Horn, Royal Van. “Violence and Video Games.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 81, no. 2, 1999, pp.
173-174.
In this article by Royal Van Horn, it is discussed using scientific studies how engaging in violent
video games affects a child’s capability of violence. To Horn, every person should be able to
have the freedom of expression, including the partaking of playing violent video games; despite
this, Horn addresses studies conducted by universities that explore this correlation in relation to
gender, time spent, and who is considered “high-risk” for violence. Horn primarily addresses two
new studies of the time that target finding out who is at risk of becoming violent as a result of
playing these games. According to the studies mentioned, Horn explains that “most children are
probably not harmed at all by their casual recreational use of video games… however, it does
seem that there are subgroups within the population of children who may indeed be ‘at risk’
when it comes to playing video games” (174). As a conclusion, Horn states that those who
express violence tendencies do so as a result of neglect of supervision and improper care from
their parents. He makes it clear that violence is never a direct result from engaging in these
games.
Ward, Michael R. “Video Games and Adolescent Fighting.” The Journal of Law & Economics,
vol. 53, no. 3, 2010, pp. 611-628.
In this article by Michael R. Ward, the effects on playing video games in relation to violence is
analyzed through behavioral studies on children. Ward explains that despite “laboratory
evidence from the psychology literature indicates that these games heighten physical and
emotional reactions to violent, criminal, and antisocial attitudes” (612), the data is not entirely
reliable because the populations of those who play videogames differ among multiple
dimensions, making it noted that there could and most likely are other possible determinants of
aggression for those studied. Throughout the article, Ward goes over studies involving the
amount of time played and the amount of violence committed in specific communities, noticing
an overall connective link between violence and video games. However, Ward concludes that
there are many errors with the research available, returning to his original claim that there are too
many variables that have not been accounted for. He ends by saying that the only clear statement
from research is that violence can be a result of excessive gameplay, but he also aims to allow
readers to recognize that there are many possible reasons other than video games that make
children vulnerable to expressing violence.
Klemm, Bonita. “Viewpoint #1: Video-Game Violence.” Young Children, vol. 50, no. 5, 1995,
pp. 53-55.
In this article by Bonita Klemm, the correlation between videogames and violence is discussed
in the perspective of its effects on a community. To Klemm, a person’s freedom of expression is
essential; however, she notes that with this freedom comes certain restrictions. She states
that “we have tamper-proof bottles, warning labels, car seats, and bicycle helmets for young
children… in this same spirit, we must now address another and equally dangerous
environmental factor” (54). She explains how these young children being exposed to such gore,
horror, and severity will greatly impact their lifestyles and generate a dangerous society for those
same children. Though she doesn’t rely on any scientific research to back her point, she notes
that the idea alone should be enough to convince parents, teachers, and others to make a change
when it comes to exposing children to such violent video games. It is clear that Klemm is against
this early exposure, and she uses this article to express just how important it is to recognize the
effects this will have on the children and their future.
Agne, S. (2021, June 4). Is it only a game? Videogames and violence. Retrieved April 27,
2022.
This article explores more in depth if violence and videogames have a link between one another.
The author understands the general media outlook on how video games affect the teenage
population but still ponders if this link is backed by fact or by the bias of the news reports. The
author also analyzes the effect on violent behavior of teenagers with the new releases of violent
videogames to find a correlation between the two. Concluding the article the author finds no
substantial evidence that points towards increased violent behavior with the new release of violent
games.