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Pressing Play on Aggression: Unveiling the Complex Relationship Between Video Games and Violent Behavior

Theme: The link between violent video games and real-life violence.

Research Question: Do violent video games impact youth aggression or violence, and should they be a bigger concern than personal struggles and mental health?

Research Proposal:

A 2018 meta-analysis conducted by Jay Hull, a Dartmouth Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, found “that there is a small increase in real-world physical aggression among adolescents and pre-teens who play violent video games” (Clark, 2019). The controversial question of whether playing aggressive video games leads to real-life aggression has been researched for several decades. The issue has even influenced policy statements made by professional guilds, like the American Psychological Association (Dickerson and Elmer-Dewitt, 1993). The APA acknowledged that there was no evidence linking video games to actual violence, but they maintained their position that playing such games could potentially increase aggression (Suls et al., 2020). However, throughout the development of this policy, more than 200 scholars urged the APA not to make definitive statements on a topic that has a highly divided research field (Dickerson and Elmer-Dewitt, 1993). Consequently, many questions arose regarding the impact of video games on impressionable young people. To what extent do violent video games contribute to real-life violent behavior among young people?

As of recently, I have been trying to connect with old friends and colleagues residing in other countries. The most ideal way to connect and spend time together is by playing video games we enjoy. The games vary in intensity, severity and complexity. Initially, our reason for playing the games were for relaxation, chatting with friends and taking a break from our schedules. This was achieved in the first few rounds and the games were overall funny despite their difficulty. Then I started to notice a simmer in the laughter and a rise in aggression. The longer we played, the more rude and enraged my friends would become. It started as very small cues of aggravation, such as rolling their eyes or speaking in a slightly louder tone. The escalation continued until one of my friends started pounding his fist into the desk. This immediately sparked my interest to dive into the fundamentals of video game related aggravation as I do not have the knowledge or evidence to make informed conclusions on this topic.

To broaden the scope of my understanding, I am currently reading peer reviewed articles, journals and papers from esteemed researchers such as the American Psychological Association. I am considering using the John Jay Library’s database to evidence peer reviewed sources whilst simultaneously using the Gale In Context: Opposing Viewpoints database for arguments that support both sides of this heavily debated topic. As a researcher, I have taken up certain potential research steps in the past such as my studies in biology. This will vastly improve my understanding of the scientific findings. Currently, I am reading, gathering, summarizing and Video Games and Aggression 2 comprehending multiple articles and videos to grasp the scope of the research. For my future research plan, I intend on conducting informal and formal interviews with my colleagues who frequently play video games to acquire anecdotal evidence. This will provide a basis for ethos and pathos as the information will be taken directly from experienced gamers.

My ultimate purpose in undertaking research on the topic of violent video games and real-life violent behavior among young people is to determine the nature and extent of the relationship between the two. Through my research, I hope to provide a comprehensive and evidence-based understanding of the role that violent video games may play in the development of real-life violent behavior among young people. By shedding light on this complex issue, I aim to help readers make informed decisions about the use of violent video games and their potential effects on young people. Furthermore, I hope that my research will encourage policymakers and other stakeholders to take a more proactive approach to addressing the issue of real-life violence among young people, and to develop evidence-based interventions that can help reduce the incidence of such behavior.