3. Films and computer games which contain violence are very popular.

Some people believe they have

a negative effect on society and so should be banned. Other people, however, say they are just
harmless and help people to relax. Discuss both these points of view and give your own opinion.

View 1: They are just harmless and help people to relax.

Some feel that violence in entertainment is a root cause of problems in society and should thus be
censored. In my opinion, while there is legitimate cause to establish reasonable boundaries, such
content has little actual negative impact.

On the one hand, there is a general level of acceptance that gratuitous violence should be restricted.
This is particularly the case if films are being broadcast on public channels or it is possible to gain easy
access to violent games. In most nations, programming during the daytime has higher thresholds for
acceptable content due to fears of influencing impressionable children. The worry is that very young
children and teenagers will become desensitized to violence and potentially establish either a
confrontational way of interacting or, in extreme cases, a pattern of behavior. Studies have not shown
much evidence for these claims however they possess a commonsensical logic.

On the other hand, the majority of individuals have no difficulty distinguishing between fiction and
reality. Consumers of violent entertainment are simply passing the time or experiencing a vicarious
thrill. There is even the slight chance that by watching violent entertainment, audiences will be
dissuaded from such behavior or feel their need for violence has been sufficiently expressed. For
instance, an individual who plays violent computer games or is obsessed with horror films, according to
research, is no more likely to commit a violent crime or display abnormal behavior. The actual causes of
problems in society relate to employment, economics, discrimination, income inequality, and various
systemic barriers.

In conclusion, though there are certain levels of violence that should be censored depending on the
context, most explicit content ought to be permitted in games and movies. Efforts to heavily censor
would be short-sighted and misguided.

https://howtodoielts.com/ielts-essay-violent-entertainment-games-movies/

It is sometimes thought that movies and computer games containing violence ought to be banned as
they are harmful to society, but other people suggest that the negative effect is neglectable. In my
opinion, I agree that entertainment with violent content is acceptable and should be retained despite
the drawbacks it may bring to society.

On one hand, some people believe that the outbreak of violent crime rate and the high popularity of
bloody films and computer games are correlated. Nowadays, the sophisticated visual effects in
computer games are close to reality, and virtual reality game, for instance, gives players an
extraordinary immersive experience. Some think players, especially youngsters, will mix up the virtual
world and reality after a long playtime and, in the long run, would become violent. Fans love to mimic
movie stars, some people are afraid it will include violent behaviour in films. Therefore, some suggest
that movies and computer games with these elements should be banned.

On the other hand, some people think the freedom of creation should be persisted, and I agree. There
are a lot of great movies with aggressive killing scenes that are considered great pieces of art . Some
people claimed that playing computer games is the best way to release stress from busy life. Recent
research shows that 90% of violent criminals are not big fans of violent movies or hardcore gamers. In
other words, people who enjoy entertainment with violent content will not become violent. Moreover,
in numerous countries, there are laws to protect children from violent content well.

In conclusion, while people may vary in their opinions, I think that there are certain justifications for the
former statement, albeit I am of the opinion that violent movies and computer games should be
banned. I recommend that especially immature people should not be interested in these kinds of films
and games.

https://writing9.com/text/63e3ccff96e92a00181ad3b4-films-and-computer-games-containing-violence-
are-popular-some-people

People follow the global culture, which is the amalgamation of technology. The individuals become
watching more movies and playing international games containing violence and crime. Some opine
those effects should be made to negative in the society and should be censored, but others believe it
would be just harmless and relaxation. In the following paragraphs, I shall discuss both views. I,
however, side with the latter view.

The reason why the possibility of a negative effect on society and should be limit is that films and games
are directly related to the personality of a human being. To elaborate, many video games and movies
are showed by aggressive and filled with awful violations. Teenagers may adopt in their life as passion
also following some tasks. For example, the game Blue Whale took many lives of youngsters. Another
very practical reason for censoring movies is that teenagers and pupils are watching porn films at pre-
mature age it to become a chance a juvenile delinquent.

