Comparative Analysis of Articles Regarding Video Games and Violent Behavior

Video Games and Violent Behavior Paper
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Video Games and Violent Behavior Paper
Background and Historical Perspective of the Controversy
The existing research on video games and violent behavior is mixed regarding the connection between the two. While some researchers argue that video games significantly influence aggressive behavior, others find it hard to establish a direct link between them. The former applies the general aggression model (GAM) to argue that video games establish a precursor variable consistent with aggressive behavior. On the other end, the latter argues that there is no confirmed link between the two by highlighting the flaws associated with GAM. This analysis provides insight into the two arguments by comparing two articles with differing opinions regarding the topic. The articles are “violent video game effects on salivary cortisol, arousal, and aggressive thoughts in children” and “violent video games and violent crime,” which support and reject the claim, respectively.
The topic’s controversy dates back to the 90s when violent video games (VVGs) became popularized, and their impacts on human psychology became a major concern following a rapid increase in school shootings. These prompted researchers to explore the potentially harmful effects of video games. Since then, a timeline of controversies in video games can be traced as following the inclusion of lifelike, realistic violence. This progress and the increase in aggressive behavior have led to the belief that video games are responsible for increased bullying, violence, and school shootings (Markey et al., 2020). Both advocates and critics have used different social learning theories to justify their position. For instance, critics applied social-cognitive aggression models to explain how violent behavior ensues following a sequence of expected behavior influenced by video games. On the other hand, advocates applied social-information processing theories to discredit the claim that there is a causal relationship between video games and violent behavior. As a result, the two opposing arguments have resulted in a controversial debate that is seemingly unending.
Comparative Analysis
The articles in question present the two opposing views of the controversy, with the study by Gentile et al. (2017) supporting the argument that video games influence violent behavioral tendencies while the one by Cunningham et al. (2016) opposing it. The former is a psychophysiological study that found violent games to impact violent thoughts compared to nonviolent games. The conclusion was drawn from findings that violent games increase both cortisol and cardiovascular arousal as well as the accessibility to violent thoughts. On the other end, the latter, a quasi-experimental study focusing on video games’ short and medium-term effects, found no significant change in behavior to suggest that video games influenced aggression. To conclude, the study opposes laboratory-generated results, noting that lab-based experiments should be scrutinized for external validity to ascertain the impact on actual conduct.
When compared objectiv...