When video games first evolved, they were innocuous games such as Pong, a video version of ping-pong, but over the years, the technology has evolved to where today children, and adults, can battle realistic people and creatures, spill realistic blood and gore, mutilate their enemies, and become trained killers in the process (Vessey and Lee 607). President Clinton stated that: over 300 studies report that the boundary between
fantasy and reality violence, which is a clear line for
most adults, can become very blurred for vulnerable children. Kids steeped in the culture of violence do become sensitized to it and are more capable of
committing it themselves (Vessey and Lee 607).
The U.S. Juvenile Justice Act of 1999 was a policy statement issued by the Senate Commission on the Judiciary that encouraged responsible corporate behavior and parental empowerment, although not going as far as compulsory industry regulation.
Video game violence takes many forms, from slapstick to highly realistic violence, in is portrayed in fantasy, action, and sports games (Vessey and Lee 607). Real life consequences are rarely incorporated into the games. Females are often portrayed as passive and in need of rescuing, and over 20 percent of games portray violence against women. Defenders of the games suggest that playing violent video games gives youths an outlet for pent-up feelings, and others say they are prosocial because they see violence as an acceptable way for good to triumph over evil. Games are played by both sexes, which find them socially desirable. One study of 357 8th graders found that 32 percent selected games that involved fantasy violence, 17 percent selected games that involved human violence, and 30 percent selected sports games, many with violent subthemes.
Data support that repeated exposure to media violence is associated with desensitization to violent behavior, resulting in less trust, less empathy ...