On the other hand, those opposed to against and say it is just harmless relaxation is that movies and
games are entertainment factors in personal lifestyle. To explain, there are better opportunities in cine
industries and game developments. Today’s work life is stressful, so people love to do play online games
and movies after their hard jobs. These entertainments were rejuvenating their mind. For example, in
the pandemic covid-19 season, many sociologists suggested watching movies and play games which are
doing quarantine and doing work from home; it gets mind free and avoids deterioration.

To conclude, it could be said that the idea of censoring movies and games containing violence sounds
good, but it is difficult to sustain because the technology is vase arguments will come. This trend is not
likely to abate. Therefore, it is a drawback to society if not censored.

https://ieltsdata.org/movies-and-computer-games-containing-violence-are-popular/

The increased popularity of movies and computer games, which project violence, is perceived as a social
annoyance by some, and hence they demand its ban. However, there exist people who feel that it is just
a part of entertainment. Both these arguments are topical in nature and hence a thorough discussion is
needed before framing a logical conclusion.

One of the major reasons behind the view of banning movies and online games which have violent
contents is that it can have the power of making a multitude of people aggressive. They believe that
continuous exposure of such visual contents may have some psychological changes in a person, when
compared to a normal person. The effects can range from some sorts of aggression to felonies such as
rape and murder. A recent report shows that during counseling sessions in prisons, most criminals
revealed that they were influenced by heroic scenes of their favorite actors on the big screen. No
wonder, they perceive a social threat and demand a ban.

Nevertheless, others consider the real objective of computer games and films is to entertain and relax
the public, whether or not it has violence. This is because they think today’s people have a better
understanding about the difference between the content of a movie or a game and the real life situation
that that in the past. They also feel that such scenes can rejuvenate a person’s mind and body as most
people today face work and related stress. This population has to strain their minds a lot at various
circumstances, and so they hardly see these types of entertainment serious.

After analyzing both the views in detail, I feel that as far as today’s generation have the ability to
distinguish between the real and virtual life, violence in movies or computer games is least likely to
make social problems.

https://www.ieltstrainingtips.com/films-and-computer-games-containing-violence-are-popular-these-
days-some-people-say-they-have-negative-impacts-in-the-society-and-should-be-banned-while-others-
say-they-are-just-harmless-relaxation/

Thriller movies and action games are becoming more renowned among youth which leads to a valid
concern for many, having an unpleasant impact on community and demand for eliminating these
completely. However, for others it is just a source of entertainment. In my opinion, if violent films and
play stations provide a disclaimer and moral of the story in an optimistic way, it will be a good pass time
for many.

Firstly, pictures about wars and fights are famous especially in adolescents as they boost the adrenaline
hormone in them which brings a sense of happiness and alertness. Moreover, the same thing happens
with playing online games. They consider themselves fighting and winning for a cause. for example, for a
patriotic movie based on a crime rises the sense of responsibility to save a country by killing enemies.
Therefore, in these scenarios there should be a lesson stating the consequences and risks associated
with those actions and what is the message of the producer in reality. Thus, people should not
implement it in an unacceptable style.

On the other hand, many adults are fond of merely watching cinema that is full of activities and
suspense or considering themselves a part of a mission and acts accordingly in computer games. For,
them it is their way of rejuvenating and getting the energy back. for instance, for children killing people

on screens to save somebody is just for fun or a feeling of achievement. Hence, it has no deteriorating
effect on their mind.

To conclude, aggressive screenplays or sports can be miserable for some but the explanation about the
aim of presenting these can help people understand it is virtual and should not be practised in the
reality. This manner it can be a brilliant form for relaxation and entertainment.

https://writing9.com/text/60ef649698eb510018eb08a7-films-and-computer-games-which-contain-
violence-are-very-popular

View 2: They have a negative effect on society and so should be banned.

In the modern digital era, many get the experience of violent entertainment in form of movies and
games. While some believe that this experience is harmless and should be allowed to feel without any
restrictions, my belief is that it should be censored to some extent to avoid harm to society.

