Violence in videogames has always been morally questionable even more so as they have become more advanced in graphics and portrayal. However, many people consider that videogames achieve very little in children's growth and development, condemning them as being nothing more than a waste of time. Playing them rather than doing something creative and inventive. It is no wonder that the media seems to have joined the bandwagon by blaming anti social events and problems, invariably linked to mindless violence unleashed by children and young adults on the general public, on videogames. This led me to investigate, for my research project in Media Communication Studies, whether people were influenced by their own opinions or by the media's portrayal. I did this by asking questions. Referring people to their own views and opinion's of violence by reacting to an actual news story of a violent incident without all the facts and their reactions after I told them about the truths of the event. The news story was on the killing of a teenager by another teenager who was portrayed as having an obsession with the game Manhunt which revolves around killing people in voyeuristic ways. This can be seen on"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3934277.stm"__http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3934277.stm_. I spoke to three groups of people: The first were children aged 10-13, second young adults aged 16-21 and adults aged 30-35. I asked for permission to talk to these people and advised them that they did not have to answer any question that they felt was based on emotion or personal opinions.

What I found with the results was interesting. Most of group one were clearly able to identify and distinguish the violence in videos and when asked if they would be interested in the games they said they didn't want to play them or re-enact the violence. With questions relating to the news story most of group one felt that violence had a key part to play in the murder yet believed there would have been other influences involved that would lead to murder. It's also important to note that since group one were children that their opinions would be influenced or swayed by their parents. However, there was a mixed outcome when it came to opinions.

The second group immediately condemned the idea that any acts of violence in videogames could be linked to actual cases and to suggest such by the media was wrong and a means of creating mass panic in society. This group included people in higher education who had played violent videogames themselves and none of them harbored any wish to be involved with or see violent incidents. Surely these were normal and intelligent people.
The last group however believed that violent videos and games do cause people to commit violence. It was also interesting to note that the third group had children of their own and when it came to news stories relating to violence in videogames they clearly believed it would influence their offspring. The third group had mixed opinions but all believed in what the media tells them about the increase in crime linked to violent videos and games. Despite telling them that the truth behind the teenager who killed was not in fact influenced by the game but by personal problems they still felt that videogame violence does affect children especially if they have underlying mental problems.

So is this why it is easy to say that most cases are easily influenced by the media. From what I found it is quite common to see people believing in what the media tells them even if it's not all true. Maybe this is why it is so easy to create mass panic in society; since people who are influenced by such stories immediately think of their children's well being. After all it can be considered common sense for a parent to be wary of anything that could harm their children. Thus the media can say anything and many people would accept it, only when the true facts come out was there a public outcry. Or maybe it is people's right to be afraid of any violent act when they don’t know the full story and as such it is human nature to be concerned or cautious when it comers to new influences they know little or anything about.

However, to say that all people are duped would be false as people who play the games know of the risks in engaging violence in videogames. Even exposed to long periods of time playing them they have no after effects of aggression. Indeed it is found by Pyschologists that playing violent videogames leads to the complete opposite with people being more calm. This relates back to the second group. As I mentioned before, in my research project most of them had played videogames but they felt they could let out their aggression in the game and felt better afterwards. Even I can be biased in saying that when I have played games that contain pyschological violence that afterwards I feel better through having experienced certain emotions that I rarely use.

Although each person has their own opinion on whether violence in videogames causes children to commit murder it continues to be debatable. Even with the Moral Panics as a theory it is still questionable whether or not it's influence in trying to prove it has it's niches as all thoeries do. Moral Panics itself can't be proven since it is hard to measure people's opinions and emotions in order to obtain a definitive result; as many people have different thoughts of what the media reveals and how much of it is true.

However, it is clear that the media uses certain methods to create Moral Panic in society and uses it as a way to influence people. As an example, using people's fears and their own moral judgement in protecting their children from harm. Some people always choose to believe in their own opinions but at the end of the day there are always “so called” professionals that the media quote who say that videogames cause violence which gives a single opinion viewpoint; and it all comes down to media corporates needing to make a story–to make a profit. Capitalism at it's worse.

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Written by Tom Pearce for younilife.com