| Video games for children, teens and young adults | | | | Grand Theft Auto series, one of the most popular |
| bring in $10 billion a year in the United States. | | | | and also most violent and controversial of the games, |
| Certainly some of the games offer harmless | | | | a player is rewarded if he has sex with a prostitute |
| entertainment and maybe even some educational | | | | and then murders her (the most recent of the series, |
| value. But the games that seem to be the most | | | | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, was the best-selling |
| eagerly anticipated, the games that major retailer | | | | title in 2004). Whether or not these games contribute |
| Zany Brainy says "the industry is focusing on," and | | | | to violent "real-life" behavior among their primary |
| the games that fly off the shelves as soon as | | | | users (pre-teen and teen boys) has spurred major |
| they're released are those rated "M" for mature and | | | | controversy. And, as with most hot-button issues, |
| "AO" for adults only. To garner an "M" rating, the | | | | there are strong proponents and opponents on either |
| content is intended for people aged 17 and older, and | | | | side. Yes, Video Games Cause Violence Much |
| may contain sexual themes and intense violence or | | | | attention was brought to video game violence after |
| language. An "AO"-rated game is suitable only for | | | | it was realized that the two teenagers behind the |
| adults 18 and over, and may include graphic depictions | | | | Columbine High School shootings played (and even |
| of sex and/or violence. The popularity of the games | | | | created their own levels of) DOOM, one of the first |
| is astounding. According to a 2004 report by the | | | | "first-person shooter" video games (attesting to its |
| National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, | | | | popularity, a movie version of DOOM was just |
| a 2001 review found that 49 percent of the 70 | | | | released on October 21). The most recent study on |
| top-selling video games contained serious violence. | | | | the topic, to be published in the January 2006 edition |
| Out of all games, 41 percent required violence for the | | | | of Media Psychology, found that playing violent video |
| protagonists to achieve their goals. And in 17 percent | | | | games does indeed cause violent thought patterns in |
| of the games, violence was the primary focus of the | | | | the brain. A team of international researchers |
| game itself. The violence is often brutal and | | | | observed 13 males, aged 18 to 26, for the study. It |
| degrading to women. In the game "Duke Nukem," for | | | | was found that, after playing a mature-rated game, |
| instance, a player can enter a room with naked | | | | 11 out of the 13 participants showed significant |
| women saying "Kill me," while tied to posts. In the | | | | effects from the games. |