The majority of the articles I've read have focused on the negative aspects of violent video games. They say that video games cause aggressive behavior (which, after a while, gets pretty repetitive and annoying). Other articles argue that it causes people to become desensitized to violence and they are less empathetic to their fellow humans. However there are some articles that point to a positive effect of playing violent video games; some video games improve a player's visuospatial cognition. I thought this was very interesting but there aren't a lot of articles on this subject. A meta-analysis made a point to say that most articles on the subject of violence in video games is biased.
Based on the information I have presently I would say that video games have both negative and positive effects on the people who play them. While they can lead to increased aggression and desensitization to violence the same video games can also help people raise a player's visuospacial cognition. However I still need to research further into the subject to make a more informed decision. I'm curious to know more about the positive effects of violent video games and I have yet to read the gender-specific studies I have compiled. Will there be a difference in how violent video games effect female gamers? I have also found a handful or articles about players in other countries (Germany for example) and am unsure whether or not to include these in my research essay. What should I do? Any ideas are welcome!
