When I originally started this project,
I was interested in the effects of video games on our kids, specifically ones
of a violent nature. Being a father of three, and a stepfather of an additional
five, I have some vested interest in this inquiry. “Video games, beneficial or
detrimental?” I also have two teenage boys that currently fit into the demographic
that I will be researching, so I will be very interested in the findings of my analysis.
How does videogame play affect them? I want to examine my topic a little more
in depth, so I will be narrowing it down to “Do violent video games cause
aggression in children?”
I am fascinated
by this topic, mainly because I grew up in a different day and time. I spent my
childhood at the park, riding bicycles, or just hanging out on my friends
backyard playset. I know, I can hear the stereotypes most of you just put me
in, but seriously, what a different world my kids live in today. What
differences do our kids really face today as compared to previous generations?
Our World is in a state of turbulent times, and it’s all right in front of them
in this digital age. For this reason, I want to explore how violence and
aggression is effecting our kids, specifically as it relates to the videogames
they are playing.
I will
gather my research from my peers, video documentaries, scholarly articles,
books, and magazines. I will be considering behaviors as it relates to
videogames such as; Do video games lead to aggression? Is that aggression gender
specific? Is the aggression due to a lack of empathy in individuals because of
game play? Does that aggression lead to real life violence? I am also relying
on my blog for comments, insight, and feedback. A huge part of my research will
be guided by my peers, so I really look forward to all your feedback.
Excellent topic Jim, and one that I'm sure you will have no trouble finding information on. With the proliferation of video games, and specifically violent ones, it has become apparent that these games affect different people in different ways. Clearly there is a need to study this subject. I found a couple of things interesting in your post. First was your question regarding aggression being gender specific. It stands to reason that boys play far more video games than girls, especially the violent ones, so I would expect you will find a difference in the resulting behavior behind each sex. I am also interested to see what you find regarding a lack of empathy that stems from game play. I had not considered a question like this, but it's definitely a good one. One area that I would suggest adding to your research, or exploring further, is how does the potential aggressive behavior manifest itself? In what ways can we quantify this behavior? I definitely agree that children in the digital age are far more exposed to the ills of the world, including violent behavior, war, religion, etc etc. It is a far different world for kids these days, even compared to when I grew up during the 80s and 90s.
ReplyDeleteHey Jim,
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! I believe I mentioned that before haha. If I have my math correct, you have a total of 8 children/step children?! That is quite the responsibility! I imagine you have a decent idea of how video games have effected kids as time has passed, but I don't know the ages of all your children. I will soon be 26 and have no children. However, I group up with video games so I hope I can help with your peer portion of your research. I say that I grew up with them because video games have made an enormous leap throughout my lifetime, but I also say that because I have continued to play them and follow them as they have progressed. My first reaction is that our children will learn violence and it most likely will come first from video games but it is the parents responsibility to teach the children that this violence is wrong. I like the question that you pose though, because it leaves it open to what impression the children get from video games despite their other influences. Even in the most responsible setting, where the parent has taught the child violence is wrong, the influence of a video game could potentially spark the urge in any child's mind, to be violent. In my lifetime, I started playing games when they were not very violent or graphic and have now played some of the most graphic and violent games that are out today. So I am curious how children react to only playing a lot of these games today that can be, in my opinion, insanely violent and graphic. Again, great topic!
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ReplyDeleteSeeing children become immersed with technology is an interesting sight for me. It is hard to imagine what life would be like if I had grown up with such an intense virtual reality always at my finger tips. Thankfully, growing up I was also forced to spend the majority of my time outdoors. While I did play video games, plenty of them violent, they were limited and I had guidelines to playing. To my knowledge, playing such video games have had no violent effect on any friends, although some seem addicted to gaming in general. Believing that is always the case would be naive, under certain circumstances I could see violent games becoming destructive. It is hard to justify allowing children to play these games at all, but seems hard to enforce. If I had children, I would certainly shy away from allowing them video games and stress the importance of using technology properly. I believe that living through this technological lens, not just the violent games, we remove ourselves from the physical reality making it harder to cope, which brings out disorderly behavior.
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