Influence Of Violent Video Games Still Up For Debate

Originally Published: September 17, 2010

Link: http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/63462/20100917/video-games-xbox-nintendo-mario-influence-violent-games.htm

While the video game industry celebrates the 25th birthday of one of its landmark titles, it continues to face lingering challenges from government and advocacy groups regarding its influence on children.

In terms of technology, video games have clearly come a long way since the original Super Mario Brothers debuted on September 13, 1985. However as the hardware and software continually has evolved, many perceptions on the industry have remained stagnant. The most damning is that video games, specifically violent ones, have had a bad influence on children.

Common Sense Media, a parents advocacy group, released a study recently that said 72 percent of adults support the ban of ultraviolent video games. More than half of the parents surveyed rated the industry poorly, with 75 percent saying it does not do enough to protect violent games from kids.

"The results of this poll clearly show that not only do the effects of ultraviolent or sexually violent games weigh heavily on the minds of parents, but also that parents feel that the video game industry isn't doing nearly enough to protect kids from accessing the most ultraviolent games," James Steyer, chief executive office and founder, Common Sense Media, said in a statement.

The poll comes in advance of an upcoming Supreme Court decision. In 2005, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill into law prohibiting the sale of ultraviolent video games to minors. However, the video game industry was able to fight it and bring the case to the Supreme Court, where it will be decided in early November.

"The Supreme Court's decision in this case is going to have a huge impact on families and kids across the United States, and what we've learned from this poll is that parents want to be the ones deciding which games their kids play, not the video game industry," Steyer said.

However, academics who've studied the impact of violent video games on children are unconvinced of such an impact. Cheryl Olson, a clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and author of the book, "Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do," is one such skeptic. Her years of research on the effects of electronic games on preteens and teens led her to one prevailing thought.

"Playing video games is normal kid behavior. If you're an otherwise good kid with a balanced life with friends and you take out the trash and are generally respectful, these games will not negatively impact you," Olson said.

Instead, Olson said studies need to be done on video games' influence on non-typical kids, for instance those who are developmentally delayed. She said this kind of research could shed light of any potential impact for these kids.

"We've barely scratched the surface there," Olson said.

Scott Steinberg, video game analyst and host of the web-based show, "Game Theory," says most of the misconceptions on the industry come from an age gap. While gaming has evolved to include older generations, he says stereotyping still lingers.

"There is a generational gap," Steinberg said. "A lot of people still consider video game to be a kid's game, when in reality the average gamer is 35. Baby boomers and older still believe in the stereotype that gamers are kids. It's not intentional, it's just lingering misinformation. In the past there was a similar stigma to rock and roll and comic books."

Steinberg says the growing popularity of games like Farmville and Pet Society have permeated those older generations. Olson pointed to Guitar Hero and a number of Nintendo Wii titles as examples of family-based video games. Yet despite this, violent video games remain a hot button issue.

Olson said beyond a generational gap, the violent game influence debate has remained in place because politicians will use it as a way to get voters riled up. "Issues like parenting, bad neighborhoods and child abuse, those can't be solved in two years. But if you say something like, 'I've seen videos of these video games, they are violent and I want to protect your children from them,' you win points," Olson said.

Violent video games are no worse than violent movies says Steinberg. "This U.S. made Saw IV the number one movie in America, it's really hypocritical to take a small subsection meant for mature audiences and attempt to make the entire industry a scapegoat," he said.