How does violent video games affect children's anger?

Answer 1

There are several theories about this subject. One group of theorists believe that violent Video Games can magnify and increase a child's anger, perhaps even leading to violent behavior. But another group of theorists disagree, saying that for some children who are angry, playing video games gives them a catharsis-- a way to release their emotions in a fantasy game rather than acting them out in real life. There are also some theorists who believe in something called "cultivation"-- that is, constant exposure to violent video games and violent TV can make violence seem normal.

The impact of media, including video games, on violentbehavior has not been tested scientifically. Due to ethical concerns, scientists cannot cause harm to human beings, so no experiments which prove a link between violence and video games have been conducted. Studies which claim a connection have only been able to produce aggressive behavior in children, which is short of actual violence (scientists can't exactly try to goad a child into murder, so it's not been tried). Those who claim that video games cause violence interpret this to mean that children are more likely to commit violent acts, while those who claim video games do not cause violent behavior contend that humans understand the difference between fictional and real-life violence, and would not cross the threshold into actual harm.

The truth is, we really don't know whether mentally healthy humans can have their real-life behavior altered by media, especially in cases of drastic (aggressive or violent) behaviors. I tend to believe that people typically understand the difference between aggression in the media and real-world aggression, which has real-world consequences. However, this is far from a settled question.

It is worth noting that ever since the invention of movies and radio, some critics have blamed the media for delinquency and violent behavior. While it is certainly true that violent video games can affect a child negatively, there are some children who don't seem to be affected at all; and studies in the field of "media effects" that try to correlate use of video games with delinquent behavior have come up with contradictory results. Thus, while it would be easier if we could just blame video games for a teenager's violent behaviors, the truth may be more complex, and may involve other influences in that teen's life, including parents, peers, school, and socioeconomic status of the family.