In the modern day, technology is constantly improving. We are almost always surrounded by some piece of “tech”. Most of the time, in the form of entertainment. However, with these constant advancements, it’s on us as a community to follow through with proper restrictions. With the amount of uncontrolled cybercrime increasing as technology advances, it is important to raise our future generations within controlled environments, including their mental environment. While making sure our children are not limited to confined creativity, it is just as important to shield their developing minds from influential propaganda. All of this poses the question if mature-rated video games should have more restrictions to guard the youth community.
Videogames are very addicting to young minds, statistics show that 80% of popular videogames involve violence and 66% of teens are addicted to these MA games. These digital drugs easily accessible to youth can cause many drawbacks for their developing minds. Mature-rated video games include a variety of content like drug use, disrespect to the law, sexual violence towards women, stereotyping, and obscene gestures. Exposure to these themes often results in an increase in violent and aggressive behavior, stemming from the graphic content and being subjected to mature scenes. However, this is only a short-term effect. Long-term, normalizing these violent behaviors in the virtual game can spill into their real-world behavior. Children see this content and may try to imitate or become desensitized to it. For adolescents, this negatively impacts them because they are still developing their own coping mechanisms and shouldn’t have constant emotional distress. Another thing found with violent video game addiction is a higher probability of using drugs and lower academic grades. Constantly seeing abuse of drugs in-game can normalize it and they think they should do it too. The brain is also affected, decreasing emotional response to violence and making them more numb to it in real life. Ask yourself, is this what we really want for our future society?
Implementing stricter regulations on mature video games would guard young minds from content going beyond their emotional capacity. Having these games played by a huge percentage of children changes their young perspectives and makes violence a normalized thing that can merge into their real-life perspectives. Having regulations would change this and cultivate a world of gaming that fosters empathy and responsible choices, a coexistence between virtual and real-world values.
Works Cited
Aacap. Video Games and Children: Playing with Violence, 2017, www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-and-Video-Games-Playing-with-Violence-091.aspx#:~:text=Studies%20of%20children%20exposed%20to,more%20influenced%20by%20violent%20images.
Brooks, Dr. Mike, et al. “Should Parents Let Their Kids Play M Rated Video Games?” APACenter, www.apacenter.com/should-parents-let-their-kids-play-m-rated-video-games/. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.
Robinson, Tristan C. “Violent Video Games: Can/Should We Regulate Them?” Weaver Robinson Law Firm, PLLC, 16 Mar. 2021, www.arlingtonlawfirm.com/blog/2021/march/violent-video-games-can-should-we-regulate-them-/.
Grodzinski, Alison. “Do Video Games Influence Violent Behavior?” Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center, 14 Dec. 2015, yvpc.sph.umich.edu/video-games-influence-violent-behavior/.
“Violent Video Games Can Increase Aggression.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2000/04/video-games. Accessed 19 Dec. 2023.