The Kids are Not Alright: Video Games and Children’s Desensitization to Violence

There was a time in the past decade or so when some people believed that playing violent video games, particularly shooters, could lead to later becoming a killer. While, at this point, that theory has been falsified, it is interesting to look into how playing these games is affecting the behavior and development of children, as it is extremely clear through hundreds of studies and experiments that media does have a psychological impact on people of all ages, but especially children. As someone who has a little brother who I have watched grow and change over the years, I think this conversation is extremely relevant concerning this new generation of kids who has always had exposure to specifically handheld media such as iPads, tablets, and mobile phones. 

When my brother was about five years old, he started asking to play Fortnite, an online shooter game that gained popularity after being released in 2017. He no doubt heard about it from YouTube videos he watched online and from his friends whose parents had allowed them to play the game, but my mother insisted that he could not play until he was at least 8 years old. On his 8th birthday, he downloaded Fortnite on his playstation. Since then, he has devoted several hundreds of hours to playing the game, eventually getting a Nintendo Switch and being able to play it on the go. It is easy to become desensitized to what one does in the game, particularly due to the lack of blood and guts displayed, making it easier for someone to take the violent acts in stride. The most obvious changes to him came in how he acted when he played the game, growing angry to the point of yelling and hysterics upon losing, being moved to tears and frustration when our family refused to play alongside him in Duo mode, and fighting with my parents about when he could play, for how long, and when he needed to turn it off.

Promotional Image from Fortnite

I also began to notice his desensitization to violence, both while playing the game and in every day interactions. He became much more sinister, often making exclamations while killing other players in the game or as he was hunting them down. He also began to adopt more violent language. For example, I told him one afternoon to get his stuff off the counter because our mother liked for it to be clear when she got home and he replied “yeah, she’d see that and kill herself.” I spent 10 minutes having a conversation with him about why saying something like that was not okay, and the next day he made a comment about killing me because I laughed at him. While things like this might not seem like the biggest deal, it has been a very noticeable change in his behavior before and after adopting this game, as I wasn’t even aware my brother had considered what suicide was until he made that statement. I also think my generation has become particularly desensitized to violent language, with many of us often throwing around “kill myself” on any given day, and while that is particularly problematic, there is something extra concerning about hearing it come out of the mouth of a nine year old.

Beyond just my personal conjecture, there is research to backup the change I have noticed in my brother. According to one 2017 study, “the effects of screen violence on increased aggressive behavior have been reviewed and affirmed by numerous major scientific organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the US Surgeon General, the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, and the International Society for Research on Aggression” (Anderson et al 2017). The study went on to discuss what causes aggression and aggressive behavior and how exposure to violent media can increase those triggers, such as “aggressive thoughts, angry feelings, physiologic arousal, hostile appraisals, and aggressive behavior” while decreasing “prosocial behavior (eg, helping others) and empathy” (Anderson et al 2017). Playing video games is an easy trigger for many of these things, as I’ve watched my brother grow incredibly angry and hostile while playing games both toward other players and myself and my family members.

Figure 1 from “Screen Violence and Youth Behavior” Depicting Changes during Video Game Play

Obviously, though, the change in my brother and other children cannot all be attributed to video games, as the study cites violent media, including film and television. In this same time period, my parents have allowed my brother to be exposed to more mature and violent media like Marvel movies, Dune, etc., and these could be having a similar or worse impact on him than the games he plays. Regardless, there has been a change for the worse in the way my brother views death and violence and it is very clear from watching him play a round of Fortnite that it is not helping the situation.

So this leaves the question of what can be done to fix this issue? Expose kids to violent media at an older age? Sit them down and talk to them about the serious implications of the silly games they play? Ultimately, I don’t have the answer and scientists don’t fully either, as keeping children sheltered from all ideas of both real and fictional violence can also be harmful in providing them a false sense of the world. It also is possible to place this pressure on these games, as Fortnite does have a teen rating, but my brother who is not a teen regularly plays the game and it is a known thing that many children are playing the game at all hours of the day. I believe as a society we are growing more and more desensitized to violence, but now it is starting at younger and younger ages due to the prevalence of personal media devices owned by children and it ultimately takes greater awareness for the problem to be addressed and, eventually, solved. 

