Since video games entered homes in the 1970s, the popularity of video games has increased exponentially and the different varieties of games have become very diverse , ranging from mobile device apps to large-scale worlds displayed in 4K. televisions (Entertainment Software Association). The rapid increase in technological advancement over the past four decades has given rise to a previously unimaginable era of gaming. Games have become more realistic graphically, physically and emotionally. What started as 8-bit pixels sliding across a screen transformed into real-world characters and situations. However, critics of the video game industry have begun to fear this could have a negative influence on people who play violent video games. From war shooters like Call of Duty and Battlefield to the criminal violence depicted in Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row, people enjoy violent games rated for adults. The exposure of playing these video games has led many concerned parents and courts to use violent video games as a scapegoat during a mass murder trial. But video games are not the problem and should not be treated as such. Game developers have done everything they can to reduce the stereotype of violent video games causing violent behavior by implementing gameplay that promotes prosocial, cooperative play and not violence for the sake of violence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the Original Essay A recent debate has arisen over whether or not video games actually cause violent behavior. Studies have been conducted on both sides of the debate with conclusive results that support each view but do not prove them. In 1999, David Satcher, Surgeon General of the United States, stated that media violence played only a minor role in aggressive behavior compared to other factors. Satcher said: “We clearly associate media violence with aggressive behavior. But the impact was very small compared to other things. Some people may not be happy with it, but that’s where the science is” (Wright). However, in 2009, Craig Anderson, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Violence, concluded that "there is a significant relationship between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior." Exposing children and adolescents (or “youth”) to violent visual media increases the likelihood that they will engage in physical aggression against another person” (Anderson). These are two conflicting but credible investigations that support each end but clearly prove neither side. Games like Grand Theft Auto, in which your character engages in very lewd behavior and mayhem of being able to blow up vehicles and kill people at will, could certainly be some sort of inspiration for someone capable of a such large-scale violence or some sort of catharsis for someone. who doesn't want to harm anyone in real life but can do so in the game. A study using fMRI concluded that playing violent video games increased amygdala activity and decreased lobe activity frontal (Kalnin). The amygdala is the part of the brain responsible for emotional responses and the frontal lobe is the part responsible for decision making. These results would suggest that after playing video games, we become less responsible and more emotionally motivated, particularly by anger. In2008, the Pew Internet and the American Life Project conducted a study concluding that young people who participated in communal gaming experiences had higher levels of civic and political engagement. Two points that are also contradictory but both are credible studies that support each end. Currently, there is no conclusive evidence that video games cause or decrease violent behavior and no correlation has been demonstrated (Pew Research Center). Game developers themselves have different views on the situation, whether positive or negative. One of the former game developers at Rockstar North, creator of the Grand Theft Auto series, says he's not proud to say he was part of that team. He looks back on all the violence of the game and when he has to explain to his mother what he is doing, he feels bad (Brightman). One developer is particularly fond of exercising his gun rights and calls for gun laws to be removed from discussions when discussing the violence video games can cause (Kotaku). Developers are not only phasing out the criticism they receive about the maturity level of their games, but they are staunchly standing behind what their careers have to offer the world. A group of these developers, known as the Independent Game Developers Association, wrote a letter to Vice President Joe Biden requesting that research funds be allocated to study the positive aspects of video gaming, not just the negative ones. negative aspects, and that their First Amendment rights are respected. that players also have non-violent options be emphasized when evaluating violent video games, and that video games are a "unique artistic medium" just like any other source of entertainment (CNET) . Developers use any negative comments to try to reduce the stigma their video games cause when it comes to violent behavior. Developers adjust their game mechanics to get their players to stray from the path of senseless violence. For example, Hitman Absolution is a game where you play as a bounty hunter who aims to kill his targets (Hitman Absolution). There are several ways to go about completing missions. You can go in with no surprises and just try to shoot everyone. However, this is the least efficient way to play as dying becomes easier and scores are lower. However, when you play tactically by bypassing innocents, eliminating guards instead of killing them, and causing as little damage as possible, the game is easier, more rewarding, and less violent. In her Feminist Frequency vlog, Anita Sarkeesian explains how Hitman Absolution is about senseless violence and shows a clip of the protagonist dragging a dead dancer and then putting her in the trash (Sarkeesian). In the actual game, there is no need to even enter the room with the dancers and points will be canceled from your score by harming them in any way. The developers don't limit the options players have in the game, but they reward you for the least violent and stealthiest way. Call of Duty is one of the biggest sources of criticism because you can become this unstoppable super soldier who can single-handedly kill an entire militia. The Call of Duty franchise is a war-based first-person shooter series involving massive violence. Some believe this is justified violence, based on the implication that you must kill because you are a military soldier fighting for your country and its survival. These games also don't hold back on gruesome scenes.So, to curb the "mindless violence", they included the zombie type of game and many types of games based on objectives rather than killing. The zombie game type allows you to play with up to three other players to survive a zombie outbreak (Call of Duty Black Ops). The use of an inhuman enemy and the idea of ​​cooperation are key to promoting these prosocial behaviors, as teammates must talk and strategize as the rounds become more difficult. Call of Duty's multiplayer is dominated by its team deathmatch lobbies, but there are many other choices that aren't elimination-based, like domination where you capture designated areas to hold, capture the flag, search and destroy where players are limited to one life. try to defend or destroy an ammo cache, and many other options that require strategy instead of just killing the opposition (Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2). In their seventh installment, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, killstreaks were converted to trace points. Previously, players received special benefits when they achieved 3 or more wins in a lifetime. Now, in addition to kills, players are rewarded for team play, such as capturing objectives, reviving, and defending (Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3). It's clear that the developers have given players greater opportunities for strategic, cooperative, and pro-social play rather than trying to be the player with the most kills in each match. Battlefield is Call of Duty's rival in the video game market and therefore receives the same amount of criticism as Call of Duty for being a one-man army. The Battlefield franchise is another collection of war-based first-person shooter games that are more of a simulation style of game than an arcade style of game like Call of Duty. Battlefield is about working together to win. Unlike Call of Duty, team deathmatch is not the most popular game type in Battlefield. Conquest, which is the dominance of Call of Duty, and Rush, where players must defend multiple areas from enemy explosives, are the two most played game types. The developers of the Battlefield game have designed large-scale maps that span thousands of square meters where playing alone is as pointless as not playing at all (Battlefield 3). Thirty-two teams of men are divided into five-man squads that reward all members for cooperative play (Battlefield 4). There is also the choice of being the commander who does not have a character in combat. The commander tells people where to go, what to do, and provides them with ammunition caches and vehicles. Healing your teammates, providing them with ammunition, scouting the other team and repairing vehicles are all ways to earn experience points for your soldier. It is possible for a player to complete a round without killing or dying and become the MVP solely through selfless play. In an opus which will be released in 2015, players will be able to play as cops or criminals (EA Digital Illusions CE). Criminals try to get away with money and cops can question and even arrest criminals. The developers of Battlefield offer their players the opportunity to play the game in whatever way the user feels most useful. They may not be the most skilled snipers, but they are very good at piloting helicopters and could be the designated transport pilots for the squad. This type of gameplay encourages cooperation, altruism, role-playing, and camaraderie. The Grand Theft franchise..