Concerns regarding the impact of media violence on aggression are common in television, cinema, music, video, and computer games. To answer the question of whether media violence can cause aggressiveness, one must first grasp the theoretical foundations of such statements. Theoretically, video games may have the ability to either encourage or release aggressive inclinations, as predicted by social learning theory and catharsis theory, respectively (Chang & Bushman, 2019). According to social learning theory, social behavior is learned through seeing and imitating the actions of others. The emotional release is linked to a need to resolve unconscious tensions, according to catharsis theory.
Simply put, social learning theory proposes that playing aggressive video games stimulates aggressive behavior, implying that youngsters will replicate what they see on screen. In direct opposition to this, catharsis theory proposes that playing violent video games has a soothing effect by channeling latent hostility and hence has a positive impact on a child’s behavior. The main argument for the idea that violent video games may influence behavior is that media violence can contribute to hostility. Social learning theory is the clearest explanation of media effects (Chang & Bushman, 2019). Individuals learn from direct experience and by behavior emulated by others, which can happen through the media, according to social learning theory.
Some features of the social learning theory are especially relevant in the case of video game violence. For example, early social learning theories argued that rewarded observed behaviors were more likely to be imitated than punished or unrewarded behaviors. Recent advances, in theory, are that people’s cognitive interpretations and experiences of observed events act in such a way that they produce desirable outcomes, avoid negative outcomes, and provide information about the consequences of others’ actions (Chang & Bushman, 2019). As a result, both the rewarded event is seen, and the cognitive experience of the observer of the event can affect the likelihood of imitation.
Reference
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), e194319-e194319. Web.