Video games may offer chances to improve hand-eye coordination and reaction time while having fun in a virtual world, but constant exposure to violence through games should be of concern for players and the Stuart Hall High School community.

Advocates for video games often express the positives of gaming but forget to concede the links between video game violence and apathetic aggression. The link between aggression and violent video games is often dismissed as “made-up” or unproven, however, the American Psychological Association has cemented the reality of video games and their link to violence.

Individuals who play violent video games tend to experience an increase in violent behavior, aggression, and apathy, according to the 2015 American Psychological Association study.

Despite the findings, violent video games continue to increase in popularity, with more than a dozen video games involving weapons and homicide released in 2016.

The fact that more violent games hit the market in 2016, the year after the American Psychological Association study was released, should be alarming. However, society has yet to condemn violence in games. Instead, it seems that violent games continue to grow in popularity exponentially.

If violent games are gaining more players each year, the human population is becoming more aggressive as a whole. These violent video games may be tempting and enjoyable, but their effects are deteriorating human ethics and values too easily.

Now that violent games are so accessible, empathy and kindness are vulnerable. Choosing to participate in violent games can have immediate benefits; one may feel mentally stimulated and intrigued by the fast-moving games. However, the negative long-term impacts of these games should prompt players around the world, including those in the Stuart Hall High School community, to ditch them, opting for kindness and empathy instead.