The world of home video gaming has been around for 35 years. Since the introduction of the first home video game system in 1972, the systems or consoles have evolved through 7 generations. The 7th generation is currently being sold around the world with the major players being Sony (PS3), Microsoft (XBOX360), and Nintendo (Wii). Through the advancements of the video game consoles, the games have also become more advanced. The graphic and memory cards being built into the consoles allow for games to have more real life like actions, especially with violent behaviors. With the violence of some video games increasing, people have tried to make connections with acts of violence from teenagers, mostly males, to what they do and see on video games. Instead of trying to ban certain material, it may be more helpful to determine why violent games appeal to the adolescent male age group.
In Jansz’ article, he defines five elements to a video game that attracts people to play them. Those five elements are interactivity, the rule-based nature of the game, the variable outcome, the effort required to play a video game, and the attachment of the player to the outcome. In sum, video games are an example of lean forward media. Enjoying a game requires effort, which may result in the experience of presence. This feeling of being there may be rewarding in itself because it enables gamers to distance themselves from ordinary life (Jansz 2005, p. 221). Violent video games produce the same reactions and can also increase one’s physiological arousal which may contribute to the satisfaction of needs for excitement (Jansz 2005, p. 224). In violent games or any video games, players will experience a variety of emotions ranging from happiness and pride to fear and anger. The anger emotion is what concerns the public view of video games the most. In Jansz' research, he found that players will tend to play the video game longer when he feels a sense of anger. With the power to turn off the system or keep playing, gamers said it is more gratifying to keep playing.
Due to the changes in their life pattern, adolescent males tend to play violent video games more. Adolescents must adjust to physical growth, increasing sexual feelings, and to changes in their emotional and social relations with their parents and peers (Jansz 2005, p. 230). Adjusting to these changes can result in conflicts and insecurities, making it hard to express their feelings. Violent video games then become a getaway where males can pick their player and be who they want to be and confront his emotions by playing the game. In the virtual world that they are playing in, they can act out emotions that may be problematic in real life (Jansz 2005, p. 235). In other words, the violent games allow for them to escape the real-world and confront emotions that would not seem suitable to confront in the presence of parents or friends.
Jansz, Jeroen. (2005, August). The Emotional Appeal of Violent Video Games for Adolescent Males. Communication Theory. Vol. 15 Issue 3, 219-241. Retrieved November 15, 2007 from journals.ohiolink.edu.
