kate.spiller

__**Violence and Video Games Interview**__

Violence in video games has been researched time and time again with a very similar conclusion: violence does effect aggressive behavior in the player. Studies suggest that the long term effects of violent video game play are positive attitudes toward use of violence as well as the graphic images desensitizing the player to violence. In the reading "Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life", Craig A. Anderson and Karen E. Dill discuss how, "long term video game players can become more aggressive in outlook, perceptual biases, attitudes, beliefs,and behavior than they were before the repeated exposure or would have become without such exposure. (Anderson & Dill 774). In the following interview, I spoke with two people of different generations and gender to find out their opinion on video game violence and if there were any similarities between the two in their answers.

media type="youtube" key="yr-lQZzevwA" height="344" width="425" The questions were asked in the following order
 * __Interview__**
 * Do you believe that playing video game can increase a person's aggressive behavior?


 * Who do you believe is responsible for a child's interaction with video games? Do you believe educators should be taking time to inform students about the effects of violence in the media or not?


 * Are you an advocate for video games, both non-violent and violent? If not, why?

First Interview Name: Craig Fineburg Relationship: fiancé Age: 23 Profession: Information technology and student

1. Yes, I do believe that video games can increase a person's aggressive behavior. However I also believe that this is true for other activities, like competitive sports, such as baseball or football. Almost any activity that has passion behind it can cause inappropriate behavior. For that matter even emotions can, like love or hate. It's not solely because of the act but the environment and drive of a person.

2. In a perfect world it would be the responsibility of the parents, but this does not seem to happen as often as it should. So I believe that educators should take the time to pass information on about the reality of video games because school is a vital place for a child to learn and grow. A child develops some of their character in school, so what they learn there will be applied to life outside of it.

3. I am not an advocate for video games. I think they can cause problems, but I also think they are not the root cause of the issue of aggressive behavior. Video games provide an outlet for kids and adults for entertainment purposes. It is an escape for a lot of people. However, it is when the line between fantasy and reality is blurred and sometimes crossed that it becomes a problem. There needs to be clear distinction for children to understand that violence in a video game is not real. This division needs to be recognized not only in video games, but in many other aspects of life.

I agree with Craig that video games are not the root cause of aggressive behavior. I think that although they may be a contributor, they are not the sole reason for it. He mentions how "any activity that has passion behind it can cause inappropriate behavior", which I think could also represent the fact that video games are shown as being, "addictive in nature" (Anderson & Dill, 2000). This could be do to the feeling of accomplishment and reward from playing a video game. I can relate to this through my use of exercise. Although I feel that it is not necessarily "addictive", there is the term "runner's high" which is used to define the feeling one gets after completing a challenging exercise or run. This is one of the reasons I do exercise every day and I think this is similar to the reason people play video games all the time-there is a sense of reward and accomplishment after challenging levels and so forth. So although some behaviors that result from video games may be seen as negative, one must also take into consideration the positive. **
 * __Kate's Response__

__**Second Interview**__ Name: Barbara Spiller Relationship: mother Age: 65 Profession: Real estate agent/substitute teacher

1. Yes, I know there are a lot of games out there that are attack/kill type games that have no consequences, and therefore are extremely unrealistic. Therefore I believe this could teach a child to be more aggressive and disillusioned to what the reality of violence is.

2. I believe a parent is responsible for a child's playing of video games, especially when they are in 3rd grade or below. It's the parents responsibility to realize that they will be exposed to all types of video games and your children will be affected by it. A parent must take the time to explain what's happening in the video game so the child is aware that it is fictional. I also do believe that educators should be taking the time to educate children about violence in media, like video games, because the younger children are the most impressionable and the most vulnerable. So if you can influence a younger child's opinion against violence in video games, the better the chances are that they will grow up and continue to have a strong separate of reality and fantasy as well as knowing right from wrong.

3. I think video games are a waste of time. I don't think they teach anything about real life. I think you have to get outside and experience the world instead of staying inside starring at a video game. You may up your computer skills, but life skills, play skills, interactions with others will not improve. I believe you learn nothing. I hope that there will be more silly, fun games provided for children. When I was growing up there were games like Twister, so I'm hoping for more laughing, fun, and silly games. I want there to be more interactive games. We should be focusing more on physical activities. Why does it always have to come down to violence for a game to be "fun"?

I agree that parents are responsible for making sure that they are monitoring the games a child is interacting with. I believe that they should take the time to introduce their children to the idea of fantasy and reality not only with video game violence, but also with other media like film, the Internet and even books. I also feel that educators should be engaging in more media literacy so children gain a better understanding of what they are being exposed to. My mother made sure that I was always active, I was either outside playing soccer or basketball, or at dance classes. It's important to note however that I spent a great deal of my childhood traveling to different countries as well as living in them, which creating a more exciting atmosphere for a child of my age. So instead of playing video games, I was out exploring. It wasn't until I moved back to America that I began playing the video game Doom regularly with my best friend.
 * __Kate's Response__**


 * __Results__**

Although it is clear that there is a difference in the opinion of video games ( Craig finds them to be an outlet for entertainment, while my mother finds them to be pointless) there is also the strong similarity of who's responsibility it is. They both feel that it is up the parents to be responsible to educate their child on the fantasy/reality aspect of video games as well as educators to introduce how to read video games and teach them about what they are watching and playing.

Media has always had a role in my life since I was a child. My grandfather was a photographer, my parents were constantly taking cameras along with us on trips, my father helped develop voice over IP, we were subjected to hours of films while on long plane rides...the list goes on. Although I have developed a love for photography and film due to this exposure, I also learned from my parents how to interpret media starting a young age. No, they did not do in depth analysis of advertisements, but they did take the time to explain fantasy/reality, depictions of emotions, and would discuss why or why not they enjoyed something. My parents were able to use media as a tool to facilitate my creativity. I think one of the reason children actively seek video games to play is that they are full of excitement to try and conquer a challenge that is always ultimately rewarding. They are able to explore a new world on their own, independently of their parents. Do I advocate violent video games as satisfying this need? No, but I also believe that if we are so strongly opposed to these games we must begin educating our children early on about what they are seeing and what messages they receive from it, and to introduce them to other ways of exploring through real life experience and more "fun" games like Little Big Planet. **
 * __Personal Reflection__

**Work Cited**
Anderson, C. and Dill, K (2000). Videogames and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life.//Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78//, 353-359.