The Harmful Effects of Violent Computer Games

The assignment explores the topic of violent computer games and their effects on teenagers. It presents various studies and research findings that highlight the harmful consequences of exposure to violent video games, including aggressive behavior, desensitization, and negative impact on social relationships. The essay argues that parents have a responsibility to regulate their children's access to such games and ensure they do not play games rated above their level.

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Impact of computer games on the teenagers
Proposal
Currently, there have been many computer games that are addictive to the children. This is a
cultural issue which has been affecting many children, yet the parents do not know about the
issue (Boyle, Elizabeth A., et al. 179). In this research, it intends to discuss the impact of
computer games on teenagers. This research will enlighten people on how the issue is affecting
the children especially the teenagers who are not watched and what they do during their free time
(DeCamp, Whitney and Ferguson 389). It will explain how the parent could guide the children
and prevent them playing the violent games, since their behaviors are influenced they observe
from playing the games.
Research statement
Computer games have had a bad reputation when it comes to the teenage generation. They have
been created over the past ten years and this has caused some speculation if they are suitable for
the children to play. Some states have gotten involved on the issues through banning the
distribution of the offensive games to the teenagers (Boyle, Elizabeth, et al. 182). Despite this
attempt, the shooting games have increased in number. Some expert has highlighted this has
increased the violent behaviors of the teenagers who are playing them (Drummond, Aaron and

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Sauer 54). The increase of the computer games which are more engaging, realistic and increase
in violence would lead to more violent behavior in the teenagers in the coming years, unless the
problem is handled soonest (DeCamp, Whitney and Ferguson 395). In this research essay, it will
address the impact of the computer games on the teenagers.
The impact of the computer games is varied as the variety of the games. One effect that has
recently been associated with them and most popular with all of them is their addiction. Perhaps
this is dreadful thing considering the fact that the teenagers would not do any productive activity
every time they are at home (Boyle, Elizabeth, et al. 187). This means that they cannot study
while at home or when they are doing their project. Consequently, their performance in school
could possibly deteriorate. Additionally, they might sacrifice development of their talent, for
example, attending music class simply for the purpose of playing the aggressive games.
The computer games have a bad effect on the brain of the teenagers when they become addicted
to playing them especially the violent ones. Based on Dr. Vincent Mathews and his colleagues at
the Indian University, they did a study on the media aggression (Boyle, Elizabeth, et al. 189).
They looked at what took place in the brain of 28 teens that were randomly allocated to play
violent first individual shooter games or the non-hostile game every day of the week (Hale,
Lauren, and Guan 50). In the early stages of this study the experts employed the functional MRI
in scanning the active brain of the participant of the project, while completing tasks which
involved emotional or the non-emotional content. They discovered that those individuals that
played the violent computer games they showed less activity especially in the area involving
emotions, inhibition or attention of their impulses (Hale, Lauren, and Guan 52). Thus, from the
research, they discovered that the computer games are not beneficial to the children since they
change their minds (Zhu, Jianjun, et al 23). They make them lack the emotion or the attention

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span. The games tend to morph them into the robots rather than the human beings this shows
without any doubt that the teenagers should not have access to the violent computer games. The
changes in the brain activities that were observed in the participant were similar to the teens that
have destructive sociopathic disorders (Hale, Lauren, and Guan 50). The last thing which the
world needs is psychotic teenagers who are roaming the street, and this is disgusting how the
world could change and prevent this behavior.
Computer games have been found to cause aggressive behavior of the teenagers. People who
play the violent games a lot of time would probably have an enhanced hostile idea, habits,
emotions along with decreased prosocial helping- that is based on the scientific research (Rooij,
Antonius et al 74). The violence facet of the game in the teenagers is worsened by its engaging
nature. Furthermore, most of the brutal games the gamers are recognized for being more violent
and the act of hostility in the games are conducted more regularly (Rooij, Antonius et al 74). The
teens are under the control of the violence displayed in the game, they are inclined to experience
the violence in their own eyes. These kinds of active participation, reward as well as repetition
are an effective tool to learning behavior and in this case of computer game is not in a positive
way (Zhu, Jianjun, et al 45). The regulators in various institutions could prevent this issue by
making laws that teenagers should not have an access to the violent computer games.
Teenagers should not have an access to the hostile computer games given that they provide them
with wrong messages. Based on Dr. Phil he emphasizes that violent games tend not to teach
children ethical outcomes (Hale, Lauren, and Guan 51). He declared that “if you shoot somebody
in one of these games, you do not go to jail, you may not get any punishment in a certain way-
rather you get the extra credit!” This is rather appalling; the teenagers should never obtain these
types of messages from the computer games (Hale, Lauren, and Guan 54). 8% of the most

