Research Paper Outline: Influential Violence in Video Games

Thesis statement:

Research has shown that exposure to violent video games has the potential to affect the psychological wellbeing of children; therefore, an ethical issue has arisen as to where the responsibility lies, on the parents who allow their children to play these games and/or the companies who create them. There is a preponderance of evidence that violent video games and school shootings are correlated.

Outline:

I. Introduction

a. violence among children has begged the question as to whether or not violent-themed video games has impacted their behavior

b. research has suggested that this is the case

i. influenced by violence

ii. antisocial behavior

c. increasing rate of school shootings and violent behavior

d. who to blame? (thesis statement: Research has shown that exposure to violent video games has the potential to affect the psychological wellbeing of children; therefore, an ethical issue has arisen as to where the responsibility lies, on the parents who allow their children to play these games and/or the companies who create them.

II. Ethical Issue of Responsibility

a. parental control and lack thereof

b. psychological monitoring at home and in school settings detect early signs of propensity toward violence and anti-social behavior

c. companies who create video games

i. Should they be blamed?

ii. Should there be a system in place that is more effective than the rating / age suggestions that now exist?

iii. Do companies have an ethical responsibility to inform their creative personnel of the dangers posed by the images and potential for the influence of violence they create in these often complex, character-driven, engrossing games?

III. History of Violence

a. introduce statistical information and research to validate how widespread this issue is among children and teens

b. famous instances of violence that have been blamed on these types of games

c. the current market for video games shows no regression of aggressive, violent video games; in fact the trend seems to only grow as technology advances

IV. Conclusion

a. violent behavior in youth today as a result of expose to violence in video games is a social issue with grave consequences and ethical implications

b. exposure cannot be entirely eliminated or solely to blame, but a solution to minimize the adverse effects of these games is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed

c. education and awareness is, as always, the first place to begin in managing behavioral issues and preventing acts of violence