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Violent Video Games Packet

Name: __________________________________ Period: ______________ Read the following articles. For each one: 1. Mark the text. Number the paragraphs ircle ke! terms "nderline or highlight important ideas #rite comments in the margins: !our opinion about what !ou$re reading% &uestions !ou ha'e% connections to things !ou know or ha'e experienced (. Fill out the chart )dentif! the author$s purpose *P)+: persuade% inform% or entertain, -ummari.e in !our own words *paraphrase, )dentif! the main argument #rite down 1/0 specific claims that strongly support the main argument

Study: Violent video games increase aggression


By Dave Larsen
12345N% 5hio 6 2 new 5hio -tate "ni'ersit! stud! shows that pla!ing 'iolent 'ideo games can make people more aggressi'e o'er time% but the report$s co/author said it is impossible to link such games to 'iolent criminal beha'ior like the recent -and! 7ook +lementar! -chool shootings.
4he new stud! pro'ides the first experimental e'idence that the negati'e effects of pla!ing 'iolent 'ideo games can accumulate o'er time% said 8rad 8ushman% an 5hio -tate professor of communication and ps!cholog! who researches factors that can influence aggressi'e beha'ior. People who pla!ed

;ame companies sa! their products are protected speech under the First 2mendment of the ".-. onstitution% according to the +ntertainment -oftware 2ssociation% a trade group that represents ".-. computer and 'ideo game publishers. 2ssociation officials declined comment for this article. 4he 'ideo game industr! adopted a 'oluntar! rating s!stem in 1@@A that limits the sale and rental of games with 'iolent or adult content to customers o'er ages 1B and 1C% respecti'el!. )n ?une 0>11% the ".-. -upreme ourt ruled that a ban on the sale and rental of :'iolent< 'ideo games to minors is an unconstitutional infringement of speech rights. 4he ruling said the games are entitled to the same constitutional protection as books% mo'ies% music and other forms of artistic expression.
:Ps!chological studies purporting to show a connection between exposure to 'iolent 'ideo games and harmful effects on children do not pro'e that such exposure causes minors to act aggressi'el!%< ?ustice 2ntonin -calia wrote in the maDorit! opinion.

a 'iolent 'ideo game for three consecuti'e da!s showed increases in aggressi'e beha'ior and hostile expectations each da! the! pla!ed% he said. 9ideo game publishers are facing growing pressure from #ashington and ad'ocac! groups concerned about possible links between 'iolent games and tragedies like the mass shootings in Newtown% onn.% and 2urora% olo. 4he makers of :;rand 4heft 2uto< announced Frida! that the latest chapter in the best/selling crime simulator 'ideo game series will be dela!ed until -eptember. President 8arack 5bama last month called for the enters for 1isease ontrol and Pre'ention to renew scientific research into the relationship between :'ideo games% media images and 'iolence.< 7e also urged grant the research.
)n a letter to 9ice President ?oe 8iden% 1aniel ;reenberg of the )nternational ;ame 1e'elopers 2ssociation said the nonprofit group would :welcome more e'idenced/based research into the effects of our work to add to the large bod! of existing scientific literature that clearl! shows no causal link between 'ideo game 'iolence and real 'iolence.<

4he 5hio -tate stud!% conducted b! 8ushman with fellow researchers in France and ;erman!% in'ol'ed B> French uni'ersit! students who were told the! would be participating in a three/da! stud! of the effects of brightness of 'ideo games on 'isual perception. 4he students were then randoml! assigned to pla! a 'iolent or non'iolent 'ideo game for 0> minutes on each of three consecuti'e da!s. 2fter pla!ing the game each da!% participants took part in se'eral exercises that measured their hostile expectations and aggression. People who pla!ed the 'iolent 'ideo games expected others to beha'e aggressi'el! and were more likel! to respond with aggression themsel'es% 8ushman said. -tudents who pla!ed the non'iolent games showed no changes in either their hostile

ongress to support a bill that would =1> million to conduct this new

Study: Violent video games increase aggression


By Dave Larsen (continued) ________________________________________________

expectations or their aggression. :4here is a difference on da! one: 9iolent 'ideo game pla!ers are more aggressi'e%< 8ushman said. :4he difference is e'en bigger on da! two% and on da! three it is bigger still.< 4esting pla!ers for longer periods of time isn$t practical or ethical% he said.
8ushman$s research also showed that 'iolent 'ideo games decrease pro/social beha'ior% such as helping or cooperating with others% and decrease feelings of empath! and compassion for others.