-Sarah Beth

Sources:

1. Anderson, Craig A et al. “Screen Violence and Youth Behavior.” Pediatrics vol. 140,Suppl 2 

(2017): S142-S147. doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1758T

2. Brockmyer, Jeanne Funk. “Desensitization and Violent Video Games: Mechanisms and 

Evidence.” Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America vol. 31,1 (2022): 

121-132. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2021.06.005

3. Damour, Lisa. “Parenting the Fortnite Addict.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 

Apr. 2018, http://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/30/well/family/parenting-the-fortnite-addict.html. 

Microtransactions… Mega Problem

When I was younger, when a game was released, the only payment a player would be responsible for was buying the disc. However, as I began to play more mature games like Call of Duty, I noticed that a few times per year there would be DLC (Downloadable Content) releases in which new maps would be released. While purchasing these releases was not mandatory, those that did not purchase the DLC maps would not be able to play with those who did purchase them, essentially splitting the player base in half. I always did purchase the DLC maps as they weren’t too expensive and I looked forward to new in-game content. While the Call of Duty franchise was not the first game to include in-game purchases, my experience with Downloadable Content first came while playing COD and games released by EA Sports such as NHL and FIFA. 

Although the splitting up of the player base in Call of Duty was irritating, a player’s in-game performance was never directly influenced by anything that was available for purchase. That is, until they decided to release “supply drops” in 2014’s Advanced Warfare. Supply drops were initially earned in game; these drops included variants of weapons that provided players with a distinct advantage, as many variants included increased damage and range or significant improvements in mobility speed. While the release of supply drops received a bit more backlash than Activision (developers of Call of Duty) expected, because supply drops were originally not available to be purchased, the backlash was limited. However, Activision ultimately decided to release advanced supply drops which were available for purchase and provided significantly higher odds of obtaining the best weapons in the game. 

(Call of Duty Advanced Warfare unfair weapon variant and Advanced Supply Drops in the Marketplace)

Unlike the original supply drops, this move by Activision caused extreme damage to the game, as many players felt that the integrity of the game had been lost. Now, the skill gap was smaller, and the game became “pay to win.” Although I think the community overreacted to these supply drops since the weapons weren’t that much better than the originals, Call of Duty’s player base began to decline at a rapid rate. Call of Duty seemed as though it would be a dead game so long as supply drops and microtransactions were a part of the game. To combat this issue, Activision made supply drops that include strictly cosmetic items that did not impact game performance. Although this change was positive, Call of Duty has never been the same game as it was when microtransactions were limited to DLC maps. 

While Call of Duty may have ruined the game by way of microtransactions, one game that enhanced the player experience through the use of microtransactions is CS:GO. CS:GO also allows players to purchase skins for real money; however, these skins hold monetary value and can even be resold on the marketplace. Through microtransactions, CS:GO has not only preserved the longevity of their game, but also created an entire community of players who are obsessed with collecting and trading. While no game that includes microtransactions will ever be perfect in my opinion, I think CS:GO does an amazing job of integrating microtransactions as an optional enhancement to game enjoyment. Some of these skins have even gone on to sell for tens of thousands of dollars, even hitting prices well over $100,000.

(This CS:GO knife skin is valued at over $1 million, and its owner has turned down offers over this price tag) 

While my complaints regarding microtransactions seem to be very minor as they only affected my enjoyment of the game, there are more tangible reasons as to why microtransactions are more harmful than good. One thing I have noticed in microtransactions is that there are two specific types, both of which ruin the experience: microtransactions that provide an advantage or those that look to exploit children. 

In my experience of playing games, since Call of Duty, I have mostly seen the first type of microtransactions in sports games, specifically FIFA. For example, when I was in high school, I watched one of my good friends become addicted to opening FIFA Ultimate Team packs just to gain an advantage against other players. When it was all said and done, he had spent around $2,000 in under 6 months, causing a long discussion with his parents. Again, microtransactions of this type may be annoying to those that do not wish to spend money, yet they can also be extremely problematic to individuals, especially when the perceived in-game advantage they provide is extremely large as is the case with FIFA.  

For the second type of microtransactions I have come across, the first game I point to is Fortnite. Although the items offered in the Fortnite marketplace do not affect gameplay, the inclusion of pop culture icons and characters in game “skins” is directed at mainly children, especially when considering Fortnite’s player base. While this may be profitable for the developers of Fortnite, it begs the question: are microtransactions truly ethical? When purchasing from the Fortnite marketplace, it takes about 15 seconds for an individual to add money to their account and purchase a new skin. And with each skin costing roughly $15-$20, purchasing skins quickly becomes a very expensive hobby that young kids are most likely unable to stop themselves from participating in. Considering that the revenue from microtransactions is nearly $100 billion per year, I would argue microtransactions in this context are absolutely not ethical; however, there is no chance that microtransactions are going anywhere, as they’re just too profitable.