On the one hand, many argue that there is insufficient data to link violent entertainment to actual
crimes. Most of the viewers or subscribers just require the temporary thrill and excitement which does
not extend beyond that limit. Moreover, the young generation will be aware of the consequences of
crimes through this mode of entertainment and highly likely to obey rules and behave as a good citizen.
In addition, some may control their anger or stress by playing a shooting game rather than doing actual
harm to anybody. Furthermore, researches indicate that violence received by these modes of
entertainment help to balance hormone levels inside the human body as well.

On the other hand, viewing such violent content without discretion can cause several harms to society
as well. Firstly, children are likely to be impacted by this violent entertainment and can try to imitate
what is being done in a movie or a game. This can lead to an increase in future crimes. Secondly, people
with risky health conditions such as heart diseases could have issues if harmful content is not censored
from movies or games. Hence, it is required to govern and regulate violent modes of entertainment.

In conclusion, though there are positive outcomes of not censoring violent content of entertainment,
the damage it does to society is unacceptable. In my view, governing bodies should involve and
frequently monitor these entertainment modes, especially in developing countries like Sri Lanka.

https://writing9.com/text/6150c454529b0100197cbfc1-movies-and-computer-games-containing-
violence-are-popular-some-people

In the contemporary epoch, there is a common phenomenon among children of playing and watching
violent content. Whilst some individuals are of the belief that these kinds of video games and movies
have a plethora of demerits on the community and should be prohibited by the government, others
have a diverse view. I strongly agree that films and video computer games which contain violent scenes
have detrimental consequences on the offspring. In the following lines, both merits and demerits, along
with my perspective, will be further demonstrated.

On one hand, aggressive video games and cinematic films have dire consequences on children’s
behaviour such as suicide and killing people. In other words, the crime rates among youngsters have
risen significantly in the meantime after playing brutal war games like PUBG. For instance, according to
an article that has been published in the Ahram Weekly newspaper, the root cause of the investigations
of youth crimes committed in Egypt in 2020 and 2021 was the negative influence of the movies and
games which contain attacking and killing scenes. Hence, if the government and parents draw more
attention to the behaviour of the youngsters, this will significantly alleviate the youth crimes in a
proactive way before facing deleterious effects on the community.

Nevertheless, despite the disadvantages mentioned above, viewing violent movies and games may have
an un-harmful contribution to children’s attitudes based on several factors. To illustrate, the
Interpersonal skills of the young generations have improved significantly after playing strategic war
games like language and communication skills. This is exemplified by a survey conducted by a group of
students in the Ain Shams University, students who played Fifa with foreign peers have achieved high
grades in English language tests in Egypt. This example shows that these entertaining action games may
shape better future of children in Arab countries like Egypt and will improve their mental health, and
open-mindedness and broaden their horizons.

In conclusion, after presenting the aforementioned points, it can be reiterated that playing attacking
computer games and action movies is a double-edged weapon. I strongly believe that these sorts of
games and movies will negatively impact children’s behaviour and rise the youth crime rates in the
community. Therefore, the government and fathers and mothers shall employ censorship to protect the
offspring from violent content and sensitive virtual images.

https://writing9.com/text/632da582b58d9c0019cf7fd5-films-and-computer-games-which-contain-
violence-are-very-popular

Nowadays, the popularity of the audience and viewers of the aggressive movies and online media that
provides an act of violence and misconduct have increased exponentially. Therefore, this phenomenon
has sparked heated debates among individuals, whether this violent media should be neglected and
banned or leave it for the entertainment of people. In this essay, I will examine both views of the
argument and I believe people should have consciousness while watching this genre.

As the increasing amount of the violent media viewers, contributes to a severe consequences either an
imitation of the action of the offenders or the increasing cases of the misconduct. As a result, the victim
losses a property or even lead to the mortality by the people who imitate the movement of the
offenders. Thus, it should be abandoned and neglected to counteract the number of new lawbreakers.
For instance, children, who spent time watching a thriller movie, some of them turn into a villain
themselves and costs the redundant loss to their family and society.

On the other hand, some people watched the thriller media for their entertainment and relaxation.
Besides, this media helps them to alleviate an excessive pressure of their academic lesson and their
workload. Consequently, people neglected the bad manner of the characters and preferred to watch for
satisfying and reducing the pressure in their daily life. For instance, the employee who is subjected to
the depression can relieve those anxieties by spending time with this platform of movies.

