Antisocial Behavior and Other Negative Effects From Playing Violent Video Games

There are many studies that have found that violent video games can lead to antisocial behavior in children. According to the book Media Now: Understanding Media, Culture, and Technology, “antisocial behavior is [when someone acts out] contrary to prevailing norms for social conduct.” This can include anything from actual violence to harsh language or any sort of substance abuse, among other things. A recently published book titled Grand Theft Auto: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games, included a study about the effects of violent video games on children. The study found that “children who routinely played any Mature-rated (age 17+) title such as [Grand Theft Auto] were at higher risk for aggressive behaviors (such as beating up someone, or damaging property for fun) and school problems (such as getting poor grades, or getting in trouble with a teacher or principal). The more M-rated titles on a child’s list of five games he or she ‘played a lot in the past six months,’ the more likely the child was to be involved in these problem behaviors at least once during the past year.” Why is it that playing these violent video games increases a child’s chance of exhibiting antisocial behavior? The answer is simple. Seeing these things happen on a screen and without consequence can blur the line between right and wrong for some children. Some violent video games also depict things, such as racism and sexual abuse, that many children don’t fully understand so when it comes to seeing or doing these things in real life they may not be fully aware of the severity of these actions.

Aside from antisocial behavior that can stem from children playing violent video games, there are also several other negative effects of video games. “Video games do not exercise [a] kid’s imaginative thinking… some video games teach kids the wrong values… [and] games can confuse reality and fantasy” for children. Those are some of the negative effects that video games can have on children. As mentioned in the previous blog post, whether or not a video game is harmful to children depends on the content of the game. Along those same lines, the child itself is a factor is deciding whether or not a certain video game is harmful to them. For example, a child who has already shown violent tendencies or often acts out is more susceptible to increased antisocial behavior as a result of playing violent video games. However if a child often displays prosocial behavior, they are most likely not going to experience the negative effects of playing violent video games.

http://www.grandtheftchildhood.com/GTC/For_Parents_files/GTC_Advice%20for%20Parents_printable.pdf

http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games