Should violent video games be barred to an age limit?

Should violent video games be barred to an age limit?

Introduction:

Psychological studies have often tried to relate playing of violent video games in children to aggressive behaviour and violence later on in life. There have been attempts to put a ban on violent video games for its various disastrous effects but there are far too many people who are diehard fans of these games to restrict them directly.

Another study attests to the fact that children who play video games have sharper memory compared to those who don't. But since internet and video games do not have strict restrictions on age limits of those who are on the receiving end, it is difficult to determine who gets hold of these games. Children playing excessively violent video games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto is no pleasant sight to watch.

Adults play violent video games to channel their anger and aggression when they are too frustrated about something and cannot do anything about it. It’s like venting anger without actually harming anyone. But there’s very fine line between the age limits. A 17 years old might not be an adult but letting them play violent games is also not acceptable. Should an age limit be defined for these types of games?

Yes:

1. The obvious: Violent video games teach that violence is fun. Hurting and killing people is depicted in a way that looks entertaining. Children get a picture of a fun situation when someone is killed and then you are rewarded for the act. The subconscious develops an understanding that it is fine to resort to violence in order to make your way out of a situation. That’s what these video games are all about. They clearly depict that you need to make your way to the top without caring who you hunt or hurt on the way. This aggression is surely not good for children below 15.

2. The virtual world: Children getting utterly absorbed into violent games or any video game for that matter is no good news. In a violent video game, the scenario is even gorier and yet children who play those games regularly get decentralized into the same world. They become insensitive with time and develop the notion that killing and violent scenes are nothing unusual. If the fantasy world is full of violence, we shudder to think how they would want their realism to be.

3. Addictive: Unlike usual video games, these violent video games are so designed to catch attention at first play itself. Even adults have been known for being addicted to these games to such an extent that they ignore their important work in order to stay engrossed in game. They become obese, eat junk most of the time, keep their home unorganized and are lazy overall. These habits starting from a very early age can cause even more damage if not restricted by parents and exposed to after a certain age limits.

4. Disturbing facts: It has been found that many committers of mass shootings and violence played violent video games. Some of them have been found to be diehard addicted to violent combat games. Whether or not these people were influenced by video games is yet to be determined but somewhere it does breed violence in the innocent minds of children who might get aroused to violence later on in life.

5. Imitating behavior: Children have a tendency to imitate what they see and like. If they are addicted to violent video games, they would most likely try to imitate the violent lead characters of the game. It could involve dangerous stunting like them or trying to fight like them even while playfully messing with friends. Too much of anything gets the going and people are bound to be trapped in it. When elders are unable to keep themselves from the bad effects of violent games, children are not spared too.

No:

1. Venting anger: Teenagers are aggressive and rebellious, let’s face it. They are undergoing changes that they do not understand and hence react confused and frustrated at times. Studies have proved that anger and stress in children have doubled over the years since more families started breaking up and parents neglected children. To assume that children have no stress and frustration at all would be a mistake. Playing violent video games helps them vent out anger and aggression which could be worse if they want to express that out in real.

2. Scientific proves: Scientists have proved that there is no direct relation between youth violence and video games. It has been found that playing of violent video games has multiplied enormously over the years but youth crime has been on decline. Furthermore, it was also found that children who play these games were not all that aggressive at school or amid family compared to some of those who did not play these games or played less frequently.

3. Smarter kids: Studies have shown development of good mental skills in children who play video games, violent or non-violent. These games are so developed that it involves using memorizing skills, along with other tactics like fast thinking and planning strategies. They work like mental exercise for children. Children who are exposed to video games in their early teens tend to be smarter and better in curriculum too.

4. Discipline: It could be shocking to see disciple as one of the pros of video games but the fact is that video games are guided by rules and regulations which has to be followed. It teaches children that following rules is rewarding while not following them leads to penalties and loss hence kids learn to follow rules in real also.

5. Differentiating: While violent games like Grand theft auto is all about stealing and running, children understand that these kind of behavior are not morally correct in real and that the games and shows are fiction. Just like sci-fi shows on television where kids generally understand or are made to understand under parental guidance that what they are watching is made up and not real. They do know the consequences of such behavior in real life scenarios.

Conclusion:

Video games might not be directly linked to aggression and violence but they do have certain effects on behavioral traits of growing children. Playing them for certain limit of time might not be harmful but letting children play these games over delayed hours every day could pose serious threat.
Age limits might be required for some of the deadly looking games that depict violence as fun. Children below 15 could have serious behavioral issues when they play violent games for hours every day. Since these days it is very difficult for both working parents to keep an eye on children all the time, it would be wise to introduce these kind of games only after a certain age.