To conclude, individuals should have enough consciousness and awareness while watching and playing
thriller media. Besides, the appropriate range of watching should be limited and the purpose must be
for the entertainment not for the aggressive manner. Otherwise, it will be harmful and lead to the loss
in finance or the determination of others.

https://writing9.com/text/5ec363f49d31730018350ecc

Movies and video games illustrate violent scenes are famous. Few people argue that it should be
censored as it has an adverse effect on the society, whereas others are of opinion that it is non
dangerous and it is a tool to rejuvenate the mind of the people. This study agrees that negative kind of
pictures should be banned. This article will discuss both the views.

On one hand, images represented by any art form directly impacts the psychological behaviour of an
individual and in most of the cases a person attempts to imitate the same character because he or she
gets influence due to it, which leads to a disastrous effect for a self and their peers. The subconscious
mind of the human being processes an information, which is captured via visual mode and if it is a
negative influence, it captivates the image faster. Therefore, this discussion agrees with the fact that
such feature film must be restricted. For example, a recent incident suggested that a teenager killed 15
students in his school after he was inspired by the movie "Godfather".

On the other hand, many disagree by providing a statement that this type of a visual medium aides in
revitalizing the brain after a stressful work. They believe it is just a form of entertainment and should not
be taken seriously. Despite this, a majority of the action or reaction in a daily life of a human is executed
without any prior thoughts and this is due to the type of the movies he or she sees. Hence, this essay
disagrees with allowing a negative film for the people. For instance, a recent study proves that there was
an increase in an erratic behaviour of the students by 30% who play computer games which involves
fight scenes.

In conclusion, while the benefit of the feature film is limited, as it has more negative effect and there are
various other sources of relaxation too. Given the situation, it is recommended that any games or video
films representing a crime scene should be prohibited for well-being of the society.

https://writing9.com/text/5ebf5a1f07702b0018ac97f4

It has utterly been claimed that computer games and films which consists of violence are extremely well-
known. A plethora of individuals opine that films and computer games have a great number of
detrimental impacts on community, so they ought to be restricted; however, an overwhelming majority
of people deem that they are innocuous and assist persons to relax.

On the one hand, I understand why a vast majority of people support the opinion that violent movies
and games are harmless. The proponents of the notion ensure a variety of points to elaborate their
standpoint. First and foremost, in today’s world, people are overloaded with their work, and they also
have hectic schedules; therefore, having worked, they are more likely to being interested in crime films
and violent games in order to relax and refresh their mind. The second point to note is that according to
the researchers of Baku State University, watching criminal films and playing violent games cannot
negatively affect individuals since people could hardly remember and repeat these kinds of acts in their
real lives.

Nevertheless, I would side with those who argue that violent films and games should be banned. The
primary reason why I think that these types of games and films ought to be forbidden is because they
fundamentally consist of violence which can have a huge number of adverse influences on individuals
especially immature people. To be more specific, children basically want to repeat and illustrate these
actions which they observed, due to this reason that if adolescences watch pornographic films or violent
games, they detrimentally affect teenagers’ psychology. Furthermore, these games and films may
increase crime rate in the future. In other words, nowadays having observed these movies and games,
people may start to practice in their real lives which they noticed, as a result of which in the future
individuals tend to commit a crime more than at present.

By way of conclusion, there are certain justifications for the former statement, albeit I am of the opinion
that violent movies and computer games should be banned. I recommend that especially immature
people should not be interested in these kinds of films and games.

https://writing9.com/text/5ea5861495d3d5001814f2ea
Violence is among the favourite topic for films and computer games creators to become popular in
generations. It is argued by some people that they impart a negative effect on society whereas others
think that it is harmless to people's head. The essay agrees that brutality on the screen gives a wrong
message to the community and it should be banned.

It is clear that films and computer play have a strong influence on children and young generation.
Moreover, their minds get cultivated easily depend upon what they see repeatedly. It is therefore
agreed that rough play and films give motivation to people to do the unwanted serious crime. The game
called "GTA" is a prime example, due to the impact of this game, a 19-year old boy committed a crime by
driving off a car on the pedestrians.

