Causes of Violent Video Games

       Virtual gaming platforms have been around since the fifties. It is only recently that they have been designed to be more realistic and they have been gradually increasing in the level of violence. Violent games are more popular than ever. Some of the more popular games include Halo, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Battlefield, Pay Day, Far Cry, and Left for Dead. All of these games are rated MA for mature and are intended on for mature audiences due to the content. They mainly contain elements like blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, and use of drugs and alcohol. The Call of Duty franchise are video games that are first-person shooters. This means that the player takes on the roll of the shooter as if they are the one holding the weapon. These games have military-style action with plenty of blood and gore. 

Video games are becoming increasingly more violent. Sixty-eight percent of play computer or video games. A list from a game industry tracker VGChartz.com says that among the best selling games of the year, 4 of the top 5, and 6 in the top 10, contain violence. “If you counted the number of games and looked at the ratings, most are video games on the market are non-violent. But in terms of top selling, 70 to 90 percent are violent ones,” says Brad Bushman,” a professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University and one of the country’s leading experts on violence.

The cause of this increase is disputed but most seem to point to one reason, however. Companies are trying to do the next big thing. They have to keep their audiences entertained and anticipating the next, so they continue to raise the bar. “Video games are like roller coasters. They make them more and more thrilling in order to keep people coming back. You can’t have the same things being done, or no one will put their money into it,” said Cheryl Lockett a clinical social worker at the Key Program in Fall River. 

It’s a fact that video games are becoming more and more violent and it has to do with the consumers. Companies are targeting their buyers and they know how to market to them. “I think [this] has to do with the number of people and the people [who] are playing video games,” says Bushman.