Do video games cause (or not) cause violent behaviour

Video Games Cause Aggressive Behaviour Video Games Cause Aggressive Behaviour The entertainment industry has, over time, evolved owing to the advancement in technology. Playing video games has replaced the old order where mostly children and teens used to play outside. The most impressive video games to the young generation are those that involve shootings, bombings and killing of enemies. The increased violence in these games begs the question whether they are fuelling aggression among children and teens. Video games with violence provoke teens and children to act aggressively.
Violent video games subconsciously teach teens to react aggressively towards their obstacles (Aril, 2013). These games are full of gruesome murder scenes, torture, weaponry and dead bodies. These scenes render the gamers less sensitive to others resulting in antisocial tendencies. Neuroscientists assert that the more the time spent playing violent video games the more likely a child will exhibit negative behaviours among them aggression. Harris and Klebold murdered twelve students in 1999 at Columbine High School and later shot themselves. During the rampage, they commented that they wished to make the scene “ just like doom” which was attributed to a violent video game called Doom. In 2007, Hui Cho shot and killed thirty two students of Virginia Tech University and later confessed to have been playing violent video games earlier on (Keenan, 2008). However, some argue that video games do not lead to aggressive behaviours since they are rated as adult content (Ferguson, 2011). Nevertheless, it is difficult to forbid their circulation when many are readily available online.
Video games definitely lead to aggressive behaviours. Parents and the authorities need to device ways of restricting their access to children and teens. There should be increased regulation on the kind of games floated in the market and parents and guardians should be vigilant and scrutinize the kind of games their children are playing.
References
Ferguson, C. J. (2011). Video games and youth violence: A prospective analysis in adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 40(4), 377-377-391.
Aril, A. (2013). Influence of electronic media in escalating aggressive behaviour in children. Anchor Academic Publishing,
Keenan, T. (2008, Apr 04). Do some video games encourage violence?; one former soldier thinks that this type of entertainment is teaching kids to kill. Nanaimo Daily News, pp. C. 6.