Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive

Question

Do violent video games make young people aggressive? This is an article made by New York Times.

Comments

The article titled "Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive" is misleading because, while it mentions temporary increases in hostility after playing such games, it ultimately concludes that these effects are short-lived and do not lead to long-term aggressive behavior. The title implies a lasting impact, which is not supported by the article's content. An Oxford University study also shows no long-term link between violent video games and aggression in young people, though it acknowledges that certain game mechanics can provoke brief feelings of anger or frustration (https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-02-13-violent-video-games-found-not-be-associated-adolescent-aggression). These findings point only to short-term emotional responses, not any violent actions. Additionally, another study mentioned in the article concludes that violent video games have no lasting or permanent effects on aggressive behavior. The headline is misleading because the short-term effects it describes, such as increased cortisol or emotional reactions to intense gameplay, are not causes for concern. The article does not suggest a heightened risk of shootings or violence, making the study's findings relatively insignificant. The short-term emotional reactions from video games are comparable to the adrenaline rush from playing or watching sports.

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This is a great factcheck, I really appreciate how you added in another source with a credible study in order to aid your explanation. I agree that the title is misleading, as it implies long-term affects and behavioral changes rather than the short-term feelings of frustration as a result of video games that the study you provided noted. I personally feel that the instances of longterm or extreme violence that could be a result of violent video games are due to a separate mental concern, not because of the video game itself. Overall great factcheck and explanation!

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I like this fact check! You explain why the original title is misleading as well as another source (the Oxford study) to support your stance on why the original claim was incorrect. Additionally, linking the source was a great move. I also like how you mention that the article itself does not support its own title--insinuating that it is intentionally exaggerating or hyperbolizing to draw people in and get more views. You very clearly understood the material you read and summarized it well. Good job!

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I think the article titled "Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive" is a bit misleading. It mentions that playing violent video games can lead to short-term spikes in frustration or anger, but it also clearly states that these effects don’t last and don’t result in long-term aggression. The headline makes it sound like there's a permanent impact, but the research doesn’t really back that up. In fact, a study from Oxford University found no lasting link between violent video games and aggression, just that any emotional reactions are brief—kind of like the adrenaline rush you might get from playing a high-energy sport. So, I think the article’s title overstates things, and it could give the wrong impression about how video games actually affect behavior in the long run.

Answer 1

Do video games make young people more aggressive? The author of this article, Anahad O'Connor, seems to believe so, as indicated by his strong headline. However, the article is quite outdated and fails to cite research supporting this claim. Much of the evidence O’Connor presents relies on beliefs and references one significant study by Dr. Kieffer, which has been ongoing for 20 years before this article. Kieffer's research states, "In general, children exposed to virtual bloodshed showed greater short-term increases in hostility toward peers and authority figures than those exposed to more benign games." However, Oxford student–Przybylski– concluded that violent video games have no long-term or permanent effects on aggressive behaviour. The article ultimately argues that studies generally show violent video games can have short-term effects on children, but there is little evidence of long-term changes. Consequently, O’Connor's claims appear exaggerated and misleading, likely intended to grab readers' attention rather than to provide an accurate understanding of the issue. statement; “studies generally show that violent video games can have short-term, or momentary, effects on children, but there is little evidence of long-term changes.” 

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/health/psychology/the-claim-violent-video-games-make-young-people.html 

https://newsdetective.org/16066/violent-video-games-make-young-people-aggressive 

 

Answer 2

The New York Times article, "Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive" is an incredibly misleading and exaggerated title meant to draw eyes and clicks. The article offered two sets of studies, one from the American Psychological Association which found that violent video games can cause young people to have "short-term" bursts of aggression and hostility toward other young people or authority figures and the other claimed that violent video games have had no permanent effect on young people. 
After researching I found this article that agrees with the latter.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180314102008.html

Answer 3

The claim that violent video games make people more violent is not entirely false, however it is wildly blown out of proportion.  Violent crime among young people has been decreasing ever since 1996, while the amount of violent video games being created and played by younger audiences has gone up.  Sure, violent video games may cause some young people to be a bit more aggressive, but that does not equate to violent acts or even crime.  

Some people may try to point to the rise of school shootings as a consequence of the popularity of violent video games.  However, most of the people committing mass shootings already had personality traits that made them predisposed to commit violent acts, wether they were exposed to violence in media or not.

