Teaching Us to Fear presents the argument in defense of video games and disprove the myth of video games leading to real-world violence. The authors analyze how moral panics have affected scientific research on video games. The thesis is that video games do not have connection to real-world violence, but that people use it as a scapegoat. Markey and Ferguson provide many examples in the excerpt on how moral panics, created by society can cause people to falsely believe in something. The evidence provided by Markey and Ferguson includes scientific research, political activism, and real-world examples to support their claim. The main component and much convincing aspect is the simple and logical arguments the paper presents. I will use this source as a major part in the paper for its great quality and very useful text to further support my argument and most likely be the base for the argument.
“The manifestation of disturbing behavior on adolescents as a result of using violent video-games” is a research paper made by doctors following an experiment and research they did in the topic of violent videogames. The test subjects were students all in high school and included both boys and girls. The most important find in the study was that video games could cause a change in the teenager’s behavior and had a strong passion; however, it could be potentially negative, but the study didn’t show any concrete evidence that the subject’s personality turned severely different from playing video games. Dr. Gusho and Dr. Mitrushi went into deep analysis in the experiment to link violence and video games, but to no real avail. The source is very well written and useful specially for its scientific research. I plan to use this information as proof that scientific research can not always be reliable and use it as additional support to my argument.
“The Impact of Degree of Exposure to Violent Video Games, Family Background, and Other Factors on Youth Violence” by Whitney DeCamp and Christopher J. Ferguson investigate the levels of exposure to gamers and how correlations between video games and violence may be due to other factors. Some of the factors include gender, mental health, and social influences. The main argument of this source is that video games are not a meaningful predictor of youth violence and support the conclusion that family and social variables are more influential factors. The authors used scientific research and logical reasoning for their evidence to support their claim and provide a powerful argument in their favor. The excerpt provides very supportive information regarding other factors that lead to violence and can easily support my argument in the final research paper. I will use this source to support the claim that violent comes from other factors rather than video games.
Video Games and Youth Violence: A Prospective Analysis in Adolescents by Christopher J. Ferguson gives a deep analysis of the potential influences that are a concern for policymakers, the public, and psychologists. Ferguson reviews many previous studies of video games violence effects and none provide confirmed proof of youth violence and do not consider video games as an influence on youth violence. Ferguson contemplates that the true influences are peer delinquency, family environment, and depressive behavior. Following his own research, Ferguson concludes that depressive behavior is a strong predictor of possible violence and that antisocial traits were more inclined toward youth violence. Video game violence exposure was not a prospective predictor of an act of youth violence. The source is very reliable and trustworthy and full of substantial and meaningful content that will easily support the argument on the side of video games. I will use this information as additional support toward my final paper and further prove my argument.
Public concerns about violent video games are moral concerns— How moral threat can make pacifists susceptible to scientific and political claims against violent video games by Tobias Rothmund and company focuses on the concept of morals and concerns easily make people scared and susceptible to anything they find, be in scientific or political claims, that goes against video games. The public’s perception of anything and determine how that subject will be viewed for long periods of time and the presence of real violence including recent events in history can make people easily accept anything that indicates that violent video games are harmful. The findings are discussed and provide a better understanding of the violent video game debate in the general public. The source provides a strong argument of how morals concerns are a major impact in the violent video games debate. I will use this information further assisting the argument that violent video games do not lead to real world violence.
Violent Video Games, Mass Shootings, and the Supreme Court: Lessons for the Legal Community in the Wake of Recent Free Speech Cases and Mass Shootings also by Christopher J. Ferguson brings to attention the political and policy aspect of the video game debate and gives attention to mass shootings in particular. First, the article analyses the present evidence of video game violence influences. Second, discusses the involvement of video games and legal cases. Third, the article addresses common talking points used in legal cases and by policy makers. Concluding with the assertion that policy attempts to connect video game violence to crimes will unlikely succeed after careful examination. The source provides a unique and interesting viewpoint in the video game debate that has some potential to be used in the paper; however, it is unlikely that I may use many quotes from this source because of it does not really provide much use to my final paper.
