Do Violent Video Games Cause Aggression

My stance on whether or not a person’s behavior can be affected by violence in video games lies somewhere between both sides of the argument, though I tend towards the ‘not’ side.

In my own personal experience, I’ve never felt more aggressive after a session with Halo or Grand Theft Auto then I did before, and I honestly can’t really see myself ever being so. It only takes a little maturity to realize the difference between a disappointing session with Call of Duty and reality. And in my opinion, the vast majority of game players out there are mature and level-headed enough not to let a violent game affect them. As gamers, we know enough about the virtual nature of our hobby not to let it overflow into our day to day lives.

However, that’s not to say that a violent game won’t stir certain emotions for the player, which for some people, can lead to more aggressive behavior. Losing a crucial match in a sports game, or getting killed in a multiplayer game like Call of Duty can cause the player to unleash a stream of curses at the game and hurl the controller across the room (personal experience with a friend). This could easily be interpreted as aggressive behavior by anyone not used to the occasional frustration factor involved with some games. Even those who don’t react so physically to certain games still can’t deny that frustration with a certain level or objective can cause one’s vitals to spike and their anger to flash, if only for a moment.

In all honesty though, I feel that there are much more significant factors that lead to a person’s level of aggression. In other words, to say that a violent game can cause a kid to become aggressive isn’t looking at the complete picture. Where and how a person was raised as a child, their job, their natural inclination to aggressive behavior, their financial standing, and the list could go on. All of these reasons come into play long before a person picks up a controller. So if a person is going to be affected by the game in a way that carries over into reality, it’s not the game that’s the problem, it’s the player. He or she was going to be set off sooner or later thanks to circumstances completely beyond a game’s influence.

So, can violent video games cause people to become more aggressive while the game is being played? Sure; but only in the same sense that a violent movie or TV show would.

Will it affect the person enough to carry that aggression over into the real world? Not without a whole list of other, more important factors coming in to play first.