in a Simunitions training exercise. During one
scenario a bad guy kicked open a door. My friend perceived a gun and fired three
shots from his Sims pistol. The bad guy rapidly retreated and the scenario
continued for another minute or two.
In that brief time, my friend had a moment of self-doubt. Did he really see a gun?
Or did the role player try to trip him up by holding a non-lethal object? (Markel)
This is a situation that has come to my attention quite frequently lately. Police are put in
situations requiring only a split seconds judgment, and being subjected to public ridicule
because they made a bad call. Yes, they need to be held accountable for their actions, but
when they only have a split second, say 1/160 of a second, that isnt much time to make sure that
you arent wrong. Fortunately, in this case, not only was it a simulation so no harm was done:
It turned out my friends fears were unfounded. The role player did indeed have a
blue steel gun in his hand. My friend has only a fraction of a second to ID the gun
and fire. The role player never got a shot off, but was struck with 3 blue Sims

13 Markel, Paul Video game training? (PoliceOne.com, 2005)

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rounds. This is anecdotal evidence to be sure, but it is something to consider.

(Markel)
All of this evidence is worth consideration. Officer Markels friend was also a gamer, which is
part of the reason he chose to accompany him on this training.14
Another type of game to consider is the horror-survival genre. Death games and horror games
have in common the same purpose to disgust and frighten their audiences while paradoxically
entertaining them. (Patrunjel) In this statement, this genre is related to death games such as
those that took place in the Coliseum. These games arent necessarily violent, but gruesome in
nature. The goal of these games is simply to survive. Whether or not you kill is mostly optional
with the exception of when a person or monster is in the way of getting an object necessary for
progression. The games are designed to deliver an adrenaline rush similar to that of the other
genres, but by a different means. They provide the player with a scare. Everything from the
location of the gameplay, to the appearance of the monsters, to the music, is designed to keep
you on edge. Even when you have a moment of calm.
The experience I gave in the beginning was my first experience with violent video games.
It was not my last. Over the years, I have found that I am a fan of certain first-person-shooters,
real-time-strategy, and even survival-horror games. While I have, at times, found these games to
be therapeutic, there are also times when all they do is give me an adrenaline rush, thus causing
me to exhibit more aggressive behavior. Usually this ends with me listening to some calming
music, or going for a walk. Those are just some of the ways I have found to control my temper,
which can be volatile regardless of the media in which I have chosen to take part. I cannot, in
good conscience, condemn violence in videogames after everything I have found on the issue.
14 Markel, Paul Video game training? (PoliceOne.com, 2005)
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Ultimately, I feel that violence in video games is not the problem, only a catalyst. Much like
firearms, it is up to the individual, not the game, to determine how he/she will react to what goes
on around them. This form of media is not for everybody. Maybe some people should avoid
violent video games, but blaming the game for the choices of the person is unreasonable.

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Works Cited
Bailey, Ronald. "Kill Pixels, Not People." Reason 46.9 2015: 16-17. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Bauer, Kristina N., Robert C. Brusso and Karin A. Orvis. "Using Adaptive Difficulty to Optimize
Videogame-Based Training Performance: The Moderating Role of Personality." Military
Psychology (2012): 148-165. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Gershenfeld, Alan. "Mind Games." Scientific American (2014): 54-59. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Markel, Paul. "Video game training?" 4 March 2005. policeone.com. Web. 1 12 2015.
Orvis, Karin A., et al. "Are Soldiers Gamers? Videogame Usage among Soldiers and Implications for the
Effective Use of Serious Videogames for Military Training." Military Psychology (2010): 143157. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Patrunjel, Flaviu. "Death games and Survival Horror video games: on the limits of pure torture show
entertainments." The Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies 4.7 (2012): 38-45. Academic
Search Premier. Web.
Przybylski, Andrew K. "Who Believes Electronic Games Cause Real World Aggression?"
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Media (2014): 228-234. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Siuru, Bill, Ph.D, PE. "Virtual Reality Comes to Public Safety." Police & Security News January/February
2014: 38-40. Web.

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