What kind of games did you play as a child? Were there ‘goodies and baddies’, ‘cops and robbers’ or fighting armies, and was there an element of violence such as shooting in those games?
For most people, the answer is ‘yes’ and we have all played games involving some kind of aggressive behaviour towards others. But how far is this classed as normal developmental behaviour, and when does it get out of hand and become negative?
Nowadays, many parents and carers are worried about their children being negatively influenced by playing video games or being exposed to aspects of the media and entertainment industry that might be more violent or aggressive than parents/carers would like. They are concerned that if children play violent games, they may be encouraged to engage in more violent behaviour or play themselves, copying behaviours and actions they have learned from playing the game. Research suggests that most children play video games, and many of these prefer violent over non-violent games which can include fighting, shooting or destroying an enemy.
What Is The Evidence Of Video Games Influencing Violent Play?
There are a lot of studies researching issues raised by violence-based video games. There is some debate across academics but in most cases, there is a correlation between a child’s exposure to violence through video games, and aggressive behaviour in those children. In a 2014 meta-analysis of 98 studies by Greitemeyer and Mügge, involving 36,965 participants, violent video games were shown to influence social behaviour although exactly how violent game play and later behaviours were linked was less clear. Others suggest reasons and different factors that may play a part, such as:
- Children becoming desensitised to violence
- An increase in competitive attitudes towards play
- Age and gender or players
- Poverty and social issues
- The degree to which the child’s behaviour was aggressive prior to playing the game
Some researchers have argued that social issues such as deprivation or poverty may have much more influence on the child’s aggression than playing video games.
Is It All Bad?
Learning to discern ‘right’ from ‘wrong’ is a something that many societies actively support and teach their children. Indeed, many children’s heroes are applauded for standing up to, and ultimately fighting evil – think of Spiderman, Superman and Wonder Woman! This may draw a fine line between what is acceptable and what is not and could be confusing to a child.
Other research suggests that playing video games may help some pro-social behaviours, especially if players were given a team goal or were asked to work collectively, influencing behaviour in a positive way. Other research found that by playing action video games, children’s visual attention was enhanced and their reaction times increased. Other good news is that whilst playing violence-based video games has been shown to link to more short-term aggressive behaviour, it has not been linked to increases in violent crime.
What Can Be Done To Address The Concerns About Video Games Influencing Violents?
Limit exposure Firstly, if children are not exposed to violent video games, these issues may lessen and you may want to hold a parent/carer information event to advise them how they can keep their children safe online and whilst playing games/viewing media and entertainment. All video games have parental ratings. In the UK and Europe, the ratings are known as PEGI ratings (Pan-European Game Information) and are the video game equivalent of film ratings.
The ratings are:
- PEGI 3 – suitable for all ages
- PEGI 7 – suitable for young children
- PEGI 12 – suitable for children 12 and over
- PEG 16 – suitable for children 16 and over
- PEGI 18 – Only suitable for adults Each PEGI rating also contains content warnings to help parents/carers and practitioners make informed decisions.
Address aggressive behaviour Separate the behaviour from the child The first important action for practitioners is to separate the behaviour from the child. Do not label children as ‘bullies’ or ‘aggressive’ but understand that it is a behaviour that the child has learned from somewhere or someone that they are copying in that instance. Understanding this will allow you to deal with the matter professionally and effectively and you will be able to maintain a good relationship with the child and their family more easily. If you fall into the trap of thinking that aggression is the ‘nature of the child’, you will be less likely to think they can change, and your approach to them will be negatively coloured by this viewpoint.
Help children understand their feelings and actions Children need adults to help them make sense of their feelings and emotions even when playing. They need the vocabulary to describe how they feel, and they need options for how to behave when they feel that way. If they don’t have these due to their age or development, they can become overwhelmed, which can exacerbate the problem. Most children will display some aggressive behaviour at times since it is a normal part of their development, and a child who is totally involved in their imagination playing a game could then show aggression or become violent if they believe this to be the ‘right’ thing to do in that situation or are playing out situations they have seen on a video game.
However, they need to learn that there is no place for physical violence during play, however ‘righteous’ they feel. This is where practitioners need to step in and work through the issues, using age-appropriate words, modelling the behaviour that is wanted, and showing patience, empathy and understanding. Here are some tips to help:
- Understand the situation from the child’s perspective. This may include factoring in some issues outside of the immediate situation such as a bereavement or family split which may cause unintentional aggression
- Remain calm and model the behaviour you want – calm voices, peaceful actions even in the face of aggression from the child. Reacting in an angry way or shouting yourself will teach the child that it is OK to behave like that
- Tell the child to stop the behaviour and acknowledge potential feelings – for example, “Stop hitting. I can see that you trying to save your planet here, but it is not OK to hit anyone – we can sort it out another way”
- Try to dissipate any lingering aggressive feelings by getting the child to run around, jump or breathe deeply
- Remind the child that there are ways to address their feelings without being aggressive and that play should never be violent
- After the event (not in the thick of it) find ways to talk about the games they watch or read stories about situations where conflicts are resolved without violence
If you are ever worried about the intensity or frequency of aggressive behaviour that children show, speak to their parents/carers about seeking more professional help such as from a GP.
References and more information Violent video games make children more violent | Centre for Educational Neuroscience
