DR.

RAM MAHOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL

LAW UNIVERSITY

2014-15

ENGLISH
PROJECT ON:
VIOLENCE IN VIDEO GAMES

SUBMITTED BY:
SHIVANI SINGH
ROLL NO: 128

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF:

MR.RAMJI YADAV
ASSITANT PROFESSOR (ENGLISH)

B.A. LLB (Hons.),

DR. RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA

SEMESTER II

NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have taken efforts in this project. However, it would not have been possible without
the kind support and help of many individuals and organizations. I would like to
extend my sincere thanks to all of them.
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to my teacher and Mentor, Mr. Ramji Yadav
(Guest Lecturer, English) for his able guidance and help; Vice Chancellor, Mr. Gurdip
Singh and Dean (Academics), Professor C.M. Jariwala for their encouragement and
enthusiasm. I would also like to express my special gratitude and thanks to my seniors
for sharing their valuable tips and my classmates for their constant support.

CONTENTS

TITLE

PAGE NO.

Introduction

Games in the Media

Origin

Do Violent Video Games Contribute

to Youth Violence?

Conclusion

14

Bibliography

15

INTRODUCTION
Video games have changes a lot in the past ten years; they have
gone from 2D arcade machines to realistic 3D graphics that you play
at home in front of a large TV screen and surround sound, or in your
laptops and computers; becoming fully immersed in the game that
you are playing. They now allow the player to interact with
characters and objects in ways that were not previously available,
with more choice and a more immersive playing style. My project
will study violence in gaming and examine whether or not this can
result in blurring of the real world with the gaming environment for
some players.
To begin violence needs to be defined. The Oxford dictionary defines
violence as:
Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage,
or kill someone or something
For this project when violence is referred to, it will be defined as
depicting violence including to hurt damage or kill any human-like or
animal like characters.

GAMES IN THE MEDIA

The violent video game debate has taken over media coverage at
times especially in America. In several studies involving over
100,000 subjects, researchers found that, regardless of age, gender
or race, violent video games increased the likelihood of aggression.
However, another study conducted by Texas A&M International
University found there to be no direct link between violent games
and gamers.
Are video games to blame for certain acts of violence in our society?
Are developers adding too much violence to the game? Does
violence sell? Or are parents to blame for allowing their children
unrestricted access to play violent video games, are the ratings
board effective? Or the game store, for selling violent games to
underage customers?
Video games have often been blamed on real life acts of violence all
over the World, for example, the 1999 Columbine massacre that was
blamed on Doom.

Is it a valid argument that games can turn

children into killers, or can be considered as contributory causes for

events such as the Columbine massacre?
Whenever

shooting

happens

the

press

seems

to

always

associate it with a video game even without actual evidence from

authorities. The 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
where Adam Lanza fatally shot 28 people was almost immediately
blamed on Mass Effect 3 but it was later found that the game played
no part in the shootings.
As a result of all the speculation, association and phony science the
US President Barak Obama has asked congress to fund a research
program into violent games and any effects it has on the human
mind. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the video
games Industrys main trade group has supported the Presidents
concern and call for more research to be conducted.

However Journalist Fareed Zakaria has a different opinion on

violence in America.
Is Americas popular culture the cause? This is highly unlikely,
as largely the same culture exists in other rich countries.
Youth in England and Wales, for example, are exposed to
virtually identical cultural influences as in the United States.
Yet the rate of gun homicide there is a tiny fraction of ours.
The Japanese are at the cutting edge of the world of video
games. Yet their gun homicide rate is close to zero! Why?
Britain has tough gun laws. Japan has perhaps the tightest
regulation of guns in the industrialized world.
Is all the blame put on violent video games false?

ORIGIN
Over the past 20 years, video games have become one of the
Worlds favourite forms of entertainment, participated to the same
level as people watching movies or reading books or listening to
music. The recent video game release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
made $500 million in its first 24 hours of release and hit a
staggering $1 billion mark in just 15 days, 2 days shorter than the
biggest movie release ever; James Camerons, Avatar (making it the
biggest entertainment release ever. The comparison between Call of
Duty: Black Ops 2 and James Camerons Avatar shows how
significant the video game industry is.
1. DEATH RACE, 1976
Violent video games have been around for many years, Death Race
a controversial game released in 1976 by Exidy, was one of the first
controversial video games to be released. Such was the level of
concern about the level of violence that upon its release it was
banned in America. The game was black and white and featured
blocky characters known as Gremlins who only slightly resembled
humans, it also didnt help that Death Race was initially called

Pedestrian, which further highlighted that the gremlins that appear

in the game were most likely first designed as people.
2. CARMAGEDDON, 1997
In 1997 Carmageddon was released which was based on Death
Race. In the 21 years between the releases of these two games
there had been large technological improvements in the video game
industry. One of the largest and most significant being graphics.
Moving from 2D sticky block characters to 3D humans for gamers to
run over making it look incredibly more realistic than the
controversial game released in 1976. Carmageddon was censored in
many countries including the UK resulting in human characters
being replaced with zombies. In 2012 it was re-released on iPhone
and rated as a 12+ that shows how over the years we have become
more accustomed to violence and gore in video games and other
media.
3. GRAND THEFT AUTO SERIES, 1997-2012
In 2001, Rockstar Games released Grand Theft Auto III this opened
to criticism from the media for its violent and sexual content. Among
many other things within the game for payment a player could sleep
with a prostitute to regain health, killing her to get their money
back. There are many cases where Grand Theft Auto has been cited
as the inspiration for killers to commit their crimes, for example,
Aaron Hamel was killed when two gunmen opened fire on his car in
Tennessee,

USA.

