The+Meaning+of+Life

**The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development: Boys' Perspectives**
By: Brian Berrodin

The researchers’ purpose was to determine why boys play violent video games (as much as they do). This is the topic of interest because these issues have barely been explored. The effects of video game violence exposure can relate to acts of violence in real life; however, some effects are less visible than catastrophic disasters like the Columbine High School massacre. For instance, the researcher dives into the different ways violent video games can affect a child’s emotions, cognition, perception, and behaviors in ways that promote bullying and victimization.

The most relevant prior work that the researchers’ have done on this topic has to do with the staggering statistics from 2005 about the amount of children who have electronic media in their own room. National surveys of American youth ages eight to eighteen by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 49% of children had a game console in their bedroom (which increased from 45% in 2009), 31% had a computer (increase from 21% in 1999), and 20% had Internet access (again, up from 10% in 1999). This may seem arbitrary, but these numbers have a lot to do with this study. The researchers address the reader with this information because it is necessary to understand that different media trends from six years before this study (which is now 11 years dated) can possibly impact players differently.

The research questions for this study are what do boys identify as the reasons they play violent video games, how do boys view the role of video games in social relationships, and what influence do boys believe violent video games have on their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and those of their peers?

They recruited forty-two seventh and eight grade boys ranging from twelve to fourteen. There were two sets of groups that were interviewed using concurrent groups (in separate rooms) of 21 parents and children, in a suburban office building, and boys-only groups with 21 additional participants, held at three Boston arena clubs serving disadvantaged urban youth. To qualify, boys were required to have played at least two hours of video or computer games a week. Potential participants were told that the groups would discuss adolescent video game play, but were not told anything specific. Lastly, participants were taken from fifteen communities in the greater Boston area. Each boy received $150 compensation.

The principle investigator, co-investigator, the research coordinator, and other researchers reviewed full print transcripts of groups’ audio recordings prepared by a research assistant. They identified and coded responses to the research questions and made notes on recurring themes in these responses. Periodically, the researchers conducted a reliability check during this process to make sure consistent interpretation and coding terminology was maintained among reviewers. Researchers took all of their data to share with the other researchers in a collaborative effort. This process was influenced by Marshall and Rossman (1998) to ensure credibility, transferability, dependability, confirmability via discussions with other researchers.

The main findings of the study concluded that boys are attracted to video games, especially violent video games for a mix of five reasons: (1) fantasies of power and fame; (2) challenge, exploration, and mastery; (3) emotional regulation, especially coping with anger and stress; (4) sociability (cooperation, competition, and status seeking); and (5) learning new skills (particularly in case of sports games). The one question that I can think of that these researchers must consider as a result of this research is – At what age are children most susceptible to building a dependence on video game usage? Furthermore, how would this obsessive behavior affect the child socially, behaviorally, and academically?

This article affects my own way of thinking about this topic because it kind of makes young boys seem like little monsters that are violence-obsessed, scholastically-lazy products of video game America. Of course, ratings (E-everyone, M-mature, T-teen, etc.) on video games are necessary; however, it is the parents (gatekeepers) that are ultimately responsible for the monitoring of their child’s gaming experience. This study didn’t necessarily surprise or woo me. W ith that said, I am now currently searching for a comprehensive study on **female gamers**.



**Source:** Olson, C.K., Kutner, L.A., Warner, D.E. (2008). The Role of Violent Video Game Content in Adolescent Development: Boys' Perspectives. //Journal of Adolescent Research.// Pp. 55-75.