(Fortnite marketplace featuring Star Wars skins for purchase) 

As mentioned previously, microtransactions can be positive for a game; however, they also cause a lot of problems when overused and when they’re meant to exploit young kids. In the days of early Call of Duty and CS:GO, I thought microtransactions could help enhance games; yet, when a game revolves around its microtransactions, I learned how microtransactions could become exploitative and lead games to lose their integrity. While I’m not exactly sure how to fix this issue, I do think we need to investigate solutions, as it is typically more of a problem than a game enhancement. 

How The Battle Royale Gaming Experience Created a New Social Environment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the midst of my senior year of high school, the world shut down. As I recall, NBA star Rudy Gobert started the domino effect that lead to the COVID-19 national shutdowns. Quickly, my high school years came to an end (although I am not complaining). Like many people around the world, my friends and I suddenly had a LOT of free time on our hands. Being stuck indoors, there weren’t a lot of things for us to do together besides play video games. Not just any video games though, battle royale video games. More specifically, Fortnite and Call of Duty Warzone.

For those who haven’t played these games, the basic premise is simple: you and a large group of other players are dropped onto a map and must fight to be the last person or team standing. Along the way, you can scavenge for weapons and supplies, build structures, and strategize with your teammates. It’s a fast-paced, adrenaline-fueled experience that can be both thrilling and frustrating.

One of the things I love about these games is the sheer variety of experiences you can have. Sometimes, you’ll drop into a match and be immediately taken out by another player before you even have a chance to loot a single weapon. Other times, you’ll find yourself in a heated battle with multiple players, each one trying to outsmart the others. And then there are those rare moments where you’ll make it to the final circle, heart racing as you try to outlast the remaining players and secure the victory.

Even with the variety of good experiences, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as spending 20 minutes looting and scavenging, only to be taken out by a camper hiding in a corner. Or worse yet, being killed by a player who seems to have an unfair advantage, whether it’s due to hacks or simply being better than you.

Fortnite Gameplay Shot

But despite the frustrations, my friends and I kept coming back to these games. There’s something addictive about the rush of adrenaline you get when you’re in the thick of battle with your friends, knowing that your survival depends on your skills and a bit of luck. But there was more than just the adrenaline that made it fun.

What made playing these games with my friends so fun wasn’t necessarily the games themselves but the new social environment that was cultivated through gaming during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since we were all stuck at home, gaming was one of the few ways we could really connect with each other. What once was lunchtime banter soon turned into roast sessions over the mic on Play Station party. And battle royale games, like Fortnite, required constant communication between you and your friends to win. So naturally, my friends and I would talk and game for hours and consistently look forward to doing it all again the next day.

Because of the pandemic, battle royale games inadvertently became a new form of interactive social media. Everyone was always online playing. Even when my friends weren’t on, I would join a random squad in Warzone or Fortnite, only to end up chatting and joking with new people for hours. The games were just a new medium for social interaction with friends and random people from around the world.

Call of Duty Warzone Gamplay Shot

Since then, the new battle royale video games have not had the same pull as they once did. People are always complaining how they miss the old Warzone and Fornite and how they feel like the new battle royale games lack the “fun” and “thrilling” aspect of the old games. Personally, I think people miss the social interaction these battle royale games once had during the pandemic. Not the content.

With life back in motion, people don’t have the time to play games as frequently as they did during the pandemic. As well, people are back out socializing in person! So it makes sense why the thrilling interactive aspect of these battle royale games have died down quiet a bit.

While at times I miss the gaming and social culture of battle royale games during the pandemic, I certainly do not miss the pandemic itself.

-Diego

Crisis, Despair, Isolation, and Skype

In 2013, the absolute worst thing to happen to a young Christopher Conway occurred: he had to go to sixth grade. Now, this would not have been as big of a deal as middle-school age novels made it out to be, except for the fact that I had to leave the system that I went to elementary school in. I went to a small private elementary school (around 100 kids in K-5) named Thackston my entire elementary career, and with this, I was around the exact same group of kids every single day for the entirety of my remembered life until I was 11. Therefore, I was absolutely distraught regarding the idea of going to school without my core friend group of my boys Campbell, Whit, and Jackson (+ a few others we picked up along the way). Pictured here

These are the homies since day 1, and I love these guys more than almost anyone in the world. So we can all clearly see my issue.

