Table of ContentsIntroductionVideo Games and ChildrenResearch by Ryuta KawashimaConclusion IntroductionOver the past three decades, video games have become a massive pop culture sensation among young people. As David Deutsch, author of Playing Video Games Benefits Children, explains, "They provide something that most of human history was unavailable for, namely a complex, interactive entity accessible to low cost and no risk” (2). As noted in "Excessive Video Game Play Can Harm Children's Health", video games are part of a growing industry that is larger than television and film combined, growing and strengthening over time. years and penetrating deeper into the lives of adolescents and children (2) Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Although the future is only bright for the growth of the industry, the controversy surrounding young people playing video games has popping up not only in the United States, but also around the world. In recent years, research has revealed many concerns about the negative effects of this hobby, attracting the attention of parents and school officials, but with responsible play and healthy lifestyle management , video games can become a harmless and fun recreational experience. Video games and childrenBecause video games offer a world of their own, hours and hours can be devoted to a game, leaving a noticeable effect on the user's social life. Shao-I, Jie-Zhi and Der-Hsiang report in “Video Game Addiction In Children And Teenagers In Taiwan” that 77% of adolescents play video games regularly, spending thirty minutes to an hour per session (2). What is surprising is not the number of teenagers who play, but the number of hours these young people play. Many adolescents spend up to four hours a day or 140 hours a month playing online games, giving them the characteristic of “abnormal behavior” (Shao-I, Jie-Zhi, and Der-Hsiang 1). Aaron Boyce says in “Effect of Video Games and Extracurricular Activities on Parent-Perceived Socio-Emotional Functioning in Children and Adolescents”: Students who spend more time in front of a screen and less time with others suffer socially. . (Boyce, et al. 7). This has been proven by research conducted with young students. Boyce also says that “undergraduates who spent more time playing computer video games had higher levels of social anxiety” (6). There are exceptions to the social anxiety accompanying video games. One of them, for example, is the use of prosocial games in which the user interacts with other players to achieve an in-game goal. In tests, students who played video games more prosocials engaged in more positive social interactions (Boyce, et al 8). Prosocial games also increased interpersonal empathy among students (Boyce, et 8). According to Douglas Gentile, authors of "Effects of Prosocial, Neutral, and Violent Video Games on Children's Helpful and Harmful Behaviors," "in terms of the effects of prosocial video games, the only published longitudinal study found that exposure to Prosocial video games significantly predicted prosocial behavior 4–5 months later, even after statistically controlling for other relevant variables (2). Another exception to the social anxiety experienced alongside video games is participating inextracurricular activities, such as sports or school clubs. Aaron Boyce says: Participation in extracurricular activities may serve as a buffer for playing violent video games and potentially impact social-emotional functioning. In other words, people who participate more in extracurricular activities may offset some of the potential impacts of video gaming. (9)These research findings prove that video games do have a social impact on the user, especially when used excessively. However, when a healthy balance is applied, video games can be beneficial to social situations. One feature that crosses several different genres and, depending on its extent, gives games the popular M rating reserved for adult gamers only, is violence. Violence is more prevalent in all forms of media, but it is particularly well established in video games. After all, in a 2004 survey, 49% of 7th and 8th graders preferred violent games over sports-type, recreational, and educational games in general (Shao-I, Jie-Zhi, and Der-Hsiang 4). many die-hard players of the most violent and realistic games kill up to 1,000 characters on screen in one night of play ("Video Excessive...Cheers" 1). Violence in video games is an important factor that affects the attitude and behavior of children and adolescents after playing. The specific subject matter of violent games, such as blood or amount of violence, can impact aggression in children and adolescents (Boyce, et al 3). This is also true in the long term. Studies conducted over a period of thirty months have shown that children participating in very violent video games become more aggressive over time (Saleem, Anderson and Gentile 1). Research indicates that certain factors of violence spark the most aggression among young players. The research particularly highlights blood. Aaron Boyce states: Participants at different levels were exposed to varying amounts of blood each time a character was attacked in the game. Participants at the maximum and average blood levels showed a significant increase in physiological arousal and hostility after playing the video game. (2) Violence in video games has been found to encourage not only aggression but also delinquent behavior. Research shows that children who play more violent games are more likely to steal items outside the home and have more negative academic outcomes (Boyce, et al 4). Another interesting finding concerns the link between domestic violence and violent video games. Verbal and physical violence between family members was a significant predictor of whether the violent game user reacted aggressively or not (Boyce, et al 10). Thanks to the data collected by research and studies, we can safely conclude that violent video games do indeed cause aggression in young players. In the act of playing video games, the user remains motionless to the images and ideas presented to them with little imagination required in the process. Like any period of excessive inactivity, this sedentary screen time is linked to several negative health consequences. High blood pressure is a possible negative health outcome. Up to 40% of children who constantly play video games will at some point develop high blood pressure (“Excessive Video...Health” 1). In addition to lack of exercise, this may be due to the player putting him or herself in a perceived dangerous situation due to in-game attacks andother conflicts (“Excessive video...Health” 2). Another physical consequence includes abnormal heart activity. In a 1999 issue of Britain's Sunday Times, researchers reported that a group of children who spent excessive sedentary screen time were "so inactive that their heart rates are little different when they are awake than when they are sleep” (“Excessive Video... Health” 2). The most obvious problem caused by inactivity such as that which occurs during video games is obesity. Because video games do not require any physical exercise, the risks of developing obesity in children increase. Dr. Oded Bar-Or, Director of Child Nutrition, says that “children today are bigger and more sedentary than ever before. Obesity among children has increased quite dramatically over the past 20 years” (quoted in “Excessive Video...Health” 2). In fact, 40% of children aged five to eight were considered clinically obese in 2008. (“Excessive Video… Health” 2). Childhood obesity is not just a problem in the United States. Obesity in some Asian countries is on the rise due to increasing time spent playing video games or watching television ("Excessive Video...Health" 2). LeBlanc states in “Active video games and health indicators in children and youth: a systematic review” one solution being implemented is active video games, or AVGs, which would require the player to participate in physical activity , or PA (LeBlanc, et al 3). According to Allana G. LeBlanc, “AVGs have the potential to increase habitual PA and improve measures of cardiometabolic health in children and youth who would otherwise spend time in sedentary, screen-based activities.” (3). Health and video games essentially boil down to inactivity, which means that if a child or teenager wanted to play video games, maintaining a healthy level of exercise to combat poor physical health and obesity would be the most beneficial decision. Video games have been accused of affecting not only the physical condition of the child or adolescent playing but also their mental state. Some people believe that video games stifle the imagination by simply presenting a story to the viewer rather than allowing them to create one themselves ("Excessive Video... Cheers" 2). Research by Ryuta Kawashima Similarly, the player does not use his or her imagination; studies have shown that some computer games use only a limited part of the brain. A study on this subject is explained in “Excessive playing of video games can harm children's health”: the study was carried out by Ryuta Kawashima, professor at Tohoku University. This involved imaging the brains of children playing video games and comparing these images to those of children adding single-digit numbers. The results showed that children who played video games used a smaller part of their brain. (1) Kawashima's study proves that non-educational games cause very little activity in the brain and are therefore not beneficial for the development of the mind. Over time, video games get better with each new release, meaning that placing the player in a realistic, realistic world is more possible than ever. Violent video games, in particular, now seem extremely compelling, allowing the player to experience violence in the midst of a war or even in America's own cities. Brent Stafford, a researcher at Simon Fraser University, explains that "violent games engulf young minds in worlds that desensitize them to violence, even murder" (quoted in " 2)..