Agabin 1

Jerson Agabin

Mr. McCoy

ENC 1101

23 April 2022

[Title] Playing Violent Video Games Peacefully

[Exigence] As gaming is becoming more popular in modern society, more and more

suspicion arises within the community questioning their true effects on humanity. The behavioral

effects that violent video games propose have been a highly debated topic among researchers and

the public alike. With multiple legal actions being pursued against them in the past, society has

continuously put negative connotations on video games, stating that they are a major influence

on the violent tendencies of their player base.  [Problematization] There are many different

perspectives regarding violent video games and their mental effects on players; some argue that

they heavily promote violent behavior while others state that they only slightly affect it, or even

have no effect at all. [Thesis] Violent video games have been wrongly viewed as a major

influence of hostile behavior and should instead be perceived as having minimal to no effects on

aggression within their players.

[Subclaim I] Multiple analyses conducted on the nature of violent video games have

shown that they do not cause aggression. [Data] In an experiment testing the correlation between

violent video games and violent tendencies, results showed that “these effects of violent video

gaming on aggressiveness-if present at all–seem to be rather short-lived, potentially lasting <15

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min” (Kuhn et. al. 1231). [Warrant(s)] Even if video games regularly showcase violent actions

to the player, the aggressive effects it imposes are brief and last only for a moment. If long-term

aggressive behavior is shown to be present within an individual, it is unlikely that video games

are the driving force behind such practices. [Backing] In this particular study, GTA V and The

Sims 3 were the games in question. The publisher of the GTA series, Rockstar Games, has

consistently released highly violent games over the past decades. If a game like this, when

compared to The Sims and the control group, results in a slight, temporary effect on

aggressiveness, then that provides sufficient information that video games do not cause long-

term violent behavior. [Data] Additionally, when comparing the effects of violent video game

releases on children’s violent behavior, Suziedelyte concluded that “restricting children’s access

to violent videogames would not decrease the occurrence of violence against people” (124).

[Warrant(s)] Whether children play video games or not, their violence levels seem to be

unaffected either way. This further provides support that violent video games were designed to

offer entertainment rather than promote aggression and hostility.

[Subclaim II] While most video games aim to be as realistic as possible, players can

differentiate this fantasy from reality. [Data] When testing realistic effects in violent video

games, the trials suggested that “greater behavioral realism does not necessarily lead to greater

amounts of the activation of aggressive concepts in VVGs [Violent Video Games]” (Zendle et al.

22). [Warrant(s)] Players do not take the material in games seriously, nor do they apply these

hostile concepts to their real lifestyle. [Backing] Zendle and his co-authors tested ragdoll physics

and NPC (non-playable characters) behaviors in their investigations. Ragdoll physics, which

essentially mimics real-life death mannerisms, were utilized on the enemy characters in their FPS

(First-Person Shooter) game. The habits of the NPCs were also altered; one imitated real-life
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characteristics while the other remained static. As mentioned above, the outcome strongly

conflicts with the idea that in-game realism leads to greater violent-related actions.

[Subclaim III] Although it has been proven that players can tell the difference between

reality and a game, the “realistic aspect” helps with immersion–helping players further stray

away from reality and have a mental “vacation” from their personal life. [Data] In reference to a

cross-sectional analysis about video games and psychological functioning, studies have shown

that “frequent videogame playing was positively related to relaxation and coping” (Villani et al.

87, 94). [Warrant(s)] Players can, in essence, regulate their emotions through the act of playing

video games. To many, video games are regarded as a coping mechanism or something to escape

reality and take a break from the real world. [Backing] Though video games are mostly played

for entertainment purposes, they also suffice as a way to manage emotions, even if it's only

temporary. According to Villani et al., “they are fully suitable to be recognized in their

complexity and richness as communicational and narrative media with legitimate application in

understanding and influencing ER [Emotional Regulation]” (97).

