Stop the Madness

"Video games have surpassed the designation of 'fad' or 'new technology' to become a staple of contemporary entertainment" (Vorderer et al. 1). As the age of technology progresses, it seems video games are becoming more realistic and more violent with each new edition. Unfortunately, a paradox exists. With the realism of video games on the rise, one would hope a child's innocence be preserved. However, "a 2003 report by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that even the youngest children have experience with video games; nearly half of children (49% which is illustrated by the graph) ages 0-6 have a video game player in their home, and 10% have a video game console in their bedroom. [50%] of children ages 4-6 play video games, [and] 16% for more than one hour" (Vorderer et al. 1). These numbers are relatively high, which leads us to believe parents are not monitoring their children's use of violent video games.

 

In Benedict Carey's piece in the New York Times, he provides this information: "In surveys about 80 percent of high school-age boys say they play video games, most of which are thought to be violent, and perhaps a third to a half of those players have had a habit of 10 hours a week or more" ("Shooting In the Dark"). Having this much exposure to violent video games is detrimental to the boys as their aggression levels are increasing with each minute they play. This may lead to more bold and aggressive actions in the real world. 

 

It is imperative that we curb these high numbers of violent video game engagement. Parents and all adults alike need to join in our fight to lower the levels of aggression and prevent another unfortunate event from occurring. There is always going to be violence, but if we can lower the level of violence, we would be one step closer to a safer environment. We just need to take it one kid at a time.