Video Game Violence Free Essays

Video Game Violence â€Å"Video Game Violence Law Poses Questions†, is an editorial located in the online magazine V Planet. Vance Velez, the author of the controversial issue, opposes the Washington law involving specific forms of video game violence, which is on the verge of being passed in the Legislature. He successfully persuades his audience that the Washington law limits people’s rights and that they should take a stand against the proposed law. We will write a custom essay sample on Video Game Violence or any similar topic only for you Order Now His audience includes people who are in favor of the Washington law, concerned parents, and adult video gamers that oppose the Washington law, who are, in his definition, those 18 or older. Those who are in favor of the law may include politicians, or mothers who can relate to influential violence on children. Adult video gamers are those who enjoy playing video games as a favorite pastime, just like golf or aerobics, for most Americans. â€Å"It’s no argument that video games are becoming more violent†, states Velez. â€Å"Many parents and politicians oppose the violence; some even want to get these kind of video games banned. † A politician who opposes this specific form of violence is Mary Lou Dickerson. Mary Lou Dickerson is a State Legislator who has proposed a law to restrict certain violent material in video games. The proposed law, which is quoted in the editorial, states: â€Å"Levies a fine up to 500 dollars on anyone who rents or sells to someone 17 or younger computer games in which the player kills or injures a human form that is depicted as a public law enforcement officer. Police officers and firefighters are included in that classification. † Velez addresses many flaws in the proposed law in detail and also explains some consequences that may occur if the law is passed. Vance Velez is the author of many editorials that appear on this online magazine. His broad knowledge of video games allows him to pinpoint the main problems of the law. He successfully persuades people that are in favor of the law, that it may, in the long run, actually harm our youth. The author’s main argument throughout the editorial is backed by issuing a series of examples how many games that do not endanger young children, may be banned because of a faulty law. He mentions that passing the law will limit people’s rights and may also act as a gateway law, to limit others rights. â€Å"If they take away our right to have fun and view what we enjoy, then what else will they take away when violence is still present in our society? † Vance Velez explains in detail why people should oppose the Washington law on video games. Although he does introduce and define many terms involving video games, he expects the reader to at least have some knowledge about video games. He addresses many games, like Simcity and Grand Theft Auto, which have been in the mainstream lately; therefore, readers must be up to date with video games and must be familiar with certain type of video games in order to understand the author’s references. Velez addresses adult video gamers and let’s them know that their precious games may be lost, so he urges them to take action and protest this pending law. Velez opposes the Washington law because it violates people’s rights. Velez’ stand that taking away things mature Americans enjoy would be a crime in itself because it violates the Freedom of Speech rights. In his definition a mature American is a person who knows right from wrong. He states, â€Å"The Washington law, because it’s built on fear of the unknown and lack of communication, fails to recognize the freedom of speech rights. † The author uses logos by referring to people’s values of their rights. The author opens the first paragraph with a question, â€Å"What’s the right way to protect children from violence? He appeals to those who are against video game violence and lets them know that he wants safety for our youth with the use of good reasons. He gains trust from this audience by showing he wants things for the better. His definition of children includes those who have a sense of right and wrong but are still easily influenced. He believes that video games aren’t harming children; it’s some other factor that is the reason why video games are harming very young kids, such as lack of parent guidance and discipline. Velez talks about this later on in his editorial. He then uses pathos to appeal to the feelings of concerned parents, and those who are in favor of the Washington law, as he states, â€Å"This is the fourth time that politicians have tried to pass laws regulating violent content in video games. † This audience sees how helpless and unsuccessful the government is when it comes to passing these types of laws. This audience feels sorry for the government, they sort of look down at them shame. Those who are in favor of the Washington law may begin to think that people who can’t make up their minds organize our country. They may start to question the proposed law and wonder if it too, will fail. Velez quotes Mary Lou Dickerson, who explains what the state legislator actually thinks about video games in response to a lawsuit. â€Å"The lawsuit filed today against Washington’s ban on sales or rentals of cop-killing games to children comes as no surprise. Certain elements of the video-game industry clearly want the right to sell any game, no matter how brutal, racist or sick, to any child, no matter how young. † Velez rebuts this argument by initially stating it’s in violation of Freedom of Speech rights. Politicians are actually trying to ban violent video games which are a pastime that many adult Americans enjoy. † By adult, Velez states that he means, â€Å"Those people who are 18 or older. † He persuades this audience to take action by standing up against the law. Velez remarks, â€Å"Taking away an individuals right to have fun and enjoy video games can be argued as a violation. † The author is addressing adult gamers when he states this because they have the ability to stand up against such laws. The author’s statements threaten adult gamers and make them have a sense