When has violence ever done any good? I am still trying to wrap my head around why savage-like behavior in video games is so popular! American culture has clearly shown an acceptance of aggressive behavior that has been programmed into software packages that society is exposed to. From the point of view of a young woman, it is concerning to see unacceptable behaviors such as disrespect to women animated within the video games that are entertaining people. Some video games, such as the many different versions of "Grand Theft Auto," display unneeded violence and characterize women as sex objects. There are also video games that give the option to beat up a sex worker or harm other women. According to the Child Youth Environment "popular video games, such as "Grand Theft Auto" (GTA), portray and even reward sexualized violence towards women without emphasizing any negative consequences to the perpetrator." The purpose of games like "Grand Theft Auto" still is shocking in my eyes of why you would want to cause harm to another. Characteristics of women in some of these games include tight fitting clothing, cleavage, over dramatic makeup and lack of clothing covering their bodies. It hurts my heart to see commercials for these types of games. I could not imagine playing a game where you run away like a criminal stealing and then physically harm and dehumanize women.
The over sexualization of women is still unclear to me. In some cases, kids as young as 10 are exposed to these games. What hooks kids is seeing commercials about the game or looking up to a family member or friend who plays these violent games. Being cooped up inside all day or all night in front of a destructive screen cannot be good for one’s health. Our bodies are meant to use the energy we have through work and exercise, how is sitting in front of a screen for hours on end good for you? Individuals that are exposed to this crude behavior at a young age can cause mental health concern. These behaviors implant the message to young people that it is suitable to disrespect women and have aggressive, even violent, behavior towards them. Further evidence from Child Youth Environment, demonstrates how adolescent boys mental health is effected by video games" increased aggressive behavior and cognition... physiological desensitization to real-life violence...decreased sensitivity to happy facial expressions compared to angry expressions... lower empathy." This illustrates the concern that our society is losing track of communicating well with others and is allowing the games to instill the acceptance of aggressive behavior.
Even more violent games are being produced and created every day, and at the same time the amount of violence. According to Lofgren "American video gaming sales (non-digital) stayed consistent in 2015 with 13.13 Billion dollars in sales." In just one year, the sales of video games skyrocketed in a million dollars in sales. These video games could warp the sense of real life because they promote the use of violence to deal with conflict situations. This ever rising of the encouragement of violence in our society continues to scare me for our country’s future. The fact that companies are allowed to produce these games still astonishes me. The mindset of encouraging destructive behavior in video games will continue to be puzzling. Moving forward, I hope we can make improvements for the sake of women in the video game industry.
