Violent video games are Dangerous for Teenagers

The impact of violent video games on teenagers is an issue that has raised controversy in
the recent past. On one side are people who feel that exposing teenagers to violent video games
is unhealthy as it encourages unacceptable behaviors such as isolation, anger, and fighting.
Others are of the opinion that violent video games are not dangerous as they tend to enhance
psychomotor skills and are a way of having fun for teenagers. This paper argues that violent
video games are dangerous as they promote aggression among teenagers, interfere with cognition
and the mood of the player, reduce prosocial behavior, and respond to the counterargument that
playing violent video games does not cause aggression and instead helps the player enhance their
mental abilities.
Violent video games promote aggression and have been found to make the player less
empathetic. Teenagers are said to have a higher vulnerability toward negative stimuli (Kühn et
al. 1229). They are excited by risky behavior. Therefore, exposing them to violent video games
is indirectly feeding into their need to engage in such behavior. Besides, the way in which the
games are played encourages and rewards violence. The player who kills more people or is more
aggressive is awarded points or coins that they can redeem in the cause of the game. Such
rewards are highly likely to enforce aggressive behavior even in the player’s real life. Studies
show that playing violent video games activates neural networks and makes aggressive behavior

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exciting and interesting, consequently encouraging the individual to act in such a manner (Zhang
et al. 8). The payer may start using aggression as an effective tactic necessary for survival,
consequently endangering the safety of their peers as well as their own.
Violent video games affect cognition and cause attentional problems. Studies have shown
that children and teenagers who spend more time playing video games tend to have more
attentional problems (Smirni et al. 405). Since they struggle to pay attention to other activities,
they mostly get more attracted to playing video games. Such individuals find other activities less
stimulating and not as engaging as video games. Since violent video games provide the player
with strong motivational cues and are rewarding compared to ordinary activities such as doing
homework or completing house chores, teenagers find themselves falling into addiction.
Further, apart from affecting cognition, violent video also decreases prosocial behavior.
According to the General Aggression model (GAM), there are associations between the media
that individuals consume and prosocial behavior (Coyne et al. 1870). Triggers such as violent
video games interact with the personal and biological characteristics of a person and make them
behave less prosocially. These often lead to the activation of emotions and physiological arousal
that may impel a teenager to engage in certain undesirable behaviors. Aggression and antisocial
behaviors tend to overlap. However, not every antisocial behavior is aggressive or related to this
behavior. Teenagers are thus more likely to engage in behaviors that society deems inappropriate
without feeling any or much remorse.
However, while some believe in the negative effects of violent video games, some studies
have been found to show that these games have positive effects on teenagers and tend to help
them improve their mental abilities. Violent video games have been said to enhance empathy,
sharpen the brain and allow a teenager to perform certain tasks requiring higher mental abilities.

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They have been found to help improve cognitive competence (Smirni et al. 402). The degree to
which teenagers play violent video games is strongly correlated to the rate at which they are able
to perform tasks that require sharp and critical thinking. However, while video games tend to
sharpen the players’ ability to perform cognitive tasks, the effects in terms of causing aggression,
a decrease in prosocial behavior, and addiction outweigh that one benefit. Besides, there are
other ways to enhance cognition other than playing video games.
Overall, violence is undesirable behavior. Exposing teenagers to violent video games
indirectly communicates to them that they can be violent in the virtual world. However, when it
becomes a habit, teenagers then act violently not only in the virtual world while playing games
but also in the real world. Violent video games increase the risk of teenagers adopting violent
habits and attitudes. They are likely to behave aggressively toward their peers. Thus, allowing
teenagers to play violent video games is dangerous and exposes them to an increased risk of
developing antisocial behaviors.

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Works Cited

Coyne, Sarah M., et al. “Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior: A
five-year longitudinal study during adolescence.” Developmental psychology 54.10
(2018): 1870.
Kühn, Simone, et al. “Does playing violent video games cause aggression? A longitudinal
intervention study.” Molecular psychiatry 24.8 (2019): 1220-1234.
Smirni, Daniela, et al. “The playing brain. the impact of video games on cognition and behavior
in pediatric age at the time of lockdown: a systematic review.” Pediatric Reports 13.3
(2021): 401-415.
Zhang, Qian, Yi Cao, and JingJin Tian. “Effects of violent video games on aggressive cognition
and aggressive behavior.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking 24.1
(2021): 5-10.