Graphic Video Games & Their Effects on Kids
Video games often contain graphic violence, including shooting, stabbing and assaulting other characters. Kids who play graphic video games do not escape unscathed; the game violence often transfers to their regular lives and shows itself in their behavior.
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Misleading Realities
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Video game worlds are very different from reality. According to a paper from the University of South Africa, video games can lead children to believe, for instance, that problems should be solved with violence and that instinct is the proper way to respond to difficulties instead of thinking them through.
Decreased Sensitivity
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In a video game, if a character dies, he can come back to life the next time the game is played. In the real world, this is not the case. However, violence in video games becomes so commonplace to children who play them frequently that they often dismiss real-life violence and lose their sensitivity to it.
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Fear
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According to the University of South Africa paper, children who play violent video games may become afraid of becoming victims of violence. In some games, nearly every character falls victim to some kind of violence, so children tend to believe this will happen in real life, as well.
Increased Aggression
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Even adolescents who are not naturally aggressive tend to be more aggressive after playing violent video games on a weekly basis, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation,
Anti-Social Behavior
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Children who play video games often become anti-social. In a video game, players are one character against the rest of the characters in the game's world; therefore, in the real world, children may rely less on friends and fend for themselves more.
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References
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Joseph