Violent Video Games and Young People - Harvard Health Publishing - Harvard Health

Answer 4

I would consider the claim made by the New York Times article that "Violent Video Games make young people aggressive" while holding some substantial truth carries a misleading connotation. When reading this article the claim seems to imply that these violent video games when played by children will create long term violent adults. However the studies used to back this claim say otherwise. One study made by Oxford University examines the idea that violent video games will lead to short lived periods of immediate lash out, however nothing long term has been since proven. This claim that violent video games makes for violent people is one that is not fully false but exaggerated and misleading.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-02-13-violent-video-games-found-not-be-associated-adolescent-aggression

Answer 5

The study done on this claim was only able to prove the short-term effects on children and violent video games as mentioned, “Studies generally show that violent video games can have short-term, or momentary, effects on children, but there is little evidence of long-term changes.” Because of this statement, we can determine that this claim may contain some truth, however ultimately it is an exaggeration, because it is not consistent throughout children as they age.

Source

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/30/health/psychology/the-claim-violent-video-games-make-young-people.html

Answer 6

The claim that "Violent Video Games Makes Young People Aggressive" may be true for some, but is a bit exaggerated. The article says that young people can start to show hostile behavior due to these violent games, but never claims any long lasting behavior. The title and claim itself is making it seem that it will be a long lasting issue and that playing these games will make them an aggressive person period. As it might for some, others it could wear off and just be an in the moment aggression sort of thing.

Answer 7

The article's title alone is misleading because the claim that "Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive" or have a lasting impact on behavior is not fully supported by this article. The article seemingly states that the effects of rage and anger caused by playing video games are in fact short-term and do not lead to aggressiveness later in life. Males statistically spend more time than females playing violent games, yet has been proven that violent video game exposure can increase aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and feelings in both sexes both short-term and long-term depending on various factors. (https://www.center4research.org/violent-video-games-can-increase-aggression/#:~:text=Although%20males%20spend%20more%20time,in%20a%20number%20of%20ways.)

Answer 8

Hi, I think you did a great job fact-checking by looking further into the article despite it being from the New York Times, a seemingly trustworthy source. We often look at titles which can be misleading as you mentioned due to the author's wanting people to click and read their writing, even if the article is factual we can be lead us to believe it is not. I think you could also have talked about the accuracy of the article because although it was misleading it still came to the same conclusion as you did. You also did a great job adding additional information to prove your findings.

Answer 9

The title of the article, “Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive” tends to be misleading even though that article does provide the information that it provides information about the claim, it does not have a major impact in that it does not support the claims statement. The article that they provided for them to make their claim was The Claim: Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive - The New York Times. They made the statement, “But a separate study, also published this month, concluded that violent video games have no "long-term," or permanent, effects on aggressive behavior” (The New York Times). This information tends to lead me to the fact that their claim is misleading since it tends to demonstrate that when kids play violent video games, it will lead them to have effects of aggressive behavior, but not to the point where it makes a major impact that sticks with you in your whole life. The article mentioned that the study they provided was from the University of Illinois. I came across Video game violence and interactivity: Effect or equivalence? — Illinois Experts article did state that video games can lead to aggressive behavior, but only for the short term. There is another article though from Screen violence and youth behavior — Illinois Experts that would cover the long-term that can cause long term effects on a young child, but, it has the concept of having the whole media involved like TV, films, the internet, and more. Video games are included as well, but it has to involve all those other aspects to be able to call it an actual major issue. 

Answer 10

The title of the article, "Violent Video Games Make Young People Aggressive," is misleading and potentially sensationalizes the content. Although the article discusses how playing violent video games can lead to temporary increases in hostility and aggressive feelings among players, it ultimately concludes that these effects are short-lived and do not result in long-term aggressive behavior. This discrepancy between the title and the findings suggests a more definitive and lasting impact than what the evidence supports.

The article presents various studies and findings that show how certain gaming mechanics and situations can provoke angry reactions, but it emphasizes that these responses are not sustained over time. In fact, a study conducted by researchers at Oxford University provides significant insight into this issue. The study found no evidence that violent video games are associated with increased aggression in adolescents over the long term. While players may experience heightened emotions in the heat of the moment, these feelings do not translate into lasting changes in behavior.

This distinction is crucial, as it highlights the importance of context when discussing the impact of violent video games. The title implies a causal relationship that suggests young people will become permanently aggressive due to their gaming habits. However, the research suggests that the relationship is far more complex, with temporary emotional responses that dissipate quickly.

Overall, the article's conclusion aligns with the findings of the Oxford study, which challenges the notion of a direct link between violent video games and long-term aggression in youth. Therefore, while the article acknowledges some immediate effects, the sensationalized title does not accurately reflect the nuanced understanding of how violent video games affect behavior.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2019-02-13-violent-video-games-found-not-be-associated-adolescent-aggression