Conclusion/Abstract/Introduction

Conclusion

With so many mixed research results, it is difficult to determine if and how exactly violent videogames are affecting the behaviours of their players, therefore it can be concluded that there is still no solid proof. However, parents do need to keep an eye on what their children are playing, and pay careful attention if they appear to be playing the game obsessively.


Abstract

For the past three decades, videogames have been both an important part of our culture, and a source of controversy. Among the many videogames available today, there are some with bloody, violent content which is said to cause their players to commit violent crimes such as school shootings in real life.

This report was written as a means of investigating whether these games are in fact causing people to become violent and aggressive as a result of playing these games, or if this is merely speculation, and that the videogames by themselves are not a direct cause, but other external influences.

It was concluded that there is no real proof of games causing real life violence, and that parents should pay attention to the rating on the box.


Introduction

Violence in videogames is a prominent and highly controversial subject in the media today. There are many topics brought up such as robbery and school shootings that are supposedly being caused by the playing of violent videogames, such as the notorious Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto videogame series. However, some research claims the opposite point of view: that the games being played are not the direct cause of the violent behaviour, but rather an unhappy upbringing by ignorant parents. Notably, there is also a strong bias in the media, with very little mention of whether parents are in control of what types of games their children play, and with a strong intent of making the games as controversial as possible.

This report is being written in order to investigate if violent videogames are really a cause of real life violence – whether players are really mimicking actions previously played in a videogame, or if it is actually the fault of ignorant and delinquent parents.