Do Realistic Graphics Promote Video Game Violence?

Quincy Jon, Tech Times 05 July 2023, 01:07 pm

The realism of images in contemporary video games has never been better. One standout example is Dead Island 2, featuring a creative damage system known as FLESH (Fully Locational Evisceration System for Humanoids). FLESH, created by Dambuster Studios, raises the realism of zombie dismemberment, melting, and burning.

But the presence of such vivid information also prompts a challenging discussion. How may this degree of visual fidelity affect experiences in games that address more somber and essential issues as they seek realism?

Video game violence has a complex history that spans moral panics and scholarly investigation. Studies usually support the idea that any connection is negligible, even if the relationship between playing violent video games and actual aggressiveness is still up for discussion. But the argument comes up again as visual quality in games improves, with tools like FLESH and trailers that mix the real and the virtual.

Here's What Experts Say

According to Aaron Drummond, a senior professor at the University of Tasmania's School of Psychological Sciences, growing game violence realism should already be causing more violent behavior, according to Wired.

He lists three evidence-based arguments for this association, including increased research demonstrating the impact of violent media on aggressive behavior, more prominent effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, and a rise in assaults and violent crimes. Surprisingly, none of these signs have come true; the facts even point to an opposite trend.

Paul Cairns, head of York University's Department of Computer Science, agrees. He believes the impacts would be more apparent if violent video games cause real-world violence. Cairns highlights that altering the realism of fun doesn't modify priming-the changing of reactions to violence in other contexts-in any way that can be seen. He thinks that there must be more involved than just violent stuff.

Read Also: AI-Powered Tool Shows Promise in Detecting Dementia and Alzheimer's

Since the early 1990s, when games like Night Trap and Mortal Kombat caused moral panic, video game violence has been contentious. Due to these instances, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) was created, introducing voluntary age and content ratings for video games while postponing future government regulation, according to National Coalition Against Censorship.

When the deadly Columbine High School shooting was attributed to the video game Doom in 1999, the growing concern about video game violence reached a pinnacle. The notion that horrific video games caused these atrocities changed after this instance. Stetson University psychologist Christopher Ferguson highlights the gap between the researchers' claims and the realities.

False Positives Affect Study Findings

Studying the connection between hostility and violent video games has had mixed results, Discover Magazine reported. While some research revealed no significant predictive value for physical aggressiveness, other studies indicated an ideal link. Ferguson draws attention to the problem of false positives in the scientific community, where faulty techniques and perverse incentives have distorted researchers' findings.

Despite these difficulties, new research and meta-analyses using more substantial methodologies have challenged long-held notions about violence in video games. A rising collection of evidence is throwing doubt on assumptions established a decade or more ago.

In summary, there is no substantial proof that violent video games make kids and teens violent yet, and the public may still expect that debates will continue. Though, it should also be considered that video games span many genres and themes, so everyone's interests should be satisfied.

The choice of what games are appropriate for a family ultimately rests with the parents, who are motivated more by personal beliefs than objective data.