Video Games: Scapegoats for the Violence in Society

Today, I decided I would share an essay (research paper) I have written about the fact that video games are often blamed for the violence in today's society. Anyway, here it is:

Perhaps Monopoly should be blamed for the bankruptcy of Nicholas Cage, the well-known movie star. It is possible that the actor played the game when he was a child and repeatedly won heaps of money and glory by purchasing several impressive properties and hotels. This is probably what motivated the rich man to indulge himself in the purchase of numerous castles; it is likely that the family activity also taught him that going to jail is not a particularly troublesome affair. In fact, he might as well sue the company that made the game, Hasbro, as the company is clearly trying to encourage players to spend hefty sums of money in real life because they are rewarded for doing so in the game; no one is at fault but the game for putting Cage in jail and forcing him to declare bankruptcy. Of course, this situation seems purely ridiculous. However, many articles pertaining to violence present in video games make points that directly correspond to the ones noted here about a traditional board game. The biased pieces written suggesting that violence in video games causes real world crime are clearly using video games as a scapegoat so that people can free themselves from responsibility and ignore the true, disturbing instigators of the vicious acts in question, notably the already present evil in humans.

Recent statistics have shown that youth violence is actually decreasing as the gore and blood in video games continues to increase. "According to the standard coffee shop rationale, an increase in violent video games does indeed prompt more violent youth...However, the opposite is true" (Meeks). Although these data do not necessarily establish an inverse relationship between the two issues, they immediately refute the fact that violent video games are a significant contributor to youth violence. As David Kushner points out, "Even the surgeon general's youth-violence report...couldn't find a convincing link. '...Findings to date suggest that media violence has a relatively small impact on violence,' the surgeon general reported.'" This quote from a notable source supports this notion. This also hints once again at the fact that humans attempt to point fingers and blame others to avoid the sensation that there is evil within them; clearly, the world was not perfect in the old times either. It is likely that the satisfaction of Homo sapiens sapiens in believing that they are perfect creatures without negative influences is what encourages the press to fire out articles degrading video game producers. Dr. J. Ferguson of Texas A&M International University's Department of Behavioral, Applied Sciences and Criminal Justice released a study pertaining to the issue in which "he finds...'a systematic bias for hot-button issues' that results in over-statements and misleading results'" (Kushner). Opinionated articles are emerging in countless places based upon what the public wants to hear, despite the fact that youth violence is undeniably receding on charts.

It may also be the curious nature of our species, the one that distorts the vision of people in their quests to ignore the troubles of our race, that causes video games to be blamed for the violence in society. This is likely to avoid discussing the real, grisly issues present in the world. Games allow the public to use them as scapegoats for the evil that is actually within humans from the start. For instance, following the Columbine shootings, the media was “highlighting the shooter’s fixation with a new video game," but, "at the time, little emphasis was placed on the shooter’s underlying sociopathic tendencies” (Meeks). People often fail to address the notion that some people might be insane without foreign, evil influences. Truthfully, almost all humans do have hostile and aggressive emotions within them that partly originate from terrible societal quandaries. In regards to rap, Pat Stack said, “How handy, though, that music and video are there so that we don’t need any of that liberal guff about poverty, lack of resources, alienation, or any of those other things that Blair has failed to deal with to explain violent crime.” This viewpoint seems to suggest that humans conveniently dismiss that crime stems from dark problems not only to think that everyone in their race is perfect, but also to swerve from the need to address, solve, and accept these societal issues. The latter point is expressed by the reference to the former Prime Minister of England, Tony Blair. People don’t want to face aspects of human settlements such as poverty because they don’t want to feel guilt for not assisting in these matters. “In the face of awful, inexplicable tragedies, media violence is an easy target” (Kushner). Violence in the media, notably in video games, can be comfortably blamed by people if they want to avoid involvement with evil attributes of human that would normally be made blatant by acts of crime. Virtually every aspect of the nature of humans convince people not to acknowledge the unfortunate and grim adversities that exist within their population.

The concept that violence is already present in society and video games are simply used as scapegoats is further supported by the deliberation of whether or not these games are an art form, since art tends to solely reflect culture. Although this question tends to be somewhat controversial, the answer should irrefutably be affirmative. In fact, when one ponders upon it, video games are one of the most beautiful and mesmerizing art forms possible to create. Thousands of gamers labor for years until they finally produce a virtual world with stunning details, including captivating scenery and strange creatures with artificial intelligence, including humans. This is arguably more spellbinding than traditional paintings, which only capture a small portion of a landscape in a very two-dimensional form. As Torrey Meeks says, "the story lines, graphical skill, and interaction of many different elements to make a product that is entertaining, beautiful, and meaningful classifies them as art." These aspects of video games clearly prove that the they are art, and, throughout the years, art usually acts as a sort of mirror to show the issues and wonders of society in different ways rather than causing issues in society. For example, during the Renaissance, religious paintings were not produced on a massive scale in an attempt to deepen the public's interest in Christianity, but rather to appeal to the increase in religious devotion. This notion is further strengthened by Pat Stack's opinion that "rap...finds an echo in the realities of modern urban life, and reflects anger and alienation." Although this references music, this statement still suggests that violence shown in the media is depicting the violence present in the real world. Meeks further expands on this idea by stating, "it [art] acts as a cultural catalyst, expressing ideas in a way that connects to an unrealized sub-current that ultimately rises to prominence due to the artists' giving voice to a generation's issues and needs." These words and later portions of Meeks's article suggest that art, possibly including video games, can actually be a positive influence by bringing attention to often unrecognized societal issues; this attention can then instigate constructive change within a body of people in their attempt to solve the problems depicted, such as violence. Video games are truly artistic; by exhibiting gore, blood, and crime, they are simply showing the public problems that are present in humanity.

There is no concrete evidence that video games are significantly affecting the cases of youth violence in the world. They are solely blamed and talked about because this topic appeals to the public and various aspects of society cause people to possess a burning desire to ignore the true instigators of crime. In fact, video games are an art form with their stunning virtual reality and dazzling graphics; their depiction of violence is showing the violence that already appears in numerous cities. This showcasing of humanity's issues may even have the power to set positive change in motion. Video games should not be used as a scapegoat for the violence in society; instead of attempting to ignore the flaws of their race for strange monetary and moral reasons, people should recognize the issues that truly need be addressed and work together to solve them, thereby attempting to make themselves a perfect species as oppose to simply believing that Homo sapiens sapiens are already impeccably great.

And here are my sources:

Kushner, David. "Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Aggression." Video Games. Ed. Laurie Willis. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.

Meeks, Torrey. "Violent Video Games Are Not Linked to Real-World Violence." Popular Culture. Ed. David Haugen and Susan Musser. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.

Stack, Pat. "Violent Rap Lyrics Are Not a Significant Contributor to Violent Behavior."SocialistReview (Feb. 2003). Rpt. in Rap Music and Culture. Ed. Kate Burns. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 24 Apr. 2011.