On the other hand, critics sympathize that it relaxes the community's attention so it is innocuous.
Human needs some interactive tool to releases their anger where movies and games are the major
resources to satisfy this. However, there are a bunch of other healthy ingredients which can calm the
soul without even thinking of hurting. For instance, individuals can easily think of doing yoga to reduce
anger problems.

A person's head is the strongest tool which can be developed according to what they watch. In
conclusion, while the benefits of banning vicious computer plays and films which will reduce the misery
offences, some still feels that it should not be prohibited because that soothes the perception and help a
person to lower the annoyance. Although, I still believe that prohibition is a better idea.

https://writing9.com/text/602ac5aa68fceb0018c421ea-films-and-computer-games-which-contain-
violence-are-very-popular

Articles:

Violence in the media:

Psychologists study potential
harmful effects
Early research on the effects of viewing violence on television—
especially among children—found a desensitizing effect and the
potential for aggression. Is the same true for those who play
violent video games?
Television and video violence
Virtually since the dawn of television, parents, teachers, legislators, and mental health
professionals have wanted to understand the impact of television programs,
particularly on children. Of special concern has been the portrayal of violence,
particularly given psychologist Albert Bandura’s work in the 1970s on social learning
and the tendency of children to imitate what they see.
As a result of 15 years of “consistently disturbing” findings about the violent content
of children’s programs, the Surgeon General’s Scientific Advisory Committee on
Television and Social Behavior was formed in 1969 to assess the impact of violence
on the attitudes, values, and behavior of viewers. The resulting report and a follow-up
report in 1982 by the National Institute of Mental Health identified these major effects
of seeing violence on television:
 Children may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.
 Children may be more fearful of the world around them.
 Children may be more likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways toward

others.
Research by psychologists L. Rowell Huesmann, Leonard Eron, and others starting in
the 1980s found that children who watched many hours of violence on television
when they were in elementary school tended to show higher levels of aggressive
behavior when they became teenagers. By observing these participants into adulthood,
Huesmann and Eron found that the ones who’d watched a lot of TV violence when
they were 8 years old were more likely to be arrested and prosecuted for criminal acts
as adults.
Interestingly, being aggressive as a child did not predict watching more violent TV as
a teenager, suggesting that TV watching could be a cause rather than a consequence of
aggressive behavior. However, later research by psychologists Douglas Gentile and
Brad Bushman, among others, suggested that exposure to media violence is just one
of several factors that can contribute to aggressive behavior.
Other research has found that exposure to media violence can desensitize people to
violence in the real world and that, for some people, watching violence in the media
becomes enjoyable and does not result in the anxious arousal that would be expected
from seeing such imagery.
Video game violence
The advent of video games raised new questions about the potential impact of media
violence, since the video game player is an active participant rather than merely a
viewer. 97% of adolescents age 12–17 play video games—on a computer, on consoles
such as the Wii, Playstation, and Xbox, or on portable devices such as Gameboys,
smartphones, and tablets. A Pew Research Center survey in 2008 found that half of all
teens reported playing a video game “yesterday,” and those who played every day
typically did so for an hour or more.
Many of the most popular video games, such as “Call of Duty” and “Grand Theft
Auto,” are violent; however, as video game technology is relatively new, there are
fewer empirical studies of video game violence than other forms of media violence.
Still, several meta-analytic reviews have reported negative effects of exposure to
violence in video games.
A 2010 review by psychologist Craig A. Anderson and others concluded that “the
evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor
for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for
decreased empathy and prosocial behavior.” Anderson’s earlier research showed that
playing violent video games can increase a person’s aggressive thoughts, feelings, and
behavior both in laboratory settings and in daily life. “One major conclusion from this
and other research on violent entertainment media is that content matters,” says
Anderson.
Other researchers, including psychologist Christopher J. Ferguson, have challenged
the position that video game violence harms children. While his own 2009 meta-
analytic review reported results similar to Anderson’s, Ferguson contends that
laboratory results have not translated into real world, meaningful effects. He also
claims that much of the research into video game violence has failed to control for
other variables such as mental health and family life, which may have impacted the
results. His work has found that children who are already at risk may be more likely to
choose to play violent video games. According to Ferguson, these other risk factors,
as opposed to the games, cause aggressive and violent behavior.
APA launched an analysis in 2013 of peer-reviewed research on the impact of media
violence and is reviewing its policy statements in the area.

