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Violence in Video Games**

Video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment for children, teens, and young adults during the last 25 years. The average video game player or "gamer" is thirty years old. Most gaming occurs on home computers and home consoles such as the XBox, Playstation, Game Cube, Wii, or Nintendo DS. Some more modern games make it possible to play games against other gamers by connecting via the internet. This enables gamers to play a host of video games on a team with other gamers located anywhere in the world. As video gaming technology has become more and more sophisticated, a larger segment of the population begins to develop an interest in gaming. This somewhat new form of interactive media has caused a number of social questions to spring to life. Does video game violence cause children and teens to act out aggressively? Do children that play video games perform poorly in school? Have video games caused an increase in violence since their inception? Should parents be concerned about allowing their children to play video games during their developmental years?

The same types of questions were raised when television and radio were introduced as new forms of media. People have a tendency to question things that they do not yet understand. Video gaming material is sometimes violent and sexually explicit. Kids that play video games are often taken into an imaginary world that makes them loose interest in other activities. Just as with any other activity, children need to be protected by their parents. It would be foolish not to admit that video gaming has some type of impact on those who participate regularly, whether that impact is positive or negative. The pages that follow will give parents an indication of the risks involved when children play video games, the benefits that can be derived from video game play by adolescents, and some guidelines that will help children reap the benefits while at the same time limiting the risks.

This relatively new form of media is foreign to some, but very interesting to others. As with any new form of media, it can be abused. The advent of cell phones created a new level of connectivity for families and friends. Parents could reach their children anywhere and at any time to be assured as to their child's safety. At the same time, it became a devise that transferred inappropriate information. A new term (sexting) was even created to describe this type of cell phone activity. At first parents were concerned about allowing their children to have a cell phone, but now that they have been around for a while, concerns have somewhat subsided. As video gaming becomes more and more mainstream, the same is likely to happen. In an attempt to further understand the impact video gaming has had on young people world wide, it is first necessary to review the history of gaming and the ratings system that is used to rate video game content.


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Max Studies Regarding the Effects of Gaming ESRB Conclusion about violent video games