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Should teens under 14 be able to buy and play violent video games? (No) -…
Should teens under 14 be able to buy and play violent video games? (No)
Hook
On April 20, 1999, the Columbine School Shooting ended 16 innocent lives
Have you ever asked yourself, what impact do video games have on our youth?
History and Background
Pong, the first commercially successful video game sold, was released by the company Atari in 1972
Video games reached wide-spread popularity in the late 70s and early 80s.
The first video game console, the Magnavox Oddysey, was created in September of 1972
Specialized Info
The 1978 arcade game Death Race is considered to be the first violent video game
Harvard Health reports that 66% of American teens play video games, and a large portion of those games (approximately 66-78% for boys and 21-33.6% for girls) contain violence.
Thesis Statement
Teens under 14 should not be able to buy and play violent video games because it leads to aggressive behavior, makes them desensitized towards violence, and leads them onto a path of crime.
Argument #1; Aggressive behavior
Teens playing violent video games "act" out what they see being done in their game (they think is normal) which includes aggressive behavior
Playing these games late into the night can cause sleep deprivation, which in turn causes mental problems such as depression and increased aggressive behavior
Constantly playing these video games can cause losses of prosocial behavior, which in turn leads to aggression
Argument #2; Desensitized towards violence
The normalization and constant exposure towards violence can lead to desensitization
Since they are used to seeing violence, certain thoughts can enter their mind
While teenagers brains are still developing, their viewpoints can change
Argument #3; Crime
Many school shooters and criminals were connected to violent video games. For example, both perpetrators of the Columbine School Shooting (Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold) played a violent video game called "Doom"
They can serve as virtual rehearsals for violence, where players can practice in a "safe" environment
Violent video games act as a practice ground for violence, with characters "demonstrating" violent acts, in some terms "teaching them"