https://www.apa.org/topics/video-games/violence-harmful-effects

Top PG-13 movies now have more gun

violence than R rated films, study finds
Researchers say most successful PG-13 films feature gun violence
2.6 times an hour, triple since MPAA ratings began
Karen McVeigh in New York

The level of gun violence in the top selling PG-13 movies has risen
dramatically, and now exceeds that of more restrictive R-rated films,
according to a study published in the December issue of Pediatrics.
Violent shootings within leading PG-13 films have tripled since the rating was
introduced in 1985, researchers found. In 2009, the levels of gun violence in
such movies rose as high as those rated R. But by 2012, a year when
Hollywood blockbusters The Avengers, The Amazing Spiderman and Taken 2,
an action thriller starring Liam Neeson, were all rated PG-13, the levels of gun
violence surpassed those aimed at older audiences by a "significant" margin.
"Most parents would be horrified to learn that the very films that target young
people are the ones with the most violence" said Brad Bushman, a professor of
communication and psychology of the Ohio State University and the study's
lead author.
"Parents rely on these ratings to make decisions about that is appropriate for
their children."
Researchers from the Annenberg Public Policy Center and the Ohio State
University said their findings were troubling, given the large body of research
evidence showing that violent media can have harmful effects on children and
youth. They cited the "weapons effect" a finding that just the sight or depiction
of a gun can make people behave more aggressively. They also said that, with
ready access to the internet and cable, children no longer need to go a movie
theatre to view films, making it more likely PG-13 movies can be watched by
younger children.
The study, "Gun Violence Trends in Movies", analysed 945 movies, sampled
from the 30 top-grossing movies every year from 1950 to 2012. They found the
level of violence overall doubled during this period.
In 1985, when PG-13 was first introduced, the level of violence in such movies
was similar to that in movies rated G and PG.
“It’s disturbing that PG-13 movies are filled with so much gun violence,” said
Dan Romer, director of the Adolescent Communication Institute of the
Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) and a co-author of the study. “We
know that movies teach children how adults behave, and they make gun use
appear exciting and attractive.”
Romer said that not all of the most popular films analysed from 2012 had a
high level of gun violence. PG-13 movies the Hunger Games and Snow White
and the Huntsman, although violent films, had no guns, he said. But
those films served to bring down the average, he said.
Violent encounters with guns, defined by the study as a shooting of a live
target, now occur on average 2.6 times an hour in PG-13 movies, it found. In a
two-hour movie, that could represent five five minute segments of gun
violence, Romer said.
The researchers acknowledged that, by focussing on the top selling movies,
their study could also reflect a desire among teenagers for violent films.
Romer said: "Clearly these are popular. Partly the reason they get that boost in
popularity is that [when rated PG-13] children can get in without a parent
having to buy a ticket. If a five-year-old had an older brother, they could get
in."
By definition, a PG-13 movies is supposed to have less violence than an R
movies. The Motion Picture Association of America says on its website that the
violence in a PG-13 movie "does not reach the restricted R category".
When contacted by the Guardian, the MPAA declined to comment.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/nov/11/pg13-movies-more-gun-
violence-ratings

Video games and violence: a parents' guide

This article is more than 9 years old
Parents face an onslaught of complex demands from children who
play games, but there are some simple rules to limit their exposure
to violence
Video games offer experiences that reflect and draw from the full gamut of
human experience. However, as with blockbuster films, many of the most
popular titles fall within a narrower band and feature violence more
frequently.
Chart-Track’s top selling games of 2013 are littered with severe descriptions in
their age ratings: “extreme violence”, “multiple, motiveless killings”, “violence
towards defenceless people” and violence that could be “upsetting to very
young children”.
Although this can sound alarming, the top grossing films of 2013 also include
a roughly comparable number of violence descriptors from the BBFC. The
disparity comes with the number of popular games at the extreme end of this
spectrum - half of the top 10 titles of 2013 included “extreme violence” only
suitable for those 18 or over.
"Games deal with adult themes in the same way that films, television
programmes and books do," says Do Jo Twist, CEO of the UK’s games
industry trade body UKIE. "The PEGI system gives an age rating and a content
descriptor to help parents understand the content contained in any game and
how appropriate it is for their children to play.”

