Do Violent Video Games Make People More Violent in Real Life?

                                                                                    By: Harmony Lehman

        I believe that violent video games do not make someone violent in real life. Video games are a form of entertainment, and can come in many different genres. There are some that are meant solely for adventure, while others are about winning against other players. Many video games involve violence, and there is an argument on whether that violence transfers into the real world or not. I believe that it does not. 

    Firstly, it should not be forgotten that there are plenty of media sources that involve violence. Books, visual art, and movies all can contain violence, some more explicitly violent than others. It is not just video games that introduces this violence in forms of entertainment. Now, it is somewhat different, because with books, visual art, and movies, the violence is being shown rather than you as player are doing said violence. 

    Secondly, it has been proven time and time again that there are no direct links to playing video games with violence to real world violence. There have been hundreds of studies drawn, all with different results. Orlando states, "For years, research on whether violent video games fuels aggression in players -- a field that includes more than 100 studies -- remained mixed." There is even evidence from the supreme court stating that the link to video games and real life violence is non-existent. Christopher J. Ferguson writes, "As far back as 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that research did not find a clear connection between violent video games and aggressive behavior."

    Finally, it is just common sense that we do not do exactly what we do in video games. For example, imagine you were watching the Godfather. You see all of this violence, and what do you think? Do you think, "Wow, this is entertaining. But also a bit disturbing", or "This is such a well done movie! I love the plot", or do you think "Wow, look at all that violence. This makes me want to go do the same thing!" Chances are, you would not think that last thing. It is only rational that you would not do any of the things the Godfather did simply because you saw the movie. The same goes for video games. Lets say you're playing Fortnite. Do you think "What a fun game. I hope I win!" or "Ugh, I'm so bad at this game." or "This sure is fun! I kinda want to do this in real life now!" Again, most people would not have that last thought. Also notice how, when you're thinking about a game, you think of it as just that. A game. It is purely for entertainment purposes. It is even the same with other genres.

    The misconception in all of this is simply that we as people are so easily influenced by the games we play. Although it is hard to dispute that the media influences us, I do not think that video games are where the problem lies. Video games do not transfer into our day to day lives, just like a fantasy novel would not. They are an escape from reality, not an extension of it. 

Works Cited

Ferguson, Christopher J. “Analysis: Why It’s Time to Stop Blaming Video Games for Real-World Violence.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 5 Aug. 2019, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/analysis-why-its-time-to-stop-blaming-video-games-for-real-world-violence.

Orlando, Alex. “Do Video Games Cause Violence?” Discover Magazine, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2023, www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/do-video-games-cause-violence.