Introduction
The debate about the benefits and harms of computer games has been ongoing since their inception. Proponents of video games note their benefits for developing useful social skills and learning. Opponents of video games are alarmed by the negative impact on the psyche of children and adolescents. Habitual exposure to violent content is a risk factor for dangerous behavior around real guns (Chang & Bushman, 2019). Video games negatively impact the psychological state of children and adolescents: they can increase the level of aggression, interfere with socialization, and negatively affect the development of important social skills such as empathy.
Arguments
Violent and competitive video games can increase aggression in a teenager and a child. Violent video games that use murder scenes affect children’s perception of reality. Since the boundary between the real and the fictional world may not be strong, there is a risk of transferring impressions to real life. Children’s exposure to violent video games increases dangerous behavior around firearms (Chang & Bushman, 2019). Competitive games are no less dangerous: upset by the loss, a child or teenager may try to take revenge on the opponent in real life. The danger of video games in terms of the development of aggression is associated with the mobile and suggestible state of the human psyche at the stage of growing up.
Children and teenagers who spend a lot of time playing video games can find it psychologically difficult to socialize. Finding friends in the virtual world can be much easier than in real life. The danger of video games lies in the possible psychological escapism: being successful in the virtual world, the child or teenager will not see the need to build real relationships. Even if aggression cannot be predicted from exposure to violent video games, it is strongly associated with antisocial personality traits, peer influence, and domestic violence (Coyne et al., 2018). Thus, the most important stage and experience will be skipped, which will affect the psyche and personality in the future.
Finally, violent video games harm the level of empathy in children and adolescents. Gamers can suppress negative emotional arousal and reduce their level of empathy for others to better adapt to video games. Early exposure to video game violence was indirectly associated with lower levels of prosocial behavior as mediated by lower levels of benevolence (Shao & Wang, 2019). While this adaptation may be useful in the aggressive environment of video games, in real-life situations, reduced empathy leads to social conflict.
Counterarguments
On the other hand, many believe that the harm of video games is seriously exaggerated, and their advantages outweigh the disadvantages. It should be stressed that video game exposure does not necessarily harm interpersonal relations (Greitemeyer, 2018). Firstly, video games cannot contribute to the accumulation of anger and unexpressed violence, but vice versa: they help release it on the characters of the games and not on people. Secondly, video games can contribute to socialization since it is easier to find friends in the virtual world after the connections created in gaming communities can be transferred to real life. Thirdly, reduced empathy can be useful in real life and serve as a way to respond to stressful situations adequately.
Conclusion
Thus, there are two opposing points of view on the issue; however, the harm of video games for children and adolescents seems to be proven. Those involved in violent and competitive games have a high level of aggression, the ability to socialize is impaired, and the level of empathy decreases. The age when children and teenagers are especially passionate about video games is a very important step in forming basic personal qualities. Therefore, parents need to control and limit their children’s time playing video games.
References
Chang, J. H., & Bushman, B. J. (2019). Effect of Exposure to Gun Violence in Video Games on Children’s Dangerous Behavior With Real Guns: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA network open, 2(5), 1-11. Web.
Coyne, S. M., Warburton, W. A., Essig, L. W., & Stockdale, L. A. (2018). Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior: A five-year longitudinal study during adolescence. Developmental psychology, 54(10), 1868–1880. Web.
Greitemeyer, T. (2018). The spreading impact of playing violent video games on aggression. Computers in human behavior, 80, 216-219. Web.
Shao, R., & Wang, Y. (2019). The Relation of Violent Video Games to Adolescent Aggression: An Examination of Moderated Mediation Effect. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 384. Web.