of danger that their lives are being controlled. Velez begins his argument by mentioning games that are â€Å"harmless†, in his opinion, which may be banned because they violate the grounds of the Washington law. His example of the game Simcity, appeals to logos and ethos by explaining how an educational game would be in violation of the law. He says, â€Å"In the game of Simcity, you can cause a minor disaster in your city by causing a tornado, an earthquake or a flood. These disasters can destroy the police station or fire department, which would be in violation of the proposed Washington law. † His audiences are those who are for the Washington law and concerned parents when he explains how â€Å"innocent† games, according to Velez, are the victims of the proposed law. He persuades them by making them realize not all â€Å"violent video games† are harmful to children. I think if this audience is familiar with the game of Simcity, they would agree that it is not a violent game, but the author makes them realize that their values will be lost if the law passes, by the use of pathos. Many video gamers would find this offensive because they aren’t able to enjoy their â€Å"innocent† games. The audience’s emotions are being involved in this paragraph with the use of pathos. The author’s ethos is clarified once his familiarity and expertise with video games begin to show and as he introduces situations that are possible once the law is passed. In another example of a â€Å"harmful† video game, the definition according the Washington law, Velez introduces the game Rampage, where giant gorillas and lizards destroy cities, similar to King Kong. The author explains that in the game the animals are capable of crushing police stations and police cars. Rampage, which attracts gamers between the ages of eight and sixteen, would be in violation of the Washington law. The author introduces the silliness of the Washington law. He makes the audience realize that highly fictional characters aren’t harmful to children; however, he states, â€Å"In the governments eyes, they will make children grow up to be terrorists. † Velez describes the many holes the proposed law contains. Those who are for the Washington law are persuaded with logos in this situation because they believe it is only fair for children or even adults to have fun if the game is completely safe. They may also think of other forms of entertainment that may also be involved with this kind of law. They imagine other situations where law enforcement officers are portrayed or killed, such as in numerous movies such as, â€Å"Robin Hood† and â€Å"Lethal Weapon†. Why aren’t these issues being addressed? Are video games that much worse than violent movies and plays? In his last paragraph, Velez explains his beliefs involving the problems of violent video games. His finger points to government and most importantly, the children’s parents. He explains that parents have the responsibility to judge what their child sees and hears. Some adult audiences might find his accusation offensive and may get turned off by his remarks, because they are blunt and obtrusive. An example of this is when he remarks, â€Å"The parents should be responsible enough to monitor their children and make sure that that particular game does not enter the console (videogame system) itself. Reasonable adult audiences may actually listen to hear what the author is trying to get across. His use of logos appeals to those who are in favor of the Washington law because he makes them think about how parents could be the source of the problem. They may agree that parents need to be on the look out for what is safe and unsafe for their children. Velez explains that parents allow children to play violent video games that influence children to do harm which portray video games as the main source of the problem. It’s easier to blame an image or machine than it is to blame people†, Velez said. The â€Å"parent† problem may make more sense to his opposing audience if they aren’t biased and read the editorial with an open mind. In conclusion, Vance Velez was very familiar with his topic, which gave him enough credibility to persuade those in his audience who are in favor of the Washington law, to think twice about their position and possibly accept his belief, that passing the Washington law is a mistake. He’s also successful at convincing adult gamers, those 18 or older, to take action against the proposed Washington law. His arguments were well thought out and convincing by using logos and pathos. However, his alternative to the Washington law was a bit broad and didn’t really include a solution. He identified the problems that might occur if the law is passed, such as the loss of Freedom of Speech Rights, but he had no feedback on how else to deal with the situation. I believe author’s overall argument was persuading even though he didn’t include a proposed solution. How to cite Video Game Violence, Papers Video Game Violence Free Essays There have been many arguments that have been brought up arguing that violent video games are making kids more violent. Some arguments go as far as saying all video games are making kids more violent. However, the argument can go both ways. We will write a custom essay sample on Video Game Violence or any similar topic only for you Order Now People have brought up that video games help kids with hand eye coordination and allow them to vent their frustrations. The earliest videogame has been around since 1958, and this game was a simple game that had no human and no violence in it. As technology became more advanced the videogames became more violent. Starting with a ball bouncing right and left in a videogame called Tennis for Two and ending with an incredibly violent video game that encourages killing other humans in Manhunt 2. There has been much research done on violent video games and their effects on kids, but no outcome has been decided yet. One side of the argument views videogames as a good thing. They think that videogames do not affect kids in any way and that some are good for kids. Talking about two boys that have ADD, â€Å"video games, as prescribed by their psychologist, have