The PEGI rating system helps inform parents'

decisions
Games suitable for children over 3 or 7 years old have an advisory green PEGI
badge. Games only suitable for children over 12 or 16 year old have an orange
PEGI badge. Games for those over 18 year old have a red PEGI badge. The 12,
16 and 18 age limits are enforced by law at the point of sale.
The age rating is expanded upon by descriptors on the back of the box for
Language, Drugs, Fear, Sex, Violence, Gambling and Discrimination. These
signify a different severity depending on the related game’s PEGI age rating.
It’s at this level of detail that a full, and much less alarming, picture of violence
in video-games can be seen. Many games have violence descriptors are for
“implied” or “non-realistic” occurrences in 7+ and 12+ titles (556 in 2013) and
fewer are labelled for the most “extreme” 18+ ratings (149 in 2013):
PEGI 3+ games won’t have a violence descriptor but may contain “Tom and
Jerry” slapstick violence if it is not considered disturbing.
PEGI 7+ games flagged with a violence descriptor may include “non-realistic
violence towards fantasy characters” or “implied violence”. (294 occurrences
in 2013)
 PEGI 12+ will have the Violence descriptor to signpost “violence towards
human like characters” but this must be non-realistic so that bodies don’t
remain when killed. This may also include violent sports like boxing providing
there is no blood. (262 occurrences in 2013)
PEGI 16+ games are flagged for “violence towards human characters” who
react to being shot as they would in real life. This will often include blood and
bodies will remain once they are dead. (211 occurrences in 2013)
PEGI 18+ games are flagged for including violence towards humans that may
make you “wince” or your “stomach churn”. This includes gross depictions of
heads, arms, and legs being removed by way of chain-saw or shotgun. It also
includes sexual violence such as rape and mass killings of civilians. (149
occurrences in 2013)
This detailed account of video-game violence actually goes further than ratings
for film or music, and dispels blanket concerns by clarifying who the violence
is appropriate for. It enables parents to actively curate what is played in the
home and avoid these choices being snap decisions.

Talk and about games - and play together

Once we have a clear understanding of video-game violence, attentions turn to
its effect on young people. Measuring this is more difficult however because it
varies from player to player. While many in the media quickly link playing
violent games with violent behaviour the reality is not as clean cut.
We spoke to Andy Phippen, Professor of Social Responsibility in IT at
Plymouth University. “Research is extremely patchy and inconclusive.
Certainly from my own experience the vast majority of teenagers who play
violent video games I have spoken with are well adjusted, likeable individuals
who happen to like playing videos games.” However Phippen went on to
reference the importance of using PEGI ratings because “some can be badly
affected [scarred, nightmares, etc] by these things".
Younger children will certainly be shocked by on-screen violence intended for
adults, as suggested in the ratings. The effect on older players is more complex
and needs to be distinguished from watching films or reading books
containing similar scenes.
Although the graphics in video games edge closer to photo-realism, their
interactive nature does more than simply intensify the experience of violence.
BBFC’s 2007 “Video Games Report” highlighted that being in control
mitigates the player “losing themselves” in the violence because their
suspension of disbelief is constantly interrupted by the need to take action.
“The victims of violence [in video-games] have rarely been brought to life, no
matter how realistic they may look; they do not have any stature – they are
just a threat to the gamer and an obstacle to progress.”

Don't let consoles migrate to the bedroom

However, there are exceptions that use violence as more than a puzzle to be
solved. Games like Shadow of the Colossus and The Last of Us work harder on
context and character so that older players will find an emotional response to
the loss, shock and sadness of violent scenes.

