One of the main concerns with video games in modern society is the effect that they have on children. Video games were first introduced in the 1970s; straight away adults became concerned with the effect of these games on their children. No conclusive evidence was found to suggest there were ill effects on children and the issue was dropped. With the introduction of Nintendo in the 1980s and a rise in video gaming amongst children, the effects of the games on children became an issue once again leading to investigative research. This research suggested that playing video games had some effect on children's physical functioning. Although there were cases found of video games triggering epileptic seizures and heart rate changes, there was also evidence to suggest that video games could actually be a benefit to children. Some games were found to have pro-social uses in physical rehabilitation and oncology. (Oncology is the branch of medicine that deals with tumours, including study of their development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.) It was suggested that video games were a friendly way to introduce children to computers, and may even help to increase children's hand eye coordination.
Since the discovery that video games could have some ill effects on children they have been blamed on numerous occasions for terrible events. In April 1999 the video game Doom was given part of the blame for the Columbine shootings when Eric Harris aged 18 and Dylan Klebold aged 17, murdered 12 of their fellow students and wounded another 23 before killing themselves. The game was questioned because of its connection to the military where it was apparently used to train US soldiers to kill. The most recent case to blame a video game is that of the murder of 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah who was stabbed and beaten to death with a claw hammer by 17-year-old Warren Leblanc on the 26th February 2004. The mother of the boy claimed that the video game Manhunt was responsible. In a police report Mrs Pakeerah told police how she had heard the killer's friends say that he 'was obsessed with this game.'� She also stated, 'The aim of the game is to kill and to do it brutally.'� Faced with this evidence the producers of Manhunt Rockstar Games released a statement. The statement gave sympathies to the family and in defence to allegations of a highly unsuitable game stated that the game is 'geared towards mature audiences'� and the company 'markets its games responsibly'� and only targets an audience over 18.
Since this incident retail chains such as Game, Dixon's, Curry's and PC world refused to sell Manhunt in their stores any longer for the fear of being targeted as supplying children with such games. The game was released on November 21, 2003 and could be found in any of the major video game retailers on the high street, therefore making it highly accessible. Young children can often get games from older siblings or friends and are then able to play them.

Manhunt is a first person shooter, this genre of game enables the player to take on the role of the character and control all of their actions. The main conventions of this kind of game are as follows: The player begins with a weak weapon, the player later obtains stronger weapons so therefore the enemies increase in difficulty balancing out the difficulty level of the game, the player must push buttons and levers to open doors and go to new levels, objects such as barrels and motifs are used to 'decorate' the levels to make them more interesting and complex for the player. The main character is an antihero by the name of James Earl Cash. The narrative of the game is that it is set in future America 'nobody cares and everything goes.'� The character was sentenced to death but was taken by an unseen director to be part of a game show called Manhunt. In this show the character is forced to fight, kill or be killed. As the game goes on the player is able to follow the characters life and find out more about him as a 'person' this personal knowledge helps the player to relate to the character. Missions are set and the player must complete them to continue the narrative of the game, the mission reward is simply being able to move on with the game. At the climax of the game the character is able to confront the 'Director' and en the production of his 'snuff' films. The website designed for Manhunt is as dark and harrowing as the game itself with eerie sound effects and disturbing images of supposed CCTV camera footage. The site reads, 'This is a brutal blood sport, and it's all about the money shot.'� The game is described by Game Spy as, 'Genuinely tense and disturbing'�'�

After studying the game I found it to be extremely disturbing, with gory and reasonably realistic graphic images. The game includes various main characters most of whom are deformed in some way and seem to be psychopathic killers put into the game to try and destroy the leading character, these characters are designed to scare and add realism to the game as they have the potential to destroy the lead character and effectively end the game, this adds incentive to kill them off so the player can continue with the levels. The mise-en-scene of the game adds to its eerie and disturbing qualities. The scenes are dark with low lighting to create the effect of shadows; the walls and floors of buildings are dirty, often smeared with what appears to be blood and other filth. The use of CCTV effect videos often at low tilted angles or high tilted angles, create a more realistic and shocking view of the characters killings which include suffocating the victim with a plastic bag, attacking them with a crowbar and partially decapitating the victim with a claw hammer, each equally as shocking. Each scene is accompanied with its own set of sound effects including crunching gravel, dogs barking and in one case the taunting voice of a psychopathic killer dressed as a demonic bunny rabbit. All of the games conventions are designed to scare and thrill the player giving them a sense of power and excitement while they use the character to commit a murder.