helped them learn to focus† (Mike Snider, 2005 p. ). Video games are helping train kids to focus, and it is doing it in a fun way. Kids learn better when they are interested in what they are doing and video games make learning fun and interactive. When playing a video game the fun parts are remembered by the kids and if the fun parts are educational, they will learn it. Other studies have shown that video game violence does not make kids more violent like people say, but at the most it just desensitizes them to violence. This is only true if they play violent video games, but a study showed that â€Å"the three most popular types of games are nonviolent. Instead, they involve racing, puzzles and sports† (Sieberg, Daniel 2008 p. 1). Some kids are playing violent video games, but the majority of kids are playing games that may actually help them. Puzzle games make kids think more on how to solve problems and sport games make kids want to get up and try the sport that they see. With all of the new technology coming out, it allows kids to be more active. The newest system from Nintendo is the Wii. This is a game system that makes kids get up and move to play forcing children to get some exercise even if they do not know it. So video games really are helping the kids in today’s world. On the other side, arguments have been raised saying that video games are making kids more violent. A study done in American Psychology Association showed that kids that play violent video games have a rise in violent thoughts and actions. The Washington Post wrote, â€Å"Playing violent video games increases violent thinking, attitudes and behaviors among players. And does nothing to promote positive social behaviors† (2010 p. 1). When kids that played a violent videogame for 30 minutes have a scan of their brain, there is a rise of activity in the emotion part of their brain showing that violent video games causes these kids to think differently. Because the emotional part of the brain is more active, kids will have a harder time making wise decisions. There have been arguments that video game violence desensitizes kids to violence and that since they do not feel remorse for murder, they will just go out and kill someone. Kids learn from everyday experiences and the kids in today’s world play hours of videogames a week, so kids are learning from the video games that they play. Because a video game shows that killing is good, that the more creative the kill the more money, and the more violent the better, kids might pick up on this idea and bring it to the real world. If at a young enough age some kids will believe anything and with the age of kids playing violent video games dropping, the young kids will learn bad things from these video games. As early as the first Space Invaders game there was violence. Back then it might just have been a spaceship exploding into tiny pixels, but there was still shooting involved. The ways of violence seems to be the same; it is just that everything now is bloodier and more graphic. Bernard Farrales says, â€Å"Even though the levels of realism and gore have increased, it can be said that video games have NOT become more violent since the basic goal is the same: shoot and kill everything in your way† (Farrales p. 1). Even from the beginning there has been violence, but as time went on and technology became more advanced the videogames became more graphic. Now not only are people destroying small pixilated spaceships, they are killing anything that moves in many gruesome ways. Many video games are violent they might not be as violent as people being decapitated but there is some hidden violence within. A video game called Mario Cart may seem like a simple racing game with no violence, but there is some violence when one of the characters throws turtle shells or even bombs at the other characters. There is violence in so many video games whether it is horrific or minor people may not see it. Is the violence in video games violent totally necessary? To some it seems like it while to others it does not. Parents of the kids that have these video games feel that this violence is not needed because of what it might do to their kids. Susan Grinde, a mother from East Wenatchee, says â€Å"Violent video games encourage disrespectful and violent behavior as it distorts fantasy and reality. † Parents do not want their kids to grow up to be violent because they care for their kids and want the best for them. Video game companies on the other hand love the violence. Violence is the number one seller in video games because the majority of the buyers are teenage boys who love the violence. In today’s society violence is wanted by many people because it gives them a way to vent their frustrations. People have violence and killer instincts within themselves, and people play violent video games to fulfill their killer needs. This makes for a very good business in the video game industry. Times have changed and so has the video games. October 18, 1958 brought about the firs ever video game called Tennis For Two. People in this time period were so entertained by this phenomenon because it was new and interesting. More games came out like Tennis For Two, like Pong. When one video game comes out and is a big hit with society, other games come out because that is what interest people. When violent video games began to come out, the people did not know what to think about them. Mortal Combat was one of the first violent video game, and some people did not know what to think about it because it was the first to show death on a computer. As time went on people began to like these new forms of video games more and more so video game companies tried to give the people what they wanted. Violence began to sell incredibly well so the companies tried to make their games more violent so that people would buy them like the video game Gears of War which has blood in every scene. In today’s world, so many video games are violent because of the addiction to violence we have. So from Tennis For Two to Gears of War, video game companies are just trying to give the people what they want. How to cite Video Game Violence, Essay examples