Does Childhood Video Games Affect Adolescence And Adult Violence?


Childhood video games vary by subject and purpose. There are game options that are great for children to play, especially when they are educational and encourage good physical activity. Yet, in recent years there has been an increase of violent or inappropriate video games being marketed toward children and adolescence. At what point do these games affect how youth develop into adults? Where does the line cross when violence becomes an issue? Some believe a person has violent intentions and it may not be in relation to video games.

Childhood video games are available in different genres. It is great to have a selection of games to choose from, but does this mean children will enjoy what is best for their age? This is something people may not think about too often since parents are responsible for their children’s actions. There are parents that let their children play violent games and don’t think about potential repercussions. They think it is a game for fun, but where does the change occur when such games influence adolescence and adults to be violent? Unfortunately, there could be a connection that sparks someone’s intentions.

There are kids that like the adrenaline such games bring on and when they become of age they may be curious about trying to play something out in real life. There are children and adults that like playing games with violent behaviors and don’t see a problem with it. As long as you are able to control your actions such video games give people a chance to role play. You can pretend to be a character shooting at others, but too many people don’t see the point in this concept. Why would you want to have fun beating up someone or shooting at targets that are people in a video game?

For the most part these things can be avoided. Parents don’t have to purchase their children violent games or games that promote poor behavior. They can be encouraged to pay more attention to their child’s behavior as they grow from a young child through adolescence into adulthood. If a child has a history of committed violent acts, anger problems, or doing activities considered illegal or worrisome, this is when a parent should look into getting professional help for their child. At this point a video game only adds fuel to the fire already burning.