2'erage game bu!er age: (E 2mount consumers spent on 'ideo games% hardware and accessories in 0>11: =0A.B billion 4otal amount taxpa!ers ha'e repaid the entertainment software industr! for its legal fees: =0.1 million -ource: +ntertainment -oftware 2ssociation 666
2013 Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio). 2-5-13.

Distributed by M ! "n#or$ation %er&i'es 666 Dave Larsen covers high-technology, Dayton-area research industry and consumer electronics such as smartphones for the 1a!ton 1ail! News. He started at 11N in 1 ! and previously has served as film critic and pop music critic. Dave graduated from the Boston "niversity #ollege of #ommunication. Larsen $rote for his %unior high school, high school and college ne$spapers &efore em&ar'ing on a professional %ournalism career. He also has $ritten and illustrated &oth daily and $ee'ly comic strips for several ne$spapers.

:)t is impossible to know whether pla!ing 'iolent 'ideo games causes 'iolent criminal beha'ior such as the Newtown shootings% because in our laborator! experiments we can$t gi'e people guns to see if the! shoot each other with them%< he said. 9iolent criminal beha'ior is complicated and determined b! man! factors% :often in combination%< 8ushman said.
:9iolent media is not the onl! factor that contributes to aggression and 'iolence% but at least it is one we can do something about< b! controlling the media that children are exposed to% 8ushman said.

onsumers

spent

=0A.B

billion

on

'ideo

games%

hardware and accessories in 0>11% according to the research firm NP1 ;roup. ".-. 'ideo game software sales reached =C.C billion and computer game sales were =AE> million.
4he 'ideo game industr! supports 10>%>>> direct and indirect Dobs with an a'erage salar! of =@>%>>>% according to the +ntertainment -oftware 2ssociation.

Fi'e of the 1> best/selling 'ideo games of 0>10 featured 'iolent content% according to a !ear/end sales report b! NP1 ;roup. 4he! included such titles as : all of 1ut!: 8lack 5ps ))%< :7alo A%< :2ssassin$s 666 9)1+5 ;2M+ )N1"-4R3 83 47+ N"M8+R- 4he a'erage ".-. household owns at least one dedicated game console% P age: (> or smartphone 2'erage game pla!er reed )))%< :8orderlands 0< and : all of 1ut!: Modern #arfare (.<

Violent Video Games


Study: Violent Video Games Increase Aggression Authors Purpose Summary (Paraphrase)
Topic sentence ey ideas !ontent language "#amples

$ain Argument

%&' Speci(ic !laims that strongly support the main argument

Do violent video games lead to real violence?


By (im Hone-)c)ahan
beha'ior like the -and! 7ook +lementar! -chool 2FR5N% 5hio 6 -ince the 1ec. 1A massacre of 0> children at -and! 7ook +lementar! -chool in Newtown% onn.% mental health experts% the media% shootings. Gast month% President 8arack 5bama asked for =1> million to allow the enters for 1isease ontrol

berea'ement counselors% grie'ing parents and others ha'e wondered what wickedness lurked in the mind of 2dam Gan.a.
5ne of the issues at the forefront is whether 'iolent 'ideo games% which the 0>/!ear/old was reportedl! addicted to% could be the problem. 8ut could the games alone ha'e caused Gan.a to become so out of control that the! made him kill those children and se'en adults% including his motherH 5r was it something much more sinisterH

and Pre'ention and other agencies to research the causes of gun 'iolence% specif!ing :research into the effects that 'iolent 'ideo games ha'e on !oung minds.< 2nd 9ice President ?oe 8iden said during a :P8News 7our< :Fireside 7angout< on ;oogle Plus that there is no hard data to pro'e that excessi'el! 'iolent 'ideo games can cause people to engage in beha'ior that is anti/social% including using guns. :Get the 1 % let the National )nstitute of 7ealth%

