Gaming Violence: The Jury's Still Out
By Lynn A. Powers
November 1, 2002




As dependable as the changing seasons, the debate over media violence and its effects on children is sure to continue. Because it is difficult to find a direct link between the two, research conclusions are often vague and contradictory. What constitutes violence? Although most agree that realistic shooting games are violent, what about shooting a cartoon caterpillar? Are Wile E. Coyote’s antics as harmful as sniper games? Do they rate the same degree of concern? When statistics assert a number of violent acts seen by children during their adolescence, how many of those should be considered harmful? Some statistics can be confusing and misleading. For example, according to a May 1999 Time Magazine article, 90% of children in U.S. households have rented or owned a video or computer game. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that if a child perpetrates violence, he or she was also a gamer.[1]

There are some facts that can assist parents in assessing the role of violence in video games. In the Surgeon General’s 1999 study on Youth Violence, it asserts that risk factors leading to violence “may be found in the individual, the environment, or the individual's ability to respond to the demands or requirements of the environment” rather than the environment itself. The research further suggests that not all youths are affected in the same way by viewing media violence, and that violent video games most influenced those who were already predisposed toward aggressive behavior.[2] Despite the pervasiveness of violent games and the publicity over school shootings, the rate of juvenile violent crime in the United States is currently at an all time low.[3]

Although research on video games has been limited, preliminary data supports the vital role parents can play in supervising their children’s viewing and gaming habits. The industry trend is to offer titles that would attract older audiences with deeper pockets. This translates into an expansion of violent and sexual material. It is doubtful that government will impose sweeping restrictions due to First Amendment concerns. Therefore, parents need to educate themselves rather than rely on government restrictions.

In 1994, the nonprofit group the Entertainment Software Rating Board was established to develop a comprehensive rating system for computer and video games. These ratings can be found on all video games and assist parents in making informed decisions about what media their children consume. Below are the descriptions of these ratings.

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RELATED LINKS:

Retailer's Viewpoint: Grapevine on Video Games
Top Ten Computer Games: A PC is Smarter Than a TV
TV Console Units and the Games Played On Them: TV on Steroids: The Latest on Console Gaming

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