The

two

gunmen,

aged

14

and

16,

told

investigators that they started shooting at vehicles off the interstate

just like in Grand Theft Auto.
The Grand Theft Auto series is a prime example of a game becoming
more graphically violent and realistic as graphic capability on game
consoles increased.
While the first game in the series was controversial it was to
become even more controversial for the games that followed in the
series. This is mainly down to the first and second games played on

a PlayStation 1 with birds eye views and cartoonish graphics. When

the series got to the 3rd game it was released on the PlayStation 2,
which had a significant increases in computer power and graphic
capability over the PlayStation 1. This allowed the developers to
switch to a behind the shoulder camera view making the player
more immersed in the game; the gaming world of virtuality and
reality was becoming closer.
The Grand Theft Auto series can be split into three eras; the 2D era,
3D era and the HD era. The total sales for the 2D era are around
400,000 copies, the 3D era 57,355,507 and the HD era over 26
million copies were. Looking at the sales increases we can see how
over the years more people have turned to gaming as a form of
entertainment and as the games have progressed they have
become more violent hence exposing an ever-increasing audience.
Money of course drives the market and the series continued to make
more money with every game released. Game developers are
keenly aware of the point that, violence sells games.

4. CALL OF DUTY: MODERN WARFARE 2, 2009

In 2009, Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The
second Installment in the hugely successful Modern Warfare series,
it was a first person shooter game, putting the player in the role of
several characters, for example a US army ranger.
In one game level, titled No Russian, the player assumes the role
of an undercover CIA agent who joins a group of Russian terrorists,
the player takes control of the character as they walk through an
airport killing helpless civilians. Scenes depict civilians screaming
and running in terror and dragging wounded friends away leaving a
bloody trail as they go only to be shot themselves. The level stands
out as being particularly violent. Instead of the usual gameplay of
shooting armed combatants here the player is rewarded by the
merciless killing of innocent civilians.

Do

Violent

Video

Games

Contribute

to

Youth

Violence?
PRO contributes to Youth Violence
1. Increasing reports of bullying can be partially attributed to the
popularity of violent video games. The 2008 study Grand
Theft Childhood reported that 60% of middle school boys who
played at least one Mature-rated game hit or beat up
someone, compared to 39% of boys that did not play Maturerated games.
2. Video games often reward players for simulating violence, and
thus enhance the learning of violent behaviors. Studies
suggest that when violence is rewarded in video games,
players exhibit increased aggressive behavior compared to
players of video games where violence is punished.
3. Violent video games desensitize players to real-life violence. It
is common for victims in video games to disappear off screen
when they are killed or for players to have multiple lives. In a
2005 study, violent video game exposure has been linked to
reduced P300 amplitudes in the brain, which is associated
with desensitization to violence and increases in aggressive
behavior.
4. A 2000 FBI report includes playing violent video games in a
list of behaviors associated with school shootings.
5. Violent video games teach youth that violence is an
acceptable conflict-solving strategy and an appropriate way to
achieve one's goals. A 2009 study found that youth who play
violent video games have lower belief in the use of nonviolent
strategies and are less forgiving than players of nonviolent
video games.

6. Violent video games cause players to associate pleasure and

happiness with the ability to cause pain in others.
7. Young children are more likely to confuse fantasy violence with
real world violence, and without a framework for ethical
decision making, they may mimic the actions they see in
violent video games.
8. Violent video games require active participation, repetition,
and identification with the violent character. With new game
controllers allowing more physical interaction, the immersive
and interactive characteristics of video games can increase
the likelihood of youth violence.
9. Playing violent video games increases aggressive behavior
and arousal. A 2009 study found that it takes up to four
minutes for the level of aggressive thoughts and feelings in
children to return to normal after playing violent video games.
It takes five to ten minutes for heart rate and aggressive
behavior to return to baseline. Video games that show the
most blood generate more aggressive thoughts. When blood is
present in video games, there is a measurable increase in
arousal and hostility.
10.

Playing violent video games causes the development of

aggressive behavioral scripts. A behavioral script is developed

from the repetition of actions and affects the subconscious
mind. An example of a common behavioral script is a driving
script that tells drivers to get in a vehicle, put on a seat belt,
and turn on the ignition. Similarly, violent video games can
lead to scripts that tell youth to respond aggressively in
certain situations. Violence in video games may lead to real
world violence when scripts are automatically triggered in
daily life, such as being nudged in a school hallway.

