Introduction
Since the advent of computer games, heated debates have not subsided. Some consider them absolute evil and the only reason for many bloody crimes. For others, it is a common way of entertainment and pastime. Moreover, some people support the development of the game industry and the release of new games, as they contribute to the brain activity and development of children and adolescents and release negative emotions. Nevertheless, for many, video games have become a scapegoat that can explain the manifestation of violence and aggression. However, video games are not the root cause of violence but only a convenient excuse for politicians and society.
Causes of Violence
To understand whether video games are guilty of violence, it is necessary to comprehend their causes. The manifestations of aggression have a motive, often associated with a person’s psychological state. That may be, for example, prolonged suppression of negative emotions or social isolation of a person. On the contrary, video games contribute to the release of negative emotions and the socialization of a person due to the presence of a chat. Furthermore, given the right upbringing and morals, most gamers can distinguish between graphic violence in video games and violence in the real world.
Video games, in particular shooters, are often blamed for their visuals. Nevertheless, such games have an age limit of 18+, but even at an earlier age, people are aware of the difference between violence in games and real life. In the conditions of proper social education and the absence of other factors, a teenager who plays games will not try to put what he sees into practice because he is aware of the consequences of his actions. At the same time, Ferguson et al. (2022) argue that not only content but also competitiveness and difficulty in games can often cause aggression. However, according to this principle, the reasons for aggression and cruelty can also be regular sports competitions or academic performance due to high competition.
Video Games as Scapegoats
However, when there is a massive manifestation of aggression in society, people must find its cause. At the same time, the reason should be specific enough, not abstract, and should not be associated with society. Video games help to avoid mentioning social problems such as discrimination or other intolerance, problems of the upbringing and social environment of the child, and other issues that require much more effort to resolve. Blaming video games for violence on teenagers and demanding a government ban on their distribution is much easier than addressing racism or gender inequality.
On the other hand, video games have a positive effect on the formation of the psyche. For example, they allow players to control emotions better and can be used as a coping strategy for stress. Aggression requires release, and virtual reality is the safest way to do this (Ferguson et al., 2022). In addition, games, especially network games, contribute to establishing social ties and realizing a person’s need for communication. Moreover, they develop teamwork, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills. However, people often pay attention only to obvious things without trying to analyze the situation.
Blaming Video Games by Politicians
Moreover, it is beneficial for the government and politicians to blame the cruelty of teenagers and school shootings on video games. Politicians cannot admit their inability to control society, so they are looking for someone or something to blame for mass shootings or other social disasters (Kocurek, 2019). Social institutions and the government cannot create normal conditions for controlling the manifestation of violence in the real world. Furthermore, they cannot acknowledge the existence of social discrimination or problems with gun control. Taxes finance the mechanisms of regulation of society, so the recognition by politicians that they cannot fulfill the obligations assigned to them would lead to massive social dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is convenient for the government to blame video games and encourage this ramp-up to spread in society.
School Shooting and Other Allegations
Most often, video games are accused of school shootings and other mass manifestations of cruelty by teenagers. At the same time, adolescents’ social context is often not considered. For example, the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 were cited as the cause of the shooters’ fascination with Doom (Kocurek, 2019). However, at the same time, the social context and the fascination of the perpetrators with Nazism were not taken into account. Another example is the shooting in El Paso, the true cause of which was the shooter’s belief in white supremacy (Kocurek, 2019). However, the perpetrator’s mention that he was familiar with video games and played them provided sufficient grounds for accusing video games of causing violence.
Moreover, video games are popular in many countries worldwide, but in the United States, there is the most public shooting. Therefore, searching for the reasons for the manifestation of this cruelty in video games does not have sufficient grounds. A study by Ferguson et al. (2022) showed that there are “no links between violent content and aggression” (p. 94). Therefore, accusing video games of violence is a convenient cover-up for America’s political and social systems’ imperfections.
Conclusion
Thus, video games are not the root cause of adolescent violence and aggression. On the contrary, they contribute to releasing negative emotions and provide opportunities for socialization and intellectual development. Moreover, under normal conditions of socialization, a person can distinguish between virtual and real cruelty and is aware of their consequences. Therefore, using video games as a scapegoat is only a convenient social construct that allows people to ignore more global problems.
Reference
Ferguson, C. J., Gryshyna, A., Kim, J. S., Knowles, E., Nadeem, Z., Cardozo, I., Esser, C., Trebbi, V., & Willis, E. (2022). Video games, frustration, violence, and virtual reality: Two studies. British journal of social psychology, 61(1), 83-99. Web.
Kocurek, C. A. (2019). Why we scapegoat video games for mass violence and why it’s a mistake. The Washington Post. Web.