There are a lot of different opinions relating to if video games cause violence within the players. A number of games have been banned in different countries, for including racial content, too much bad language or too much gore/violence. To try and stop this many games now have an age rating.
The age rating of a game depends on the content of the game, depending what happens in the game this sets the age limit for it. The different ages are:
3+ for games such as sport and simple driving games (for example Fifa and Gran Turismo).
7+ this can be for a childish game with the odd swear word or bit of violence (Lego games)
12+ usually this rating includes a little gore, but quite a bit of fighting, or a game which doesn't obey the law. An example of this is a street racing game (Need for Speed) or WWE/UFC.
15+ this rating is usually for shooters, for example Call of Duty. This includes reconstructions of real events which have happened in the past, but toned down, with little bad language.
16+ these are usually the same as the 15+, apart from a bit more swearing.
18+ this is the highest age rating for a game. When games are rated 18 it usually means they include everything which goes against the law. For example Grand Theft Auto, this game includes a number of different weapons (guns, knives, grenades etc) and also drugs, and has different parts of the game which are only suitable for the older audience. For example nude characters and virtual prostitutes.
The image above explains the different warnings games include. This kind of relates to the age ratings above, but gives you a better description of what is included in the game. (These are usually placed on the back of the game box so you can see what's included before you buy it). As you can see the different symbols are for the different parts of the game.
Hypodermic Needle Theory:
This theory was created in the 1920s and was to determine how audiences receive different types of text. It believes that the majority of what the audience see it makes them want to copy and do it themselves. It is labelled as the 'needle' theory as the effects are immediate just like a medical needle. It is used on the passive audience, where they don't question what is happening, they just agree with it and take it in.
An example of the theory is when Swine Flu was introduced. The media sent different news throughout the country and spread moral panic. Because of the exaggeration of one story more and more people started to believe it, and within a small amount of time people believed the same story, (that swine flu was going to kill them).
A high percentage of people still blame video games for violence even though there was still crime and violence before video gaming was introduced.
Bobo Doll Experiment:
A number of children (boys and girls) aged 3-6 years were taken from the Stanford University Nursery School as part of an experiment involving the 'Bobo doll' (set up by Bandura). The role models of this theory were one adult male and one adult female.
The children in the audience watched the adults act aggressively and violently towards the doll. This included a hammer and pushing/throwing etc. A group of children were let into the same room as the Bobo doll and copied the actions of the adults.
The other half of the children were introduced to adults playing nicely with the doll, and when they were let in the room there was no violence at all.
This proved that children like to copy what is seen, which is why they should not play violent games (or any games which are too old for them). When children see adults doing something they think it is correct, so they tend to copy and do the same.
Effects Debate:
It has been argued that the Media has negative effects on the audience with what they release and their input to certain stories. Media is seen as a form of propaganda to brainwash people into believing their way/story.
Orsen Welles' radio broadcast in 1938 caused a lot of drama as he was talking about War of the Worlds. He was going through the different processes of the film, and those who tuned in later on thought he was broadcasting some news. They believed that they were getting invaded by aliens and told everyone they knew straight away, this proved that everyone believed one person from what they had heard.
Uses an Gratifications Theory (UGT):
This is about how people seek out different types of media to satisfy themselves. This theory assumes that the audience are not just passive, they question what is going on. The audience has power on their media intake, with this UGT holds the audience responsible for what they decide to see/hear and believe. UGT is now related with the internet as there are hundreds of different ways to find out different aspects of media, with the numbers of search engines invented now it allows the audience to find a story/opinion that suits them. A lot of people have disagreed with this theory as they believe the public has no control over the media, and that the media is manipulative. This theory will be more relevant now as there is a lot of technology which allows you to have the freedom and your own choice to decide what you want to consume.
Examples of banned games (in the UK):
The Punisher (2005) - PS2/Xbox/Windows:
This was a third-person shooter game released by THQ. You would play as a character who lost his family so decided to kill/punish criminals (hence the Punisher). Violent actions include shooting, stabbing, throwing into walls/spikes etc, and the use of piranhas.
THQ was told (given a warning first) to have the cameras further away when the killing/torturing was taking place, and then given an 18+ instead of Mature (M) rating.
If children under 18 play this game they usually tend to copy what is happening. As the Punisher's storyline is killing criminals since he lost his family, younger children may want to do the same actions if they have lost someone close to them.
Manhunt 1&2 (2003) PS2/Xbox:
Manhunt was published by Rockstar (producers of GTA) which included a huge amount of Graphic Violence, as it was released over 10 years ago now the laws were very mild and it was seen as fine at first. Four years later, (2007) British censors banned the game in the UK (first banned game in a decade). To this date the manhunt games cannot be legally supplied or bought anywhere in the UK now. Later after the release the game was given an 18 rating, but this made no different to the players and the viewers.
In February 2004, Stefan Pakeerah was murdered in a park in Leicester. The killer, Warren LeBlanc was blamed to be inspired by the game Manhunt for his violence. Warren said that robbery was the cause of the death to repay a £75 debt. The MP of Leicester (Keith Vaz) campaigned with Stefan's parents to ban Manhunt 1 because of this incident, and continued to ban Manhunt 2.
Warren's mother said he had played the Manhunt game but was not a big fan of gaming (didn't spend many hours on it), however this made Stefan's parents think this was the cause and so they blamed him and the game.
Grand Theft Auto:
Grand Theft Auto has caused a lot of violent offences and damage due to people under the age rating playing it. Many parents buy it for their younger kids without realising what is in the game.
In Louisiana, an 8 year old boy shot a 90 year old woman (Marie Smothers) in the back of the head, after finishing playing GTA IV. As the child was under the age of 10, he was not charged or punished. The child did not know the effects of what he had done, which forced the police to struggle to take the case any further. The boys father said he used Marie's gun to shoot her. The boy dodged murder offences but is still under police supervision.
In Los Angeles a Zachary Burgess, aged 20, was arrested for stealing a truck illegally with a passenger still inside. Zach drove the truck round and hit 9 other vehicles whilst he was behind the wheel. The passenger said she was forced to stay in the truck by Zachary's driving and actions. After this outburst he returned the truck to where he found it, and was arrested by the police. He claimed he wanted to know what it was like to play Grand Theft Auto for real, he was charged with a number of offences. These included, Hit and run, theft, and kidnapping.
Crimes for the game:
On the release of GTA 5 three teenagers (14, 15 and 17) from North London stalked a man (23) who was queueing outside Asda for his copy of GTA. Once the 23 year old had his game and left the store, they stabbed him and hit him with a brick on his way home. He was left injured on the street while they ran off with the game. The man survived and the teenagers were arrested eventually.
Another offence was in New York, a couple (with four children) hit a mentally disabled man who had saved up to pay for the collectors edition of GTA ($150). They left him injured on the floor and tried to take his game back to the store (Gamestop) so they could get the money. Unfortunately, before they were arrested they already sold the mans game for a lot less than its value. Once they were caught they became very sympathetic and offered to buy the man the game again, which was $150 they didn't have, putting them in debt.
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