Titler 1

Tyson Titler
Aughenbaugh
English 12
15/4/16
Video Games and Violence
If Pac-Man had affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in dark rooms, munching pills
and listening to repetitive electronic music. Marcus Brigstocke. Video games like Pac-Man
and Mario show us different kinds of behaviors, Mario taught us to jump on innocent creatures
and Pac-Man taught us to eat special pills to keep living but they arent blamed for any kind of
crime like most other video games.Violent video games are constantly being blamed for mass
shootings or any other kind of crime. The shooting at Columbine happened because media said
that violent video games like Mortal Kombat and Duke Nukem gave them ideas on how to kill
people and made them violent against other people. Political figures use violent video games as
an easy scapegoat for blaming violent crimes. Video games do not cause violent acts of crime,
how people are raised and treated growing up makes them what they are. A study done by Adam
Thierer shows that as the purchases of violent video games increase the amount of violent crimes
in youth have decreased drastically. The shooters of Columbine, Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris,
used video games as a way of relieving stress and escaping the harsh reality of being bullied and
being exiled from their peers. There are other things that could lead to violent crimes like
watching the news and seeing something about war or a murder, being abused while growing up,
and being bullied in school. (No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine.) Violent
video games do not increase or promote violent behaviors.

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Violent video games are purchased more and more everyday and are slowly becoming one of
the most popular types of games teens and young adults play. Many people buy violent games
but most if not all of them turn out just fine and never end up shooting a school or going out and
committing a severe crime. When somebody decides to play a game they usually have had a bad
day and want to destress somehow and get rid of some anger that has been built up throughout
the day. They could easily go out and kill somebody or rob a store on their own time even if they
have never played any type of video game in their life. Most of the time politicians would rather
blame something like video games instead of actually trying to find a real reason for why
somebody committed the crime. If they are going to blame just one type of video game they
should just blame them all, every game has violence in it even if it isnt as discreet as games like
Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto V. Games even like Super Mario or Metroid has some
kind of violence in them. In Super Mario you run around and jump on innocent creatures and
throw fireballs. In Metroid you go around and shoot monsters, which is what you also do in the
violent video game Doom.
When playing violent video games they can teach you some important life lessons. Someone
who plays Grand Theft Auto learn what would happen to them if they go out and shoot people
or steal cars, theyll either end up arrested or dead. Seeing these consequences will drive people
away from committing crimes because most people don't want to end up in prison or dead. In
other games like Skyrim and Fallout committing a crime makes you more of an outcast and
make people not want to talk to you or be around you at all.

Works Cited

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Brown, Brooks and Merritt, Rob. No Easy Answers: The Truth Behind Death at Columbine.
New York: Lantern Books, 2002. Print
Drinka, George. Violent Video Games Can Desensitize Players and Increase Aggression.
Violent Video Games. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At
Issue. Rpt. From Violent Video Games and Adam Lanzas Inner World, Part 1 and Violent Video
Games and Adam Lanzas Inner World, Part 2. Psychology Today (7 Mar. 2013). Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 16 Mar. 2016.
Kain, Eric. Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Violence. Violent Video Games. Ed. Roman
Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue. Rpt. From The Truth About
Video Games and Gun Violence. Mother Jones (11 June 2013). Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Leonard, Andrews. Video Game Culture Does Not Promote Antisocial Behaviors. Violent
Video

Games. Ed. Roman Espejo. Farmington Hills, MI: Grenhaven Press, 2015. At Issue.

Rpt. From Grand Theft Auto V. Gamings Dark Misogynist Cesspool. http://www.salon.com.
2013. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.
Violent Video Games and Young People- Harvard Health. Harvard Health. Web. 17 Mar. 2016.