11.

A 1998 study found that 21% of games sampled

involved violence against women. Exposure to sexual violence

in video games is linked to increases in violence towards
women and false attitudes about rape such as that women
incite men to rape or that women secretly desire rape.
12.

Several studies in both the United States and Japan

have shown that, controlling for prior aggression, children who

played more violent video games during the beginning of the
school year showed more aggression than their peers later in
the school year.
13.

Exposure to violent video games is linked to lower

empathy in players. In a 2004 study of 150 fourth and fifth

graders by Professor Jeanne Funk, violent video games were
the only type of media associated with lower empathy.
Empathy, the ability to understand and enter into another's
feelings, plays an important role in the process of moral
evaluation and is believed to inhibit aggressive behavior.
14.

When youth view violence in video games, they are

more likely to fear becoming a victim of acts of violence.

According to a 2000 joint statement by six leading national
medical associations including the American Medical
Association and American Psychological Association, this
escalated fear results in youth not trusting others and taking
violent self-protective measures.
15.

Violent video games can train youth to be killers. The US

Marine Corps licensed Doom II in 1996 to create Marine

Doom in order to train soldiers. In 2002, the US Army released
first-person shooter America's Army to recruit soldiers and
prepare recruits for the battlefield.
CON Contribute to Youth Violence

1. Violent juvenile crime in the United States has been declining

as violent video game popularity has increased. The arrest
rate for juvenile murders has fallen 71.9% between 1995 and
2008. The arrest rate for all juvenile violent crimes has
declined 49.3%. In this same period, video game sales have
more than quadrupled.
2. A causal link between violent video games and violent
behavior has not been proven. Many studies suffer from
design flaws and use unreliable measures of violence and
aggression such as noise blast tests. Thoughts about
aggression have been confused with aggressive behavior, and
there is a lack of studies that follow children over long periods
of time.
3. A 2004 US Secret Service review of previous school-based
attacks found that one-eighth of attackers exhibited an
interest in violent video games, less than the rate of interest
attackers showed in violent movies, books, and violence in
their own writings. The report did not find a relationship
between playing violent video games and school shootings.
4. The small correlations that have been found between video
games and violence may be explained by violent youth being
drawn to violent video games. Violent games do not cause
youth to be violent. Instead, youth that are predisposed to be
violent seek out violent entertainment such as video games.
5. Playing violent video games reduces violence in adolescent
boys by serving as a substitute for rough and tumble play.
Playing violent video games allows adolescent boys to express
aggression and establish status in the peer group without
causing physical harm.
6. Video game players understand they are playing a game.
Their ability to distinguish between fantasy and reality
prevents them from emulating video game violence in real
life.
7. Playing violent video games provides a safe outlet for
aggressive and angry feelings. A 2007 study reported that

45% of boys played video games because "it helps me get my

anger out" and 62% played because it "helps me relax."
8. Violent video games provide healthy and safe opportunities
for children to virtually explore rules and consequences of
violent actions. Violent games also allow youth to experiment
with issues such as war, violence and death without real world
consequences.
9. The level of control granted to video game players, especially
in terms of pace and directing the actions of their character,
allows youth to regulate their emotional state during
play. Research shows that a perception of being in control
reduces emotional and stressful responses to events.
10.
Alarmist claims similar to current arguments against
violent video games have been made in the past when new
media such as radio, movies, and television have been
introduced. Claims that these various mediums would result in
surges in youth violence also failed to materialize.
11.
Violent video games may affect the form of violence, but
does not cause the violence to occur. Youth might model
violent acts on what they have seen in video games, but the
violence would still occur in the absence of video games.
12.
Exposure to violent video games has not been shown to
be predictive of violent behavior or crime. Any link found
between video games and violence is best explained by other
variables such as exposure to family violence and aggressive
personality.
13.
When research does show that violent video games
cause more arousal and aggression, it is because the
comparative game is less exciting. A short-term increase in
arousal and aggression does not mean a child is going to
leave his or her house and commit a violent act.
14.
In 2005, the US had 2,279 murders committed by
teenagers (27.9 per million residents) compared to 73 in Japan
(3.1 per million). Per capita video game sales were $5.20 in
the US compared to $47 in Japan. This example illustrates that

there is no correlation between violent behavior and playing

video games

CONCLUSION
After finding both the sides of effects of video games on youth it can
be concluded that violent video games can be linked to violent
behaviour in some when humans feel certain emotions, and violent
behaviour. Moreover it depends on the individual gamer on how
he/she reacts to the stimuli produced. A generalization cannot be
made in these cases. Even the gamers realize the consequence of
their act and do not become violent just because they have
introduced to playing certain games. The violent behavior that is
seen in some is only temporary and not permanent.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following websites have been referred for making of this projects:

http://videogames.procon.org/

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html

http://www.video-game-addiction.org/violence.html

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/10/video-games-violentstudy-finds

http://time.com/34075/how-violent-video-games-change-kids-attitudes-aboutaggression/

http://ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html

17 | P a g e