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Video Games
Another form of entertainment that can have a strong influence on a childs behavior is video games. Children today spend hours in front of the television playing video games, most of which have some sort of violent theme. A recent study found that, "the two most preferred categories were games that involved fantasy violence, preferred by almost 32% of subjects; and sports games, some of which contained violent subthemes, which were preferred by more than 29%." The most popular are the martial arts games, from which there are hundreds to choose from. The violence in these video games can desensitize children to violence and alter their perception of reality. ... But not all video games, television, and music for children is negative, some can have a positive affect on children. There are many examples of educational and positive video games for children. ... Playing computer games can give a child intellectual confidence and can help increase his or her motivation level: "Many computer games promote a feeling of mastery," said Erna Fishhaut, a Specialist Reviewer who wrote the article "Video Games: A Problem or a Blessing?" which outlines ways that parents can choose video games and programs that enhance their childrens learning. ... How do games affect children? ... There are several relevant theories that also might apply to violence in kids through video games. ... Another is the arousal theory which says that if the player is naturally angry, playing video games might anger them more. ... It says that video games activate related cognitive structures, and future input might be processed in an aggressive state of mind. Another theory is the catharsis theory, which says that video games are an outlet for violent thoughts. ... It says that games may be useful to reduce violent tendencies (Bensley 245-246). Does the “weapons effect” theory or any of the others pertain to video games as well?
Approximate Word count = 1499
Approximate Pages = 6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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