However, this is where gaming comes into play. See at the time, we were all obsessed with what every single child in the early 2010s was: Minecraft. This was absolutely great (and if you read my second blog in two weeks I will explain our favorite thing to do), but we came across a simple problem. We had no idea how to communicate with each other while we played. Beforehand, it was more of a play-at-home and then talk-about-it-at-school kind of arrangement, but now we did not have that option. You wanna know what we decided? We tried to group call on a super old landline that looked like this:

How do you think that went?

The answer is terribly for all those playing along at home, and I reached the lowest of the low in my story. I thought we were all going to grow apart and I was never going to see these guys again. That is when the hero of this story enters: my mother. I was particularly bummed one sunny tuesday evening and explained my phone-woes, and she said three words I will never forget: Try Skyping them.

“HUH?” is what my peabrain said. Outwardly though, I said “Mom, what is Skype” That is when I learned about the sweet sweet programs whose purpose was solely to make calls online. Now this was before Microsoft acquired Skype, so it was still a good program, and we were absolutely LIVING. We played Minecraft every day after school, and it was one of my favorite times ever in my life because it was so innocent and pure.

As I have grown up, the group of guys I play with have moved to Discord instead and onto more recent games like League of Legends and Fortnite. However, through the years I have come to realize that it was never really the game that mattered. We had downloaded hundreds of games trying to find ones that we enjoyed and wanted to keep playing, and every single time, I was so focused on the game without realizing I was missing the most important point. I was playing with my best friends in the world at a time where I had literally nothing else to worry about. If that doesn’t leave you with any smidge of nostalgia, maybe this classic sound will:

See yall in a couple weeks

-Chris

Apex Legends: The Battle Royale Takeover

Like many others, I was deeply engrossed in Fortnite when it quickly took over streaming platforms, gaming pages and adolescent minds. It was my first battle royale style game, and I loved the nail-biting and stress-inducing competition as circles closed and the number of players dwindled. Fortnite’s viral nature really opened the door for the battle royale genre to takeover popular gameplay. Fortnite, PUBG kind of started things off with Warzone and Apex following close behind. I tried them all before I made the big move from Fortnite to Apex Legends during its first season. Fortnite’s original light-hearted fun had been cluttered with viral promotional collaborations, over-whimsical features (in my personal opinion) and… my self-admitted lack of skill when it came to building battles. Apex Legends gave me the same style of competitive gameplay, but with less cartoon-y aesthetics and resembled games that I was already accustomed to. For example, I loved Halo growing up and felt comfortable with the sci-fi setting and military nature that Apex offered. I immediately became obsessed, and despite my struggles on multiplayer early on, I persisted, committed to climbing the ranks each season.

Apex Legends is set in the Titanfall universe, another gaming series, and involves an arena in which contestants, usually volunteers looking for money for their own personal backstory-related reasons, fight in teams of 3 until there is one team left standing. A common battle royale structure, but with the twist that players choose an in-game character with their own history and personality. Apex offers players a list preset characters that have their own individual abilities. The game consists of more high detail realistic maps, more traditional style weapons, with a similar “battle pass” rewards systems, but most importantly…. NO building! (No fall damage too!) I would find any time that I could to get on and run through the hills, mountain passes, and desolate buildings of the Apex arena. Playing every night during the summer, creating a team of three with my friends. We would yell and argue for hours as we tried to figure out where to land, where to loot, whether or not to attack, attack strategies, and whose fault it was that we all died. Eventually, we all had our “mains” (mine was initially Lifeline, but I transitioned to Fuse), a consistent team composition, and an understanding of each other’s preferences and specialties that led to our leveling up and improvement in ranking each season. We eventually reached level 500, brandishing our player banners with badges and stats that showcased the time and effort, highs and lows or our Apex journey. While the school year usually reduces my play time, I always find time to get on, and I look forward to every extended break where I can really invest my energy into the chaos of third-parties, jump pads, and Gibby shields while I continue to beg the developers for heirloom shards and to take the Bocek Bow out of care packages…

– Chase Blackman