Do modern video games contribute to the increasing level of violence we observe around us? Can we really attribute the shootings and bombings we see on the news to the increased 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 national media networks that bombard us with graphic information depicting violent and impactful world events. To top it all off, the media often likes to make outrageous claims that video games "inspired" or "trained" the perpetrators of many of these acts of violence. In the article “Are violent video games harmful? ", Guy Porter and Vladan Starcevic state that "even though playing video games outwardly appears to be a harmless activity, the limited data available suggests that playing violent video games may be linked to aggressive and/or antisocial behavior. 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 activity that is common among today's youth. Before exploring the claim that playing video games can be associated with violent acts, the emotions and mental patterns that lead to violent crime must be described first. Some very common violent crimes that will serve as good examples are armed robbery and murder. Generally speaking, when a person commits or plans to commit theft, it is out of necessity due to their environment or a lack of personal will to work for their own property. During the crime, the thief is usually as terrified, if not more so, than the victims. It is these feelings that can lead a thief to... middle of paper ... people must learn to take responsibility for their own actions and parents will have to take greater responsibility in the proper education of their children. If these conditions are never met, society will move from one scapegoat to another until every personal freedom we have is lost to restrictions and regulations. Works Cited Porter, Guy and Vladan Starcevic. “Are violent video games harmful?.” Australasian Psychiatry 15.5 (2007): 422-426. Academic research completed. EBSCO. Internet. February 23, 2010. Glazer, S. (November 10, 2006). Video games. CQ Researcher, 16, 937-960. Retrieved February 11, 2010 from CQ Online researcher Bluemke, 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. Internet. February 23. 2010.