Literacy Review

Video games have become more and more influential in the daily lives of today’s youth and with the introduction of High Definition and incredibly realistic graphics, it is hardly a surprise that 97% percent of children play video games; 99% of which are boys and 94% are girls. This may be all well and good however, the media has given extensive coverage of the negative impact these games have on the “easily influenced” minds of a minority, causing them to act out in various cases of violence, and in some circumstances, murder. An article in the Independent Newspaper is a fine example of this (The Independent, 08/01/2003). Another example is formed in the studies of Sherry Turkle, who is Abby Rockefeller Mauze Professor of the Social Studies of Science and Technology. There was sufficient evidence in her research to prove that behavioural characteristics of children and adolescents who played computer games did change during the experiment and it was evident that some “have difficulty understanding the boundaries between real and artificial life” (Turkle 1995). Interestingly, Turkle also explains how the use of “virtual pets” may be the cause to blame for introducing gaming at such a young stage of life and clouding the line between reality and virtual worlds. In conclusion, it seems that Turkle’s point of view is very clear and her research backs her theory up completely.

Reflection on my Mind Map - Hypothesis/Question

Firstly, I decided to choose "Video Games and Violence" as my topic of study for this module because I felt it fitted in best with the course which I am studying and the subject path I wish to follow (Computer Games Development).

Upon the creation of my mind map, I have decided that the question which will form the title of my research paper will be:

Is There A Link Between Video Games and Violent Behaviour in Society?

I feel that, using this question, I will be able to conduct more generalised research into the behavioural effects on children, adolescents and adults, as opposed to the more specific research I would need to carry out if I was researching the effects on children only.  It will be easier to find the information I need, meaning I will have more research to support my findings. The aim of my paper will be to determine which out of the 2 hypothesises that I included on my mind map are true:

Violence in video games is responsible for antisocial behaviour

OR

Violence in video games has no impact on the player's behaviour

Mind Map of Different Ideas for my Paper