| Video games for children, teens and young adults bring | | | | series, one of the most popular and also most violent |
| in $10 billion a year in the United States. Certainly some | | | | and controversial of the games, a player is rewarded if |
| of the games offer harmless entertainment and | | | | he has sex with a prostitute and then murders her (the |
| maybe even some educational value. But the games | | | | most recent of the series, Grand Theft Auto: San |
| that seem to be the most eagerly anticipated, the | | | | Andreas, was the best-selling title in 2004). Whether or |
| games that major retailer Zany Brainy says "the | | | | not these games contribute to violent "real-life" |
| industry is focusing on," and the games that fly off the | | | | behavior among their primary users (pre-teen and teen |
| shelves as soon as they're released are those rated | | | | boys) has spurred major controversy. And, as with |
| "M" for mature and "AO" for adults only. To garner an | | | | most hot-button issues, there are strong proponents |
| "M" rating, the content is intended for people aged 17 | | | | and opponents on either side. Yes, Video Games |
| and older, and may contain sexual themes and intense | | | | Cause Violence Much attention was brought to video |
| violence or language. An "AO"-rated game is suitable | | | | game violence after it was realized that the two |
| only for adults 18 and over, and may include graphic | | | | teenagers behind the Columbine High School shootings |
| depictions of sex and/or violence. The popularity of the | | | | played (and even created their own levels of) DOOM, |
| games is astounding. According to a 2004 report by | | | | one of the first "first-person shooter" video games |
| the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource | | | | (attesting to its popularity, a movie version of DOOM |
| Center, a 2001 review found that 49 percent of the 70 | | | | was just released on October 21). The most recent |
| top-selling video games contained serious violence. Out | | | | study on the topic, to be published in the January 2006 |
| of all games, 41 percent required violence for the | | | | edition of Media Psychology, found that playing violent |
| protagonists to achieve their goals. And in 17 percent | | | | video games does indeed cause violent thought |
| of the games, violence was the primary focus of the | | | | patterns in the brain. A team of international |
| game itself. The violence is often brutal and degrading | | | | researchers observed 13 males, aged 18 to 26, for the |
| to women. In the game "Duke Nukem," for instance, a | | | | study. It was found that, after playing a mature-rated |
| player can enter a room with naked women saying | | | | game, 11 out of the 13 participants showed significant |
| "Kill me," while tied to posts. In the Grand Theft Auto | | | | effects from the games. |