OP-ED Assignment Joshua Vallez 11/27/2013 English 1301

There have been many arguments made over the past few years that claim video games are a major source of violence in todays youth. It seems that whenever a violent tragedy occurs, the perpetrator is somehow always connected to video games. The connection may only be insignificant, but that doesnt stop the media from pointing it out and placing the blame on video game developers. Video games are a fundamental part of our culture, and of cultures around the globe. The positives of playing video games for entrepreneurs and for average gamers far outweighs any possible negatives that video games are allegedly connected to.

Many studies have been conducted in an effort to settle the debate once and for all, but the evidence that is presented is often either inconclusive or unsubstantial. Hard, undeniable proof of this connection has yet to be seen. A recurring argument from individuals who believe that video games have a negative impact is that correlation must mean causation. It is frequently argued that because someone who committed a violent act has a history of playing violent video games, that the video games must be the cause of such violence. Simply because some partakes in a certain activity or hobby, does not mean whatsoever that that particular hobby dictates the individuals every action. If a murderer was seen wearing Nike shoes, does this mean that Nike shoes were the cause of the violence? A lot of people insist that violence in video games is the cause of violent crimes, but if you look at the overall number of crime victims per capita, the United States has seen a great decline since 1995, despite the release of violent video games. People are quick to judge when it comes to video games, and often only focus on the negatives. Contrary to popular belief, video games have a significant positive impact on communities around the world. The video game industry is one of the largest in the world. Each year, billions of dollars are spent on video games, and they often make more money than blockbuster movies. This industry is a major part of our economy and a large source of jobs for graphic designers and others who specialize with computers. Not only is it essential to the economy, but the largely known and professional gamers themselves often unite and give back to the community by doing things such as raising money and donating to charity. They accomplish this by hosting livestreams of themselves playing video games for an extended period of time. The revenue generated from ads as well as donations are entirely donated to charity.

Carnagey, N. L., Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2007). The effect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(3), 489-496. The conductors of this experiment intended to find the relationship between the consumption of violent video games and physiological desensitization to real violence. They conducted this experiment by taking the baseline heart rate and galvanic skin response of subjects. They then took these reading while half were playing nonviolent video games and while half were playing violent games. Next, they showed the subjects video of real life violence and took the readings again. They found that the subjects who played violent games had a lower response to real violence. They conclude that the cognitive outcomes could include decreased sympathy for victims of violence which could prevent them from assisting or even initiate violence. These scientists are very credible, considering the fact that they work for universities across the country and had their results published in a scientific journal. They insist that the desensitization of violence could result in decreased assistance and increased aggression. Ferguson, C. J. (2007). Evidence for publication bias in video game violence effects literature: A meta-analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12(4), 470-482. The author of this article analyses the possibility of publication bias when it comes to research about the correlation of violent behavior and the consumption of violent video games. The author references many previous studies and other examples of research. He proceeds to analyze the results of this data and concludes that most, if not all, of the data

collected is questionable or inconsistent. He further concludes that this inconsistent data is a direct result of publication bias. This most commonly occurs in two forms. The researchers could intentionally suppress data to achieve the result intended by them, or publishers can choose only to publish studies with their preferred result. The fact that this article was published in a journal gives the author a fair amount of credibility, as do his abundance of citations. The author does not, however, have any distinguishable title that gives more credibility, but his argument appears unbiased. We should not, as the author states, set out to prove that video games cause violence. We should instead set out to conduct unbiased and accurate research for the good of the scientific community. TotalBiscuit, The Cynical Brit (2012, December 19). Tragedy and Video Game Violence. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uwAo8lcAC4 Throughout this video, TotalBiscuit expresses his disbelief that violent behavior is caused by violent video games by presenting evidence that suggests that the media is using its competition as a scapegoat. He also presents evidence to support his argument that it may be the media itself that is responsible for a portion of these violent acts. He argues that it is the intense saturation of coverage by these news channels and newspapers that encourage troubled individuals to imitate these acts as a way of gaining attention through infamy. TotalBiscuit establishes credibility through his numerous resources and his transparency, although that credibility is hindered by his career as a YouTube content creator and his lack of expertise on the subject. He states that we should shift focus from the perpetrator of these crimes, and that the media should be focusing on the victims of

these tragedies instead of attempting to place the blame on other, more popular, pieces of media.