:#hen someone goes and shoots like that I there$s mental illness and then there$s e'il%< offered Fath! Ro!er% clinical nurse specialist at AFid7elp J enter for hild K 2dolescent Ps!chiatr! in North

let these people go out and look at the patholog! that$s behind this J if there is a patholog! related to gun 'iolence. #e shouldn$t be afraid of the facts%< 8iden said. -a!ing all of that though% back in 0>11% the -upreme ourt ruled that states could not ban the

anton% 5hio. :#hen it comes to 'ideo games% there is some research that sa!s I kids pla!ing 'ideo games can lead to aggressi'e beha'iors.< 8ut assigning blame solel! to 'ideo games is a mistake% Ro!er said. :8ased on m! own research I some of the information is more conclusi'e that it$s famil! issues J and ) hold to that%< she continued. :Nothing e'er is Dust one thing. )t$s alwa!s a combination of things.<
)n/depth% e'idence/based research about the effects of 'iolent 'ideo games is rare. -till% the 1a!ton 1ail! News reported recentl! that a new 5hio -tate "ni'ersit! stud! shows that pla!ing 'iolent 'ideo games can make people more aggressi'e o'er time% though it$s impossible to link such games to 'iolent criminal

sale or rental of super 'iolent games J noting it 'iolated !oung people$s First 2mendment rights and left it up to parents and the gaming industr! to determine what children could purchase. 4o learn what local !oung people think about the influence of 'iolent 'ideo games on such crimes% we asked the 8eacon ?ournal$s !oung readers group% our go/to source when it comes to issues in'ol'ing children and adolescents. )sabella -parhawk% 1C% a senior at -t. 9incent/ -t. Mar! 7igh -chool% agrees that 'ideo games aren$t the solitar! reason for 'iolent acts% though the! do help to desensiti.e kids to 'iolence.

Do violent video games lead to real violence?


By (im Hone-)c)ahan (continued)

________________________________________________

;ames :can contribute to a person$s tendenc! for 'iolent acts because% to them% it is something normal to do that has no repercussions% because that is what the! are used to in their 'ideo games%< )sabella said. 5ne of the most 'iolent games is : all of 1ut!%< a wartime role/pla!ing game that Gan.a reportedl! pla!ed in the basement of his mother$s home. -ome are e'en suggesting that games such as this one be banned.
:) do belie'e that there should be stricter regulations on who has access to these games%< said ?eanette Gansigner% a 4allmadge 7igh -chool freshman. :)f there were *o'er time, we could see if there is a decrease in gun/'iolence traged!.<

Parents need to pa! attention to what their children are doing and step up when something seems amiss% Ro!er said. 2nd if a game is too 'iolent% parents need to get rid of it J e'en if it angers the kids.
8ut it has gotten to the point% she added% that some parents are fearful of their child$s reactions.

:) talk to a lot of parents and the! are afraid to discipline their kids I< she said. :) ha'e ne'er seen so man! kids who are disrespectful% and mouth!% and nast!. :5ften% m! Dob ends up being a cheerleader and support% sa!ing L;o ahead and be a parent. 1iscipline !our child. Muit being afraid of !our kids.$< 666 2013 ()ron *ea'on +ournal (()ron, Ohio) 2-2,-13. Distributed by M ! "n#or$ation %er&i'es 666 (im Hone-)c)ahan is an 2kron 8eacon ?ournal staff $riter.

?enn! 8ook% 0>% of 8arberton% 5hio% said a ban might be going too far J punishing those who would ne'er take a leap from pla!ing a 'ideo game to murder. :) think people who do 'iolent acts are sick and need to get I help%< said the "ni'ersit! of Mount "nion sophomore. 8ut finding help can be a problem. :4here$s a lack of pro'iders *therapists% ps!chiatrists,%< Ro!er said. :For instance% A Fid7elp is the onl! true child and adolescent ps!chiatr! practice in -tark ount!. 2nd when we go to 1o'er once a week to see clients% we are the onl! pro'ider in a fi'e/count! area< south of -tark ount!.

:#e need more pro'iders and a safe place for the mentall! ill%< she said. :Places like halfwa! houses or group/t!pe homes.<
Fristina 9iningre% a 1E/!ear/old -pringfield 7igh -chool student% notes that if 'ideo games do contribute to 'iolence% it$s because parents are not

teaching their children the difference between what$s real and what$s fantas!.

Violent Video Games


)o Violent Video Games *ead to +eal Violence, Authors Purpose Summary (Paraphrase)
Topic sentence ey ideas !ontent language "#amples

$ain Argument

%&' Speci(ic !laims that strongly support the main argument

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