Shooting in the dark

The Impact of Violent Video Games on Youth Crimes

The key point in this essay is that the amount of violent crimes committed by young boys in high school is greatly affected by the violent video games that they spend considerable time playing. This association arose mostly as a result of an increase in violent acts by young people, as well as the fact that video games have become more realistic and bloodier. This was mostly shown by lab studies in which students were subjected to violent games before being evaluated to see whether they acted aggressively. The author also purports that increased exposure to such violent games has led to increased aggression amongst youngsters within the short-term. The author also points out the fact children have a tendency to imitate what they see from media as well as from people in their environment. The author supports this by pointing out extreme violent acts are influenced by various factors including solitude, exposure to violence by family members as well as mood issues. This means that as much as spending several hours playing video games may contribute to such acts; it is not the primary reason behind why people commit violent crimes. Further research has also pointed out that from 1996, the sales from video games has doubled which can be matched with a decrease in violent youth offenders (Carey, 2013). This supports the fact that other external factors are at play in influencing the mind of a youth offender. It is even assumed that such statistics point out that the decreased crime is as a result of more hours spent by youth offenders playing video games.

Evidence to Support Assertions

The author uses evidence to support assertions by providing statistics which have been used to inform the readers as to the relation of various factors. An example is when a comparison is made of the increment in the sales of video games and the decreasing rate of violent crimes by youth offenders. In this way, the author is able to inform us about current trends that are taking place in relation to the topic at hand.

The author also uses evidence as a means of emphasis for what he is trying to put across. In this way, he is able to ensure that the audience remains attentive to the subject matter at hand. The emphasis also makes it easier for the audience to relate with the matter being discussed. An example of how the author uses evidence to create a sense of emphasis is when he uses the case of the massacre at Columbine High School (Carey, 2013). In this way, the audience is able to relate the subject matter with an experience that actually took place.

The author also uses evidence to create a sense of flow in the ideas he is passing across. With every point he makes, he supports this with evidence from either research that was carried out or by words used by various psychologists. In this way, he is able to deliver smooth transition from one point to the next to the audience. This makes it easier for the audience to understand what is being discussed and even remain eager to obtain more information relating to the same.

The author signals such usage through elements such as word choices, transitions or logical connections by ensuring that the audience is kept connected to what he is trying to pass across. At first he introduces the increase in violent acts among youth offenders followed by various statistics of the increase in violent games amongst young offenders. He then points out that it is not conclusive as of the extent such games have on aggressive behavior by pointing out how increased sales of games are matched with reduced violent acts.

Part 2 - Focusing on the How of Violence

Kirk Hamilton in his article points out that so many video games have been released with a focus on violence throughout the game, without a general purpose for the message they end to pass across. He points out that some games have extensive and meaningless scenes of violence that end up leaving the gamer desensitized to some of the violent acts in the game. This leaves a gamer in a state of mind where he or she does not feel bothered by any of the violence he or she is forced to partake in while playing the game. The author points out the fact that game producers should emulate the theme picked by The Last of Us that focuses on creating a reason and a purpose for the violence in the game. Such a game embraces personal violence by giving a reason as to why the key actors in the game behaved in a particular way. He points out that games should also embrace a sense of honesty to go side by side with the violence that they portray. A gamer that plays such a game as The Last of Us is able to empathize with why the characters are behaving the way they are (Hamilton, 2014).

Value-Based Assertions

The author has used value-based assertions throughout the article which he has supported with evidence for the same. An example of this is when he points out that games that personalize violence or make it specific are not as boring and they do not dehumanize the gamer in comparison to other violent games. This is a value-based assertion as it tries to bring out the fact that there are some violent video games that do not necessarily affect the perception that an individual has towards life elements. The author uses the story of the Last of Us, a survival game that involves zombies where the main characters seek revenge for the torture they endured. This example is used to drive home the fact that violence from such a game has purpose and it is personal attributed to the life that the protagonists were made to endure.

The author signals such usage through elements such as transitions and word choices by incorporating words that describe some of the things that take place while playing such games. An example of this is when he says that a gamer is left to cleave via hordes of aliens and bandits. He also uses transitions to deliver flow from one subject matter to the other. This is exemplified by how he moves from describing his gaming experience with BioShock Infinite to his gaming experience with the Last of Us (Hamilton, 2014). This transition has been crucial at differentiating the ways in which games use violent acts. Such differentiation has made it easier for the audience to understand what he means by specific or personal violence.

References

Carey, B. (2013, February 12). Shooting in the Dark. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://login.libproxy.edmc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1285624142?accountid=34899

Hamilton, K. (2014, January 2). Focusing On the How of Violence. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from https://login.libproxy.edmc.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/1473509927?accountid=34899