Video Game Violence

Video games come in a variety of genres, graphic looks and themes. While many are largely innocuous and appear cute or cartoon-like, video games have earned a large-scale reputation for violence. Are video games really violent? If so, is it a problem?

A Few Violent Games

Since not every game is violent, why do people associate violence with video games? First, some of the most successful, best-selling video games have been very violent offerings. Second, these titles often get press attention because of their controversy, giving the illusion that all games are like this. People may remember seeing a television news piece about Grand Theft Auto but they have never heard of Banjo Kazooie, Gran Tourismo or any of their other non-violent counterparts.

Why is Grand Theft Auto cited as such a bastion of violence? Players are encouraged to steal cars and kill law enforcement officers in this best-selling video game franchise. In other games, action sequences are laden with graphic violence.

Video Game Ratings

In answer to early protests from parents and advocacy groups, the video game industry implemented a voluntary rating system. The ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) assigns a rating and a content descriptor to each video game that is released. The rating system suggests the age range for whom a game is appropriate and the content descriptor gives an indication of what type of adult content might be appropriate. The descriptors point out the presence of elements such as nudity, violence, blood, fantasy elements, drugs, alcohol and adult humor. They also indicate which products have educational or informational content.

Is Voluntary Rating Enough?

Despite this voluntary rating system, some U.S. legislators have promoted laws that would limit the sale of explicit video games so that minors cannot access them. The legislators often cite studies indicating that exposure to inappropriate game content incites players to act inappropriately in real life. New advances in game technology have made games more immersive and interactive and some video game detractors point to these developments as added reasons that the games have a negative impact on children.

Are Violent Games Really Harmful?

The available research is largely inconclusive. Far fewer studies have been done on violent game exposure. There is no definitive data that proves that exposure to video game violence is detrimental to normal children or teens. Parents should not ignore the mature ratings on a game though; some children are simply too young for some content, but most game publishers maintain this decision is personal and should be decided within families, not by the government. In addition, advocates of free speech worry that limits on video game sales will have far reaching implications for our rights to free speech.

As legislators and lobbyists continue to battle, people of all ages will continue to play video games. Some of them will control cartoon-characters playing tennis, while others will bring death upon scores of invading aliens.

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