Do violent video games make young people more violent? We all want the answer to this controversial question, and to this day, the research is unclear. Many studies have concluded that people who play violent video games are more aggressive, are desensitized to images of real-life violence, are more likely to commit violent crimes, and are less likely to help others. But critics doubt the causal relationship, arguing that these correlations merely prove that violent people gravitate toward violent games, not that games actually cause violent behavior.
The Body's Response to Violence
One fact made clear by recent studies out of Sweden is that violent video games alter children's nervous system, raising concerns about the long-term physiological effects of violent video games. Researchers from Stockholm University, Uppsala University, and Karolinska Institutet asked 19 boys ages 12-15 to play two video games - one violent, one nonviolent - at home in the evening while monitoring their heart rate and other vital signs during game play and during sleep.
After playing the violent game, the boys displayed irregular heart rhythms with variations in the distances between beats, not only during game play but also continuing during the night. Yet the study subjects reported sleeping well after playing the violent video games. The study results show that the autonomous nerve system can be affected when playing violent video games, even without the player being aware of the physiological changes.
Researchers were particularly concerned that violent video games may cause the disturbance of normal sleeping patterns, as sleep is especially crucial for children's growing minds and bodies.
"In reality, we just don't know how this is affecting the boys, but it makes me feel very concerned and anxious when I see that crucial biological systems are being affected by something that many children and adults partake in every day," said project leader Professor Frank Lindblad from Stockholm University's Stress Research Institute.
Violent video games are among the most popular among children and teens. A study by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital's Center for Mental Health and Media, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, asked middle-school youth about the video and computer games they play. The research found that almost all young teens play video games, and two-thirds of boys and more than one in four girls reported playing at least one M-rated game "a lot in the past six months."
What Are Your Children Playing?
Experts advise parents to actively monitor the types and frequency of video game play their children engage in, and to limit or avoid excessively violent games rated M. A recent analysis by the research organization Children Now shows that a majority of video games include violence and about half of the violent incidents depicted in the games would result in serious injuries or death in the real world.
What should parents do? Play the video games with your child and talk about what you see. When you've had enough, recommend alternative activities that allow you to have more interaction with your child, such as playing a board game together or taking a family walk. Young children are learning moral consequences, how to treat others and resolve conflicts, and appropriate ways to deal with stress and anxiety from the influences in their daily lives. Be sure your influence trumps that of these top-selling violent video games.
Resource: Video Game Addiction