Let the Games Begin

Name

Professor

English 450

November 21, 2010

Let The Games Begin!

There has always been controversy about the popular mainstream media of any era and how it negatively affects the modern culture and happenings of that time. Over the recent past it has been a number of things. Jazz, Rock and Roll, and Rap music, sex and violence in movies and television have been blamed. The most recent alleged culprit is violent video games. Although some people feel strongly that video games cause increased violence among young people, the availability of deadly weapons, a person's prior criminal history, and early childhood development are actually a more likely cause of the problem.

The argument that video game violence and real violence are related comes from researchers who believe they have found conclusive evidence linking violence in young people to the inability to make sound decisions due to the development of the brain. In the article "Adolescent Brain Development and Legal Culpability," Adam Ortiz states:

One of the hormones having the most dramatic effect on the body is testosterone, clearly associated with aggression, testosterone increases aggression levels tenfold.

The well-known behaviors associated with this behavior include … participating in forms of escapism such as video games.

Some believe youth make poor decisions regarding aggression because of these factors rather than the availability of information that show otherwise.

The availability of deadly weapons, especially handguns, presents a more compelling argument to the violence found among young people. In the article "Youth, Guns, and Violent Crimes" Alfred Blumstein states:

A review of the weapons used in homicides committed by young people, especially those under age 18, clearly shows this sharp rise in the use of firearms to commit homicides.

It is clear that if the ease of obtaining these lethal weapons were more difficult that the number of violent crimes perpetrated by young people would be greatly reduced.

In addition to the availability of handguns it is important to consider a person's prior criminal record. In an excerpt from Ronald D. Stephens testimony before the Congressional Subcommittee on Early Childhood Youth and Families he cites a study involving the National School Safety Center and the Centers for Disease Control that among offenders:

40 percent had a past background of criminal behavior; 24 percent had been previously involved with substance abuse; 35 percent were involved in gangs; and

70 percent had previously brought a weapon to school.

These statistics clearly show that violent video games cannot be singled out as the cause of increased violence among young people. It is important to factor in who has a past record which makes them more likely to behave in a violent manner.

Finally, early childhood development proves the propensity for youth violence start much earlier than the exposure to violent video games even begins. In the article "Inadequate Child Care Increases the Risk of Juvenile Crime" Sanford Newman quotes a study by the High/Scope Perry Preschool Program that they:

Randomly divided low-income three- and four-year-olds into two groups. Half received no special services, while the others were enrolled in a quality preschool program … When they reached age 27, arrest records showed