The Impact of Video Games on Children: Positive and Negative Effects

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Austin Melka
Molly Ubbesen
English 102
Assignment 12
9 July 2018
Most people who grew up gaming knows there’s nothing better than ripping off the
plastic and smelling that new game smell followed by the sound of the console starting up. Hours
upon hours spent laughing and having fun with friends to either beat that impossible boss or face
off with one another for those all-important bragging rights. It’s hard for me to do but once I set
nostalgia for wasted Saturday mornings filled with zombie killing aside, the majority of parents
have determined that violent video games have a negative impact on their children, having done
little to no research. However, because of how popular these violent video games have become,
most parents see that other kids are playing and give in. we take the time and precaution to learn
about the impacts of most of the things our children do. There are side effects to almost anything
and when it comes to kids we should always take extra caution. We put restrictions for pitchers
in little league having pitch counts and restrictions on how often they can pitch, we now
understand the dangers that can come from repeated head trauma in football and we now take
precautions to limit the amount of concussions as well as diagnosing them. we take the time to
educate ourselves about our childrens wellbeing for so many things but why do we just shrug our
shoulders and say “what’s the worst that could happen” when it comes to video games.
I want to explain a little more why this topic means so much to me by explaining the
relationship between myself, video games, and my two younger cousins. We’ve spent a lot of
time together over the years hanging out playing video games or basketball. I’ve watched them

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grow into young men I want to share how I’ve personally seen video games impact them.
experience I have been so lucky to have.
Despite video games having the stigma of being a negative influence on children, some
video games have the potential to positively impact children. My fourteen year old cousin, Chad,
was diagnosed with Tourettes. His love for violent video games started at a young age and has
only grown since then. However, Chad also enjoyed playing various sports and staying active.
One could easily see through his enthusiasm, playing video games was how he preferred to
spend his free time. Chad has struggled with anxiety in the past, but when he turns on the console
and puts on his headset, he has a completely different persona. Over the last year he has made
giant strides with his confidence and I believe this can be attributed to playing video games. This
was most noticeable when he started playing a game called Fortnite. Fortnite is a game where
one starts with a squad of four against ninety-six other players. Watching him play this game, I
have had the pleasure of seeing him exhibit signs of leadership and confidence I’d never seen in
him before.
There are some people who use video games as a form of an escape. My eighteen year old
cousin views video games as an escape for the bullying he faces in life. He doesn’t like violent
video games, rather he enjoys games in which he can create something. For instance, Minecraft
is a game where you can build and create an entire world just the way you want it. My cousin
does not normally enjoy gaming with other people, yet he enjoys playing with me. Because of
this I have been able to see him build up his confidence using video games as a safe place. I
believe the creativity these video games gave him, influenced him to begin photography. It was
the small amount of confidence gained from gaming that helped him get out of his comfort zone.

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Like my cousins, there are many instances in which video games can positively impact children
and give them the necessary socioemotional skills to assist them in everyday life.
There are many people who believe that because of the graphic violence in video games,
children can be negatively influenced and show aggression in their own behavior. Heather
Foster, graduate of Northern Arizona University, studied and wrote, “How Video Games
Normalize Violence” published by ProQuest Publishing in 2016. In this study, Foster takes
gaming into her own hands by playing these violent games herself. This gives Foster a different
perspective as opposed to other sources because she was the only one to do so. While Foster was
playing these games, she noticed a theme in one of the more morbid games. She noticed There
was a minimization about death saying - “Minimization closely relates to humor as it allows the
video game to downplay the amount of killing occurring. This occurs in Borderlands: Pre-Sequel
(2014) most often as the game uses different types of humor (comical, dark, and satirical) to
minimize the harm occurring” (Foster 71). Minimization is the downplaying the significance of
an event or emotion—is a common strategy in dealing with feelings of guilt (foster 37). The
minimization of death and killing has eliminated the significant emotional impact that happen to
a person in such instances. This can encourage online bullying surrounding the topic of death.
My friends and I have received a message from a stranger saying “KYS” (kill yourself). Video
games are attempting to norm this kind of language and associate humor with it. Because of this,
it becomes difficult for individuals to separate this fantasy world with their reality. Some may
find themselves casually speaking this vulgar normed language, appropriate in the gaming world,
in their everyday lives. This can ultimately hurt existing or preexisting relationships they may
have.

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Aside from minimization, Foster also found something interesting when it came to
aggression related to video games. Foster found that the less experienced they are with the game
the more frustrated they become and faster. Children are quick to become frustrated and give up
when they recognize that they are not successful at something. This becomes more common
when a child who plays a lot and is more experienced with the game won’t become frustrated
with the game because they are not good at it. Foster believes that there has not been enough
research on the effects of video games. There has been plenty of study about violence and media,
however video game research is a new field it there is still much more to learn.
There is also evidence proving that the violence in video games was not intended for
children, rather adults instead. Nicholas L. Carnagey wrote a dissertation, “Is it Competitiveness
or Violent Content? The Effects of Violent Sports Video Games on Aggression” published by
ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. Like Foster, Carnagey was looking to find out
specifically how video games can negatively impact children. Carnagey’s focus was to see how
everything in the video game industry revolved around violence made for adults but played by
children. “Not only is violence a dominant theme in current video games, but video game
companies are also marketing those violent games towards youth” (Carnagey 3). According to
Carnegey, nearly 85% of video games contained some form of violence. He argues that young
people are playing games that they are not ready for. It’s so easy for a child to obtain a game
they aren’t ready for because of how popular games are. It can be difficult to tell your child no
when every other child is already playing it. Not every child develops the same so when one
child is ready for a violent game another might not be able differentiate the violent game from
what’s ok in reality. On top of that video game companies are able to persuade parents to
purchase these violent games because they incorporate activities children already participate;