Essay - Video Games & Violence in Children 'It Depends,' Eisenman (2004)...

Video Games & Violence in Children

"It depends," Eisenman (2004) stresses in regard to whether play*****g violent video games, one of the primary contemporary substitutions for yesteryears' play, increases violence in youth. Eisenman (2004) concedes that although video games may, under particular circumstances, increase violence in some children, *****y also provide enjoyment, and likely improve perceptual and mo*****r skills. He contends that a person predisposed toward violence could potentially *****e easily become more prone to dis*****ing violent behavior when encountering violent images, whether these surface in the media, in a neighborhood, in homes or in video games. In the study conducted during 1999, by the Media Analysis Lab*****atory at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, entitled "Video Game Culture: Leisure and Play Preferences of B.C. Teens," the ***** game industry earned 10 times the amount of children's television production: 30% of the U.S. toy market of $8.8 billion; larger than Hollywood's box office gross ($5.2 billion). ("Technology: Violence and ***** Games," 1999, p. 173)

According to Reuters (2007), "For 2006, PwC's preliminary estimates are ***** the U.S. gaming ***** to have expanded 10.6% to $9 billion."

***** Conflicting Consensuses

Macpherson (2002) notes in her study that, "Violence is not a new phenomenon," and notes David Gill (cited by Macpherson (2002) notes ***** her study that, "***** is not a ***** phenomenon," David Gill (***** by Macp*****son, 2002) describes violence as: "acts or conditions, which obstruct the spontaneous unfolding human potential, the inherent drive *****s development ***** self actualization. This ***** occur at inter*****al; institutional and societal levels." Dr. Anne Ganley (cited by Macpherson, 2002) describes ***** as: "harm or threatened harm to a person, to *****sert power *****nd control without regard to ano*****r's well being, and is done to control or dominate." Levinson (2006) presents a simple, straightf*****ward definition of violence. ***** purports that violence occurs when one individual "inflicts or threatens ***** inflict physical or emotional injury or discomf*****t upon another person's body, feelings, or possessions." Another definition for students, cited by Levinson (2006), purports that "Violence is any mean word, look, sign, or act ***** hurts a person's body, *****, ***** things." Violence m*****y range from a rude act like breaking in line to "the Holocaust of World War II." According to the American Heritage Dictionary, six separate entries are needed to adequately define ***** word. At times, the setting ***** defines whether an ***** ***** considered violent or not, whether it occurs on a community sidewalk or at a football *****. Causes Contributing to "It" The question: "What causes violence?," on the other hand, is not so easily answered. Researchers attempted answer this ***** concern in a number of ways; however, no specific ***** has yet merited the approval of the majority of researchers. In the school sett*****g, for example, "Some experts believe that because violence has become an accepted norm in ***** *****, children ***** ***** desensitized ***** the level of ***** around *****m. Other ***** say ***** parents contribute to the problem of violence