[Reservations] However, some may argue that violent crimes, such as shootings or

assaults, are heavily inspired by the violence committed in video games. [Data] In an event

study that analyzed the change in crime around the release of top-selling video games, results

pointed out that “the release of top-selling violent video games is associated with an increase in

crime in the subsequent week” (Impink et al. 68) [Warrant(s)] The content displayed in video

games may provoke players to copy the actions exhibited, possibly resulting in numerous

murders. [Backing] By increasing exposure to violent video games, players can potentially be

aroused by the idea of violent concepts. With this rise of aggression in mind, players might be

susceptible to becoming more violent and engage in more violent acts such as mass shootings.
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[Response] While their point is valid, violent video games are not the sole reason for

violent acts committed in real life. [Data] In a similar fashion, this article conducts a study using

time variation in retail unit sales of top-selling games and violent criminal offenses. Their study

suggests that “the evidence that violent video games have substantial social costs is weak. In

fact, our study finds that in the weeks following popular video game releases, crime rates

decrease” (Cunningham et al. 1261). [Warrant(s)] Video games not only encourage no effect on

violent crimes but appear to have the opposite effect, providing a decrease in such behavior.

[Backing] Incapacitation is the act of depriving someone of something or making someone

incapable of taking part in an activity. In terms of video games, incapacitation can essentially

‘substitute’ engagement in violent acts with the likes of video games. More time spent on playing

video games leads to less time participating in possible crime-inspired activities. [Response(s)]

However, such crimes may be more in-line with mental health rather than solely video games.

[Data] When examining the relationship between mental disorders and different types of crimes

in a large database of psychiatric pre-trial examinations, findings showed that “all types of

mental disorder were related to all types of criminal charge” (Vinkers et al. 318). [Warrant(s)]

According to this study, all types of mental illnesses had indirectly or directly correlated to all

types of crimes. With this information in mind, it is more reasonable to declare that violent

crimes and aggression are more likely caused by mental health reasons rather than only violent

video games.

[Qualified Conclusion] Violent video games have been proven to have minimal

belligerent effects on their players. [So what?] With recent violent acts and behaviors being

blamed on violent video games, they are falsely looked down upon as having major detrimental

effects on society as a whole. These accusations are false however because violent video games
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are shown to have no correlation to aggressive behavior. They benefit us greatly with

entertainment and catharsis, even posing as the main component of some peoples’ lives today.

[What now?] Further study and research should be conducted on violent video games and their

psychological effects. As gaming is becoming more prevalent in the Twenty-First-century,

awareness about its effects should be raised and known throughout the public majority.
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Works Cited

Cunningham, Scott, et al. “Violent Video Games and Violent Crime.” Southern

Economic Journal, vol. 82, no. 4, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2016, pp. 1247–65,

https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12139.

Impink, Joost, et al. “Violent Video Games and Crime.” Journal of Media Economics,

vol. 33, no. 3-4, Routledge, 2020, pp. 49–73,

https://doi.org/10.1080/08997764.2021.2008409.

Kühn, S., Kugler, D., Schmalen, K. et al. Does playing violent video games cause

aggression? A longitudinal intervention study. Mol Psychiatry 24, 1220–1234

(2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-018-0031-7

Suziedelyte, Agne. “Is It Only a Game? Video Games and Violence.” Journal of

Economic Behavior & Organization, vol. 188, Elsevier B.V, 2021, pp. 105–25,

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2021.05.014.

Villani, Daniela, et al. “Videogames for Emotion Regulation: A Systematic Review.”

Games for Health, vol. 7, no. 2, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc, 2018, pp. 85–99,

https://doi.org/10.1089/g4h.2017.0108.

Vinkers, David J., et al. “The Relationship Between Mental Disorders and Different

Types of Crime: Relationships Between Mental Disorder and Crime.” Criminal

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Behaviour and Mental Health, vol. 21, no. 5, 2011, pp. 307–20,

https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.819.

Zendle, David, et al. “Behavioural Realism and the Activation of Aggressive Concepts in

Violent Video Games.” Entertainment Computing, vol. 24, Elsevier B.V, 2018,

pp. 21–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2017.10.003.