3 reasons why games don’t encourage real-life violence:

Last week the US was surprised by shooting attacks that rekindled the idea that video games are stimulating this type of behavior in young people. And those were the words of the President of the Republic of the United States: a phrase without foundation and dispersed in a country where the release of weapons is completely easy.

Many sources have spoken out about this association, some in favor, some against. Our opinion is against what judges video games, since it is just a form of entertainment, such as movies and books We can show our point with 3 items:

1 – Researchers at the University of York have found no evidence to support the theory that video games make players more violent.

In 2018, the team of the University made a series of experiments with 3000 people. One of the experiments was comparing 2 types of games to check if realism in the design of the game is a provocative item to induce real violence. The findings suggest that there is no link between these kinds of realism in games and the kind of effects that video games are commonly thought to have on their players.

The relationship between digital games and violence is studied by researchers from various countries. Although, as we said, there has been a prevalence of studies in which it is concluded that such a relationship does not exist or at least cannot be proved and that there is a need for continuity in research.

2 – “Nothing that is too much, is good”

How many times did we hear that from our parents? Like any addiction, playing too much is not good. Well, if we did not hear that, certainly there’s something wrong with who the addicted person is relating to.

Every bad thing that happens starts for some reason, and if the child starts playing tirelessly, is because he/she certainly has some social problems in his or her real-life: went through some bully, or there is not much dialogue in his family environment, or simply have a personality that tends to be reclusive, but that the family may notice and take some action on.

Only a small number of children who are already predisposed to violence because of their family environment see changes to their behavior because of playing video games. The vast majority of people who play violent video games, no matter how often, have no changes to their behavior outside of the game. Multiple research studies have found the same conclusion, including recent research published by the Media Research Lab located at Iowa State, according to Vittana’s website.

3 – They bring life-benefits

Games are developed with many years of dedication, testing, and studying, and they are certainly not intended to lead anyone to the “path of evil.”

Many studies have shown the benefits provided by games in various aspects, such as

• stimulating imagination;
• developing spatial reasoning;
• problem-solving skills;
• intellectual autonomy;
• understanding that rules exist and the need to follow them;
• socialization.

And these benefits are extended to people of all age groups.

Reflections are Always Needed

Even if it is positive for developers, the realism of graphic arts can be rethought in order to at least remove games from the target of such defamation. A developer, knowing that their creation will have an effect on society, can use the positive side of games to encourage good manners in society.

We definitely know that most already do it!

It is up to brands, developers, players, and influencers to bring discussions on the topic in a grounded and real way, excluding the possibility of agreements without those same features coming up. Let’s do it? 🙂