Video Games And Its Effect On Society - 1298 Words

Introduction During the advent of video games, the world was taken by storm, as this new type of entertainment caught the attention and imagination of the populace; but as this attention grew, concern and scrutiny weren’t far behind. Controversy finally got its chance in the 1990s, when games finally upgraded to 16-bit, giving them the ability to depict realistic blood and gore in games like Moral Kombat; which was criticized for excessive violence, a reason Congress used to create the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) (Porter Starcevic 2007). At the same time, First-person shooters (FPS) began to rise in the gaming world, but received a lot of opposition when Doom (a FPS) became infamous for its association with the 1999†¦show more content†¦With new technology, such as the Oculus Rift, ARAIG, and the Virtuix Omni (Rough, 2013), video gamers will be able to immerse themselves into the game of their choice; seeing the virtual world as if they were really there, interacti ng with it through simple movements, and as well receive sensations ranging from light touch all the way to kickback from a gun. As this technology flourishes in next decade; this age old question will begin to reappear again. Opposing groups, especially ones from the older generation, will once again accuse video games for causing future violence; while the supporting groups, mostly made out of the younger generation, will fight against this negative outlook. This divide between the old and new thoughts, highlights the need for more unbiased research into the link between video games and aggression; where aggression leads into violence and eventually crime, both of which are major indicators of social deviancy. This study will attempt to address several concerns: (1) what are the downsides of each type of study? (2) What are the downsides to the various methodologies? (3) Where does the aggression and video game debate stand today? (4) What aspects would this new technology add to the debate? (5) How would this new technology affect the video game and aggression debate? The hypotheses for the study are: (H1) Due to the large acceptance of video games into the popular culture and