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popular computer games usually feature some form of aggressive or violent as the major theme,
and in 20% of these games, the aggression is usually subjected to the children (Kowert, Rachel,
et al. 387). This is really distressing when the teenagers see something similar to this, they are
prone to believe that is exactly what the characters are doing in the game is not bad, after all,
they are just teenagers!. It is extremely irritating and an awful behavior when a teenager gets a
whole lot excited since they managed to murder someone, or perhaps if they have fun beating a
random person walking in the street, practically or not this is disturbing (Fleming, Theresa, et al.
95).
Contrary to this many people think that violent computer games must not be permitted to the
teenagers; other people presume and do not agree with this statement though they are not many.
There are certainly a few who feel that violent computer games are great to the brain since they
educate the teen’s strategy particularly in time of panic (Granic, Isabela, Lobel, and Rutger 66).
Moreover, there are others who think when teenagers play these kinds of games they help them
with problem-solving techniques and enhance their creativity which is a bonus when they are in
school. Nevertheless, if these claims came to an outcome that they are true, then it could be
concluded that violent computer games could be beneficial (Greitemeyer, Tobias, and Mügge
579). But, the teenagers should not be learning techniques from computer games what the
purpose of going to the school. Thus, violent computer games are not beneficial and the
teenagers should not be given access to them.
Conclusion
Overall, violent computer games are not advantageous. These types of games are harmful to
teenagers’ brain; they change brain activities which lead to aggressive behavior. The games have

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been found to give teenagers wrong message. The role of the parent or the guardian is to guide
the children and prevent them from these kinds of games. They need to regulate what the
children are doing although at times it could be difficult to know what they are doing every time.
Moreover, the parent needs to know the rating of all the computer games that are available at
home so that the teenagers do not play games that are above their level.

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Work Cited
Boyle, Elizabeth A., et al. "An update to the systematic literature review of empirical evidence of
the impacts and outcomes of computer games and serious games."Computers &
Education 94 (2016): 178-192.
DeCamp, Whitney, and Christopher J. Ferguson. "The impact of degree of exposure to violent
video games, family background, and other factors on youth violence."Journal of youth
and adolescence 46.2 (2017): 388-400.
Drummond, Aaron, and James D. Sauer. "Video-games do not negatively impact adolescent
academic performance in science, mathematics or reading."PloS one 9.4 (2014): e87943.
Fleming, Theresa, et al. "The impact and utility of computerised therapy for educationally
alienated teenagers: The views of adolescents who participated in an alternative
education‐based trial."Clinical psychologist 20.2 (2016): 94-102.
Granic, Isabela, Adam Lobel, and Rutger CME Engels. "The benefits of playing video games."
American psychologist 69.1 (2014): 66.
Greitemeyer, Tobias, and Dirk O. Mügge. "Video games do affect social outcomes: A meta-
analytic review of the effects of violent and prosocial video game play."Personality and
Social Psychology Bulletin 40.5 (2014): 578-589.
Hale, Lauren, and Stanford Guan. "Screen time and sleep among school-aged children and
adolescents: a systematic literature review."Sleep medicine reviews 21 (2015): 50-58.
Kowert, Rachel, et al. "Social gaming, lonely life? The impact of digital game play on
adolescents’ social circles."Computers in Human Behavior 36 (2014): 385-390.
Van Rooij, Antonius J., et al. "The (co-) occurrence of problematic video gaming, substance use,
and psychosocial problems in adolescents."Journal of behavioral addictions 3.3 (2014):
157-165.
Zhu, Jianjun, et al. "Early adolescent Internet game addiction in context: How parents, school,
and peers impact youth."Computers in Human Behavior 50 (2015): 159-168.