1. CST 320: Intro to Digital Games
Violence in Video Games (and how it can or cannot affect human behavior)
Matthew DeAngelo
Allison Re
CST 320: Intro to Digital Games
April 23, 2012

2. Notable Violent Game Controversies
1971 – Death Race
Violence - “life-like screams”
1992 – Mortal Kombat
Violence – in-game and commercial
Grand Theft Auto: San Andres “Hot Coffee Mod”
Sex
Modern Warfare 2 – “No Russian” mission
Violence - Shooting civilians in an Airport
Banned in Russia, “Game Over” in Japan and Germany, option to skip in America

3. Violence affects behavior
Aggressive behavior
Chance of addiction
Desensitization of reality
What is real and what is not
School shootings
Columbine High School (April 20, 1999)
Both shooters played Doom and Wolfenstein3D
Made custom levels in the games

4. Violence does not affect behavior
ESRB – Entertainment Software Ratings Board
Rates video games based on content (language, violence, etc)
Increases Social behavior
Crime rates have dropped
Video games used in classrooms / training
Studies only focus on one aspect, not whole picture
Other Media – Exposure to violence
Film, music, television, books
Parenting?
In regards to school shootings:
Video games not linked
Other factors (anxiety, depression, bullying, etc.)

5. References
Carnagey, N., Anderson, C., and Bushman, B. (2007). The Effect of Video Game Violence on Physiological Desensitization to Real-Life Violence.  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 43(3),  (
Ferris, Duke. “The Truth about Violent Youth and Video Games.” Game Revolution.
Gross, D. (June 29, 2011). The ten biggest violent video game controversies. CNN
Jayson, S. (September 14, 2011). “Don’t study the video game, study the player. USA Today.
Kalning, K. (December 8, 2006). Does Game Violence Make Teens Aggressive? MSNBC.
Kutner, L. and Olson, C. (2008). Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do. New York: Simon & Schuster

6. Discussion Questions
Are the ESRB ratings effective? Should they be changed or updated?
Are video games more violent than media in other forms, such as television, books, film, and/or music?
Should studies focus on other forms of media besides video games, or only focus on games?
Is parenting a large role in whether kids are violent or not? What about bullying, or online play? Should parents be more involved in what children play?
Since video games are always changing and inventing new ways of gameplay, should realistic consequences be added to games?