Espinoza 1

Elmer Espinoza
Professor Sanchez
English 100
5 December 2015
Violent Video Games, The New Training for War.
Are we sure its just a game or it is training to kill someone? Brutalization is all about
taking off your feelings, something like ripping of your soul. On the other hand, desensitization
is to be able to do things without feeling bad for doing it, the goal of it is not feel guilty.
Brutalization and desensitization are both connected, so in military training they use them as the
first step to get someone to harm or kill another person in combat. The brutalization and
desensitization of soldiers is different from the indoctrination of children through televised
violence because of the way its been doing, for soldiers its something the have to do in training,
and at the other side, kids have the ability to choose if they want to participate or not in violent
videogames. We in fact are training our kids to kill, but we dont mean to do it on purpose, it
happens without noticing; through violent video games, and other violent media; parents should
take care of their children and restrict what they can play and see on movies or television.

Children learn operant conditioning and are being desensitized by violent media and
video games. Dave Grossman, who is a retired professor of Psychology and Military Science and
former U.S. Army Ranger investigates how and why people kill each other during war, and the
root causes of violent crime. One of the causes is brutalization and desensitization, its all about
breaking down your existing mores and norms and force you to accept a new set of values that
embraces destruction, violence and death as a way of life (Grossman, 485). Kids learn from

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television, where they by watching it, mimic the action that they see and parents will say its just
for fun, that isnt real, but children cant tell the difference between one thing and another.

The problem is happening and we dont realize it. John Murray who is a professor of
Family Studies and Human Services in Kansas State University says in an article that: Whether
repeated rushes of stimulation cause the memory to store away ever-more-violent images, to be
recalled later as a possible response to frustration Certainly that's what social-science work
over the last 40 years has shownthat exposure to media violence changes our values, makes us
more likely to act out aggressively (Murray). Some children and teenagers are becoming so
desensitized that they behave aggressively mainly because of the exposure to media violence as
Professor John Murray says. And in truth, not only do the games seem harmless, but kids have so
much fun playing that it's hard to imagine an inoffensive game as anything but positive, kids also
feel so good playing those video games, that maybe if they get to harm someone, theyll feel
good as well.

The fault that kids are playing violent video games or seeing violence in media belong to
the parents. They permit their children play rated "M" video games, which stand for mature
audiences, but surveys show that parents don't follow these ratings, and stores don't enforce
them. So the fault is not all over the kid that play the games but also the parents who allow him
to play without first having knowledge about the game, they dont ask themselves if they should
play those games. Even sometimes when parents dont allow them, they (kids) could download
the game over the internet and play all night without the parent knowing, I think the parents
should pay more attention to what the kids are doing.

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Other people thinks that playing videogames from the point of view of the killer is
making some childrens start thinking and acting like assassins, like Grossman says in his essay,
kids are learning to kill thru operant controlling in video games. The industry of video games has
always argued that most of the games today are not violent, and state that there has never been a
link between aggressive behavior and violent media; "The entertainment software industry has
no reason to run and hide" (Doug Lowenstein), Doug is part of the Interactive Digital Software
Association.

Media have suggested that recent School shootings were linked to social rejection and
violence in home. The violence in school has led to much discussion of the causes of such
episodes, which have been attributed to lack of gun control laws, the influence of aspects of
popular culture that glamorize death, violent video games, and even the failure to display the ten
commandments in school buildings.

Summary of main points/ conclusion

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Works Cited
"A Guide to The Literature On Aggressive Behavior." Aggressive Behavior 1.3 (1975):
267-276. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 17 Oct. 2015.
Grossman, Dave. We Are Training Our Kids to Kill. The Prose Reader: Essays for
Thinking, Reading, and Writing. Ed. Kim Flachmann and Michael Flachmann. Boston: Pearson,
2014. 481-491. Print
Keegan, Paul. "Violence in Video Games and Other Media Can Cause School Shootings."
School Shootings. Ed. Laura K. Egendorf. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2002. At Issue.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.
Radford, Benjamin. "Violent Video Games Have Not Been Proven to Harm Teens." Teens
at Risk. Ed. Christine Watkins. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt.
from "Reality Check on Video Game Violence." livescience.com. 2005. Opposing Viewpoints in
Context. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.