Do modern video games contribute to the increasing level of violence we see around us? Can we really attribute the shootings and attacks we see on the news to the increase in violence and realism of video games? Every day, people are exposed to violence through the television shows and movies they watch, the video games they play, and the national media networks that bombard us with graphic information depicting violent and impactful global events. To top it off, the media often loves to make outrageous claims that video games have “inspired” or “trained” perpetrators of many of these violent acts. In the article “Are violent video games harmful?”, Guy Porter and Vladan Starcevic state that “while playing video games appears on the surface to be a harmless activity, the limited data available suggests that playing violent video games may be related to aggressive behavior and/or antisocial". behavior” (4). I strongly disagree with their statement; not only do I believe that violent video games do not directly cause aggression, but I also believe that gaming is a very social and common activity among today's youth. Before exploring the claim that playing video games can be associated with violent acts, we must first outline the emotions and thought patterns that lead to violent crime. Some very common violent crimes that will serve as good examples are armed robbery and murder. Generally, when someone commits or plans to commit robbery, it is out of necessity due to a person's environment or lack of personal drive to work for one's possessions. During the act of crime, the robber is generally as terrified as the victims, or even more terrified. It is these feelings that can lead a robber to ... middle of paper ... people must learn to take responsibility for their actions and parents will have to take greater responsibility for the proper upbringing of their children. If these conditions are never met, society will move from one scapegoat to another until we lose every personal freedom we have due to restrictions and regulations. Works Cited Porter, Guy and Vladan Starcevic. “Are violent video games harmful?” Australian Psychiatry 15.5 (2007): 422-426. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. February 23, 2010. Glazer, S. (2006, November 10). Video games. Researcher CQ, 16, 937-960. Retrieved February 11, 2010 by CQ Online researcherBluemke, Matthias, Monika Friedrich, and Joerg Zumbach. “The influence of violent and nonviolent computer games on implicit measures of aggression.” Aggressive Behavior 36.1 (2010): 1-13. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Network. February 23. 2010.