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The Common Assumption of Videogames

As a popular source of entertainment in the 21st century, the videogame industry has

prospered tremendously since the first videogame was released. According to data collected in

2015 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), a major game developing company,

about 155 million players were recorded in America. Although at the cost of its flourishing

popularity in households, there also comes controversy and backlash in media and society. The

media has stereotyped and labeled videogames as the leading cause of violence in players.

Despite the negative implications and allegations of videogames, evidence has shown there

is no viable link indicating violent crimes are caused by gaming itself.

The development of the videogame industry today can be credited to the release of

successful classic videogames such as ​Pac-Man​ (1980), ​Galaga​ (1981), and ​Super Mario Bros

(1985), although videogames did not make their debut until many years before (Fitzpatrick et

al.). The release of ​Tennis for Two o​ n October 18, 1958 marked one of the earliest video games

officially documented in history. It was developed and created by a nuclear physicist named

William Higinbotham and placed in Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). Soon after, the

public began lining up outside the facility just to be able to go inside and play the videogame

(“The First Video Game?”). The creation of one of the first videogames to be successful marked

the beginning of the the videogame industry, allowing it to continue to evolve to its profiting

market today, generating $22.41 billion in sales in 2014 (“2015 Essential Facts About the

Computer and Video Game Industry”). Video games have developed from simple to more

complex and realistic games, for instance ones that imitate wars and even lifestyle.

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Although with its rise in the entertainment industry, it has caused conflict and turmoil in

society regarding whether it is the cause of aggression and violent behavior in players. The main

cause of this debate is mass media. News and media works to keep the public informed and

connected but can over-exaggerate stories, inducing moral panic in communities. For example,

media usually covers “celebrated cases” to gain more attention and reaction from audiences.

Celebrated cases are usually violent crimes that gain national attention due to its details

(gruesomeness, brutality, etc.) and become sensational (Masters 19). From the obsessive

coverage of these rare cases, it creates a false idea that there is more violent crimes in society

than there actually is, causing unnecessary panic in the community. Simply planting the seed of

doubt or fear into a viewer can impact them by coercing them to believe in false truths. With this

power, media has the capabilities to influence an individual’s opinions and stances they have on

controversial topics unbeckoned to them. In this case, the media has been covering the dangers

of videogames by broadcasting statements saying they cause aggression, antisocial behavior, and

cultivate murderers out of the children who play. Although with these accusations, there is no

solid link pointing videogames as the primary cause of criminal tendencies and violence in

players. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Report and

Entertainment Software Association, as violent crime rates decline, the videogame industry

continues to progress (examine the graph below). These results and findings show that as more

consumers play videogames, the rates of violent crimes are dropping and not increasing as media

insinuates it to be to the public. Furthermore, research on videogames “suggested that exposure

to media violence is just one of several factors that can contribute to aggressive behavior”

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(“Violence in the Media”). In fact, with recent studies conducted, children were more likely to

acquire hostile behavior by witnessing violence at home (Vitelli).

Even as media advocates that there are more violent crimes than in reality, recent crime

statistics state otherwise. According to the documented amount of violent crime over the years in

the United States, the rate has been declining from 636.6 (out of 100,000 people) in 1996 to

372.6 in 2015 (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Furthermore, the total violent crimes committed

in 2003, has declined from 1,383,676 compared to 1,153,022 crimes the year 2014. On the graph

it also reports the growth of videogames over the years as well. These statistics are provided by

the Entertainment Software Association published in the “2015 Essential Facts About the

Computer and Video Game Industry.”

Studies analyzing videogames and violent behavior have suggested that rather than being

the sole cause of the violence, video games are just one of the several factors and activities that

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create “strain” on the person, pushing them to do so. For instance, “have found that living in a

violent neighborhood and experiencing violence as a victim or witness is associated with an

increased risk for violent behavior among youth. Yet, this factor alone may not cause one to be

violent and most people living in such a neighborhood do not become violent perpetrators…

Likewise, researchers have found that first person killing video game playing is associated with

increased risk for violent behavior, but not all the time” (Cooper and Zimmerman). According to

research conducted, videogames can elicit aggressive behavior in players but not enough to push

them to commit crimes from gaming alone. Furthermore, “constant exposure to violence from

multiple sources… in the absence of positive factors that help to buffer these negative exposures

is likely to increase the probability that youth will engage in violent behavior” (Cooper and

Zimmerman). Regarding this, Licensed Professional Counselor Associate Mrs. Joanna Flemister

stated that factors and sources that can influence violent behavior in a person can include “anger

from experiences such as broken homes, domestic violences, abuse or bullying.” Playing virtual

games behind a screen does not cultivate criminals, rather it goes back to the argument of nature

(biological) versus nurture (environment) on what influences a person in becoming a criminal.

Although video games may lead to aggressive behavior, it is not necessarily the cause of

the escalation to violence and crimes in players. Video games are one of the elements of many

put together that can cause strain and drive a person to commit crimes. The widespread

assumption of videogames being the source and sole cause of violent behavior in players is the

product of false and exaggerated media coverage and reports. By instilling fear in parents, they

induce moral panic about videogames and whether it is safe for children to play, regardless of

what statistics report otherwise. As the gaming industry continues to grow, violent crimes are

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decreasing in the United States, proving that they are not the root of crime. Even from the

creation of the industry in the mid 1950’s, videogames will always be a controversial topic of

whether it influences behavior in players and to what extent today.

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Works Cited

“2015 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry” ​2015 Sales, Demographic

and Usage Data, ​Entertainment Software Association, Apr. 2015. Web. 15

October 2017.

Cooper, Roanna, and Marc Zimmerman. “Do Video Games Influence Violent Behavior?”

Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center​, Regents of the University of

Michigan, 14 Dec. 2015. Web. 15 October 2017.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Crime in the United States” ​FBI: UCR​, U.S. Department of

Justice, 2015. Web. 15 October 2017.

Fitzpatrick, Alex, et al. “Best Video Games of All Time: TIME's Top 50.” ​Time,​ Time, 23 Aug.

2016. Web. 15 October 2017.

Flemister, Joanna. Personal interview. 15 October 2017.

Masters, Ruth E., et al. “Media Coverage” ​CJ: Realities and Challenges,​ 3rd ed., McGraw-Hill

Education, 2017, pp. 19–20.

“The First Video Game?” ​BNL History: The First Video Game?​, Brookhaven National

Laboratory. Web. 15 October 2017.

“Violence in the Media” ​Psychology: Science in Action​, American Psychological Association,

Nov. 2013. Web. 15 October 2017.

Vitelli, Romeo. “Do Video Games Really Cause Violence in Adolescents?” ​Psychology Today​,

Sussex Publishers, 2 Dec. 2015. Web. 15 October 2017.