Violent Video Games Video games have been available to consumers
for the last 30 years. Video games are unique, as compared to
other games children and adolescents play, because they
encourage players to become a part of the game's script. Players
are encouraged to actively participate as a character by
choosing how they will interact with other characters including
which weapons will be used while fighting or attacking other
characters. Weapons often include guns, knives, pipes, bombs,
etc. Due to consumer demand over the last three decades, the
majority of video games produced and sold today are violent.
Today's sophisticated video games require players to pay
constant attention to the game as compared to passively watching
television or a movie. As active participants in the game's
script players strongly identify with violent characters
portrayed in violent video games. This identification with
characters in video games increases a player's ability to learn
and retain aggressive thoughts and behaviors the