" How much of an influence do violent video games have in terms of making young people aggressive? An article in the scholarly journal Aggressive Behavior (Barlett, et al., 2007) (titled "Longer You Play, the More Hostile You Feel: Examination of First Person Shooter Video Games and Aggression During video Game Play") states that 70% of college students are "avid" video game players. Also, video game sales are "steadily increasing, reaching 2.9 billion dollars in 2004" (Barlett, p. 486). The most frequently rented games are violent, very often including sexual themes, the article states. Moreover there is frequently a great deal of "blood and gore" associated with these games, and adolescent children prefer violent video games to more mellow or sports-related games. Add to that the fact that video games are becoming much more realistic, some are in 3-Dimensional formats, and they have "an addictive quality," Barlett writes.

And so this is prime territory for research into just how much of an affect do violent video games have on young boys, in particular. Going back to 1980, research on video games and aggression show that adolescents who spend "the most time" in arcades where violent video games are available are the most aggressive. It should come as no surprise to parents or teachers or guardians that, as the article points out, "multiple literature reviews" and "meta-analytic work" by scholars and researchers reflects the fact that "...playing a violent video game significantly increases the aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, and physiological arousal of the players" (Barlett, p. 487). This, in turn, increases the amount of aggressive behaviors that are witnessed in empirical studies involving video games.

Scientists using a model called General Aggression Model (GAM) report in this article that the exposure "to the mere presence of the violent content in certain video games" raises the hostility level of the player "significantly." And this raising level of hostility in the video game player occurs "unconsciously" (Barlett, p. 488). Interestingly, when a player is playing in a cooperative situation with others...

"When participants are made to feel frustrated, their aggression levels increase" and moreover frustration can be easily produced in video games when the villain or otherwise bad guy dies "before the game expires" (Barlett, p. 489).
And the mere presence of a weapon in a video game increases the aggressive behaviors of the players who see the weapon. Barlett, et al., call this the "Weapons Effect." Some of the video games actually incorporate a near-real gun, with a trigger, aiming parts, a barrel and a handle; pull the trigger and a beam of light shoots toward the "enemy."

Outline

A: History of Video Games

1) First video games in 1974

B: Why Video Game Sales Are Booming

1) despite the lagging economy, people keep buying video games

C: Video Games as Learning Tools - Encouraging Reading Through Video Games

1) authors and publishers believe video games will stimulate reading

D: Aggressive Behaviors Linked to Video Games

1) evidence shows some players become aggressive & violent

Works Cited

Barlett, Christopher P., Harris, Richard J., & Baldassaro, Ross. (2007). Longer You Play, the More Hostile You Feel: Examination of First Person Shooter Video Games and Aggression During Video Game Play. Aggressive Behavior, volume 33, 486-497.

Fehd, Amanda. (2008). Video game sales up 37% to $1.12B in May. USA Today.

Retrieved December 4, 2008, at http://www.usatoday.com.

Godinez, Victor. (2008). Thriving video game industry hits right buttons in troubled

Economy. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved December 4, 2008, at http://www.dallasnews.com.

Gunter, Barrie. (1998). The Effects of Video Games on Children: The Myth

Unmasked. London:…