I have updated the project. This document contains the latest version.

Video Games Struggle on Violence Thinkpiece

 

Old Version

The creation of the Nintendo Entertainment System spawned the belief that video games were toys targeted towards children. However as the video game industry grew, so did its audience. Games were not only being marketed to young children, but young adults. As a result, extremely violent video games such as Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto were created. Both video games were infamous for the controversy they generated, particularly Mortal Kombat as it was one of the first video games to have sparked the debate of video games causing children to commit violent acts.

Mortal Kombat, a fighting game inspired by the rated R action film Bloodsport, was placed in arcades in 1992. However what attracted audiences was not it’s gameplay, but its blood and gore. Mortal Kombat featured secret finishing moves called fatalities that gave players the ability to decapitate and burn opponents alive among others. Because most arcades contain no age restrictions, parents, politicians, and the media reacted negatively to this as they believed children would emulate Mortal Kombat’s violence after playing.

According to BBC News, This backlash led to a court case in 1993 where Former Chief of staff Joe Lieberman vowed to have a rating system for video games to be created. Lieberman was successful as The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was introduced within five months; its first act was to give Mortal Kombat an M rating, making it illegal for those who are underage to purchase the game.

The ESRB would take action once again against Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto San Andreas (GTASA) for its controversial “hot coffee” mod in 2005. Originally programmed to be locked away, “hot coffee” was a scene that featured two characters having intercourse. Despite being made inaccessible, it was discovered and programmed back into all versions of the game by modders. The ESRB recalled all versions of GTASA after it was found and changed its rating from M for mature to A for adults.

Despite this, GTASA, or rather all GTA video games, were more notorious for having the ability to murder innocent civilians and police officers while being depicted as a criminal. According to Doug Gross of CNN, GTA “inherited the mantle of violent game poster child from ‘Mortal Kombat’” due to it being more realistic in its violence and setting. Multiple court cases soon followed the games releases, however the first recorded case was in 2003 where Rockstar was sued by the family of two victims who were shot. They believed GTA was the main reason as to why their loved ones were murdered in the first place.

GTA and Mortal Kombat would cause researchers to study the effects violent video games have on children who play it. A report from the American Psychological Association (APA) examined 150 different studies in 2015 and concluded that video games may lead to increased aggression, but not to the point of committing crimes. As reported by Michael Casey of CBS News, ‘[s]cientists have investigated the use of violent video games for more than two decades but to date, there is very limited research addressing whether violent video games cause people to commit acts of criminal violence.’

However a more recent study that was first conducted in 1991, found that video games may lead to depression and conduct disorder. More than 4,000 adolescents over the course of their lives participated, among those, approximately 1,800 were effected. However the study states that this was mainly found in children who played shoot-em-ups, namely Doom.

Although the risk of acquiring depression and conduct disorder is low, there are many other factors that may increase or decrease the chance of it occurring. Despite the fact that violent video games still receive negative criticisms for their violence, the industry continues to be successful in spite of the accusations.

Works Cited

Casey, Michael. “Do Violent Video Games Lead to Criminal Behavior?” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 17 Aug. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

Crossley, Rob. “Mortal Kombat: Violent Game That Changed Video Games Industry.” BBC News. 2 June 2014. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.

“ESRB Concludes Investigation into Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas; Revokes M (Mature) Rating.” ESRB. 20 July 2005. Web. 15 Feb. 2016.

Etchells, Peter J. “Prospective Investigation of Video Game Use in Children and                                 Subsequent Conduct Disorder and Depression Using Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.” PLOS ONE:. 28 Jan. 2016. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

Gross, Doug. “10 Most Controversial Violent Video Games – CNN.com.” CNN. Cable News Network, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2016.

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Reflection

This blog post was written for those who have played video games (mainly the more violent ones), and are interested in learning about its past. I assumed the audience would know key terms such as ESRB and modders as they were not clearly defined. However, video games that were discussed throughout the post, such as Mortal Kombat and Grand Theft Auto, were described in detail.

Because this was placed as a blog post on the internet, I attempted to make paragraphs shorter for the audiences viewing pleasure. Not only is it easier to see on computer screens and seem less intimating, but the purpose of each paragraph was made clearer so that the point gets across. Also the introduction was created in a way that summarizes what the entire post is about. I believe it may be enough of a taste to warrant them reading the entire post.

This blog post also brings to light two different studies that researched the possible effects video games have on children. Although it does not go into an in-depth analysis on the reports, I believe it peaks the readers’ interest enough to motivate them to investigate more on the debate of video game violence during their own leisure.

Overall, this blog post should help gamers kick start their exploration on video game controversies, and history. It may also cause them to play older titles such as Doom and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas while spreading the word about them around to their friends.