“On the whole young people can differentiate between video game violence
and reality but where PEGI ratings and common sense is ignored alarm bells
start to ring," said Phippen.
"I have concerns when I hear primary aged children playing games like Grand
Theft Auto and Call of Duty. My advice would always be to check out the game
prior to the child playing it to decide whether you feel it is appropriate.”
Unlike film and books, video-games are a new technology that we don’t yet
fully understand, particularly in their potential for health or harm. That means
that it is even more important for parents to accurately understand video
game violence and the context in which it exists.
Playing games together as a family, stopping technology migrating to
bedrooms, making use of PEGI ratings and having open conversations about
these topics creates a healthy environment to maximise the enjoyment of this
aspect of family life whilst avoiding potential pitfalls.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/04/video-games-
violence-parents-guide-pegi-call-of-duty-grand-theft-atuo

Watching violence on screens makes

children more emotionally distressed
Cartoons often have scenes of physical or verbal violence. Chris Beckett/Flickr

Children today can access media through both traditional devices, like televisions, and
portable devices like laptops and tablets.

With more access, children are more likely to be exposed to violent content – like
real-life or cartoons where force is being used and harm is being done to a person or
character. Studies show that 37% of media aimed at children have scenes of physical
or verbal violence. What’s more, 90% of movies, 68% of video games, 60% of TV
shows, and 15% of music videos have some form of violence. In some cases, it’s
rising – the amount of violence in mainstream movies has been growing steadily over
the past 50 years.

Evidence shows that this can be detrimental to young children. Around the ages of
three and four children begin to develop perceptions and expectations about the world
around them. These views are strongly influenced by their daily experiences. If
children are often exposed to scenes of violence, they may develop a view of the
world as a more dangerous place than it actually is.
To investigate this further, and predict the types of mental health outcomes this has,
my colleagues and I examined the potential long-term risks associated with exposure
to violent media on children’s development. We found that those exposed to violence
become more antisocial and emotionally distressed.

Exposed to violence
Through parent reports, we measured children’s exposure to violent movies and
programmes in 1,800 preschool aged children between the ages of three and four.
Four years later, second grade teachers rated the same childrens’ classroom behaviour
using a social behaviour questionnaire – which covers behaviour such as physical
aggression, inattentiveness and emotional distress over the course of the school year.
Teachers were unaware of which children had been exposed to violent media.

To rule out the impact of the home environment on the development of these
behaviours, we controlled for the contribution of early childhood aggression,
parenting quality, maternal education, parent antisocial behaviour and family
structure.

According to our results, teachers rated exposed children as more antisocial.

Antisocial behaviours include; a lack of remorse, lying, insensitivity to the emotions
of others, and manipulating others.

Our results also reveal significant associations between exposure to violent media and
classroom attention problems. Furthermore, exposed children were reported to show
more signs of emotional distress; in terms of sadness and a lack of enthusiasm.

The results were similar for boys and girls.

Child development
The content of media to which young children are exposed is closely related to child
outcomes.

Age-appropriate programmes – like sesame street for kindergarteners– which aim to

help children understand words or ideas, are known to help them develop language
and mental skills.

New technology can be useful too. Video chat technologies – like Skype or Facetime
– which give children an interactive, two-way live exchange with
adults facilitate language learning.
On the other hand, violent films and video games often feature attractive protagonists
that engage in a disproportionate number of aggressive actions. Children exposed to
this type of content can develop a deformed perception of violence and its actual
frequency in real life.

Eventually, this can give rise to the impression that the world is an overly dangerous
place filled with ill-intentioned people. People that have such a worldview are more
likely to interpret an ambiguous or accidental gesture as hostile or as a personal
attack.

There are steps that parents can take. By modelling, positive non-violent behaviour –
like using respectful communication to solve problems rather than aggression – and
having conversations about the violent images their children are exposed to, parents
can reduce the negative effects of violent media on their child’s development.

Parents should also keep bedrooms free from screens, closely monitoring children’s
media usage, and shutting off the internet at night.

https://theconversation.com/watching-violence-on-screens-makes-children-more-
emotionally-distressed-106757