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Argumentative Writing, by Paloma Díaz Vicente (Av2 Mon, 2010-11) - 235 words

Violence in Video Games: Entertainment or Virtual Rehearsal for Actual Violence?

Violence seems always to have been a part of entertainment. Sports as popular as football or regarded as innocent as chess are clearly military metaphors. In this respect, video games continue a long history of incorporating aggression into play.

Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, increasing rates of bullying and violence towards women.

Critics argue that video games reward players for simulating violence and that aggressive behavior is the suitable way to achieve goals. Because of that, they claim that violent video games are apt to promote violence as an acceptable approach to solving problems. They insist that the continuous exposure to violent contents desensitizes players to real-life violence.

Defenders contend that playing violent video games allow people to express aggression without causing physical harm and serves as a distraction from emotional distress. Additionally, they uphold that video game players understand they are playing a game which prevents them from emulating video game violence in real life. To support their argument they say that over the last years video game sales have been increasing while social violence has fallen.

A majority of the research on the topic has failed to show a correlation between video games and real-world violence. However, as games get more and more realistic, the debate over whether or not we should be exposed to virtual violence continues.