Games, for those who are under the age of 50, are here for our whole lives. Those who are born in the 90s or those who are born in the earlier 21st century grew up playing Pac-man, Snake, Pong or Donkey Kong.
Today, games are more realistic and not to mention the internet connection, it makes it even better! It doesn’t only allow gamers to play, but also communicate with other players, and that’s what made it fun!
Are games really harmful?
Let’s be real. Games are fun, many might seem harmless, but… approximately 50% of the games contain alarming scenarios!
In this era of modernization and technology, gaming is a part of our everyday life. Experts believe that playing games that reward people after they’ve killed, may contribute to negativity for the society. I’m not saying that we should ban video games, because, I love playing games myself, but there are possible reasons how a video game can contribute to violence.
Here are 5 reasons why games may contribute to violence.
1. Low empathy
Empathy isn’t an essential personal skill, but it allows a person to understand the feelings of others. It is actually a skill we learn to develop from our early childhood. But because of gaming, it will lead to a reduced capacity for someone to show empathy.
A study has been made, stating that children who play video games have less moral compared to their peers. It also seems that video games with violent contents are the reasons why a child’s ability and empathic skills are damaged.
2. Reality vs. Fantasy
Children are unable to differentiate reality and fantasy because they tend to imitate the actions of the character. When children play video games, they tend to enter into the spirit. There are times when they are dealing with issues and challenges that confront them in scenarios they face. Whenever they meet a difficult situation, they will respond violently, just like how they do on screen.
3. Negativity towards women
Many treat women as though we are sexual objects, just to satisfy men. Studies have been made stating that these games have led to many very worrying adults, and a review was established in 2012, a report in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence, found out that games featuring women as objects which encourages violence towards women are what develops the attitude of raping.
4. Violent behavior
The effects of playing violent video games are the increased cause to exhibit violent behavior in real life. In reality, the more violent someone is in the game, the more likely they are to be rewarded. The most significant concern here is that, in real life, these players show a much higher level of aggression.
5. Allows children to be more engaged with violent behavior
Game controllers play a big part too. According to recent research, the more realistic the controller, the higher the effect of aggression. This isn’t hypothetical, and it is really happening in the real world. One of them was the Norwegian mass murder.
It’s true that video games can be fun, and somewhat addictive, but we must be careful, especially with kids. Players tend to lose their boundaries in real life and becomes aggressive.
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