After the killing of Stefan Pakeerah game classification was put under scrutiny. Rockstar Games in their defence stated that the game was 'clearly classified an 18 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification'�. On further research I found that this was the case, I also found another classification board that had rated the game. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated more than 10,000 games and 400 online games since 1994. The 'ESRB independently enforces ratings, advertising guidelines, and online privacy principles adopted by the computer and video game industry.'� The company was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association and by early 2003 it had rated over 8,000 titles submitted by 350 publishers. ESRB was led to be founded by the graphic "fatality" killing moves of Mortal Kombat and other controversial video games depicting violent or sexual situations at the time, and by pressure from the United States government. The ESRB rated 'Manhunt' an M ' Mature. This means that the game has content that may be suitable for person's aged 17 and over. 'Titles in this category may contain mature sexual themes, more intense violence and /or strong violence.'�
So even though games that contain this type of violence are clearly labelled with a rating or age limit, there was still a cry from the media to ban this kind of 'evil'. With all the chaos and panic surrounding video games it seems that other factors affecting children's behaviour is often over looked. It appears to parents and all general public that the most obvious cause of aggressive behaviour is the violence that they appear to be exposed to every day in the form of television and of course video games. Some suggest that children who commit such horrific crimes come from a broken home and often violent background. 'The savage environment that nurtures violent children is the very opposite of virtual.'� It appears that any evidence to suggest that there is a link between video games and violence comes from studies, which have contradictory or inconclusive findings. Professor John Paul Gee a Professor of Cognitive Science Applied in Education suggested that schools could use techniques found in video games to help children to learn and to keep their attention in class, as today classes focus on 'skill-and-drill' and multiple choice tests that 'kill deep learning.'� In a book he wrote in 2003 called 'What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy' James Gee identified 36 learning principles employed by video game designers. For example, we know that people are not good at learning lots of verbal information before they are required to utilise that information. James Gee says that sophisticated video games 'provide necessary information an instant before it must be applied, or 'on-demand'� when the player requests it in order to complete a challenge.'� Gee noted that contemporary game designers create a sense of 'pleasurable frustration'� by keeping the challenges outside the players comfort zone but well within the range they consider 'doable'�, this 'encourages continued enthusiasm for participation.'� Gee claims that good games enable players to empathise with the virtual characters, which engages their own senses and emotions. This might encourage our 'Twitch Generation'� students to connect with mathematical experiences as they work out a mystery or solve a puzzle.

It appears however that most people would agree that these violent games could be a catalyst in some cases where very damaged children 'are exposed to an overload of vicious fantasy.'� It appears that because there is no substantial or conclusive evidence against video games the reason that people feel the need to attack them is for the need of something to blame for the violence in children. This kind of reaction is known as a moral panic, this leads people to exaggerate the dangers out of proportion and it leads to people being overprotective. The media acts as an outlet for this reaction and often reports on stories that will reinforce this panic and allow it to become more of an issue, an example of this would be the Columbine shootings, which were blamed on the video game 'Doom', and the James Bulger killing was thought to be caused because the killers watched the film 'Child's Play 3'. If it really was the case that such 'video nasties' had in fact been proved to be the cause of these atrocities then these crimes would have been stopped long ago because all would be banned, but this is not that case as no definite evidence has been found to back up the accusations of the media that all violent games and films are 'evil'.

The effects debate can show how and why children react to violence in the media the way they do. The 'hypodermic needle model' is an example of how an audience is affected; it suggests there are people who are 'video game junkies' who need a fix of their favourite media form such as 'soap addicts'. The idea that the media can be represented as drug is not uncommon; the media can offer its audience an escape from reality, 'an alternative to the dull routine of everyday life'�. There is an implication that the audience is often unable to resist the effects of media messages, 'Some drugs take away are self control and can influence you to behave in ways which are out of character.'� This explanation however is not really taken seriously any longer and thinking has moved on, ideals in society have changed and theories have developed as people have become more tolerant. Now issues of how the violence in media causes real life violence in people who play or watch it.

Another game that has had an effect on the public and media because of the controversial issues it covers is 'Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'. This video game was released by Take-Two, the owner of Rockstar Games who were responsible for the release of the game 'Manhunt'. The game is set in 1980's Los Angeles and represents the criminal world behind the glamour. 'Vice City is a huge urban sprawl ranging from the beach to the swamps and the glitz to the ghetto, and is the most varied, complete and alive digital city ever created.'� The main character is called Tommy Vercetti has recently been in prison and has made his re-appearance in Vice City. 'He is set up and is left with no money and no merchandise.'� The game is a first person shooter as is 'Manhunt'. There is a focus on vehicles, hence the name 'Grand Theft Auto'. The player can use the character to highjack cars, motorbikes, powerboats, golf buggies and helicopters to transport them around the city. The aim of the game is to raise money to pay back the character's boss, this is achieved my completing a number of errands including delivering prostitutes to the red light district in a stolen car and shooting gangsters that are apparently a problem for the boss. The violence in this game is supposed to be seen as humorous; these acts of violence include shooting, beating and other ways of attacking innocent people including a chainsaw. Although the images are not particularly graphic, the acts themselves are quite horrific. The game enables players to experience things beyond the norm that they would not have the chance to experience in real life.

Other games that contain the amount of violence as Grand Theft Auto may receive complaints and accusations, such as the game 'Manhunt' however, this game is considered humorous and not to be taken seriously. Despite the criminal missions that character is sent on the game is described as containing 'Witty scripted scenes'�'�And the style of ''� a tongue-in-cheek gangster movie.'� It seems that Vice City is in fact one of the most violent video games around but does not seem to carry the same controversial issues as other violent video games like 'Manhunt'.'Manhunt' violence is represented in a much more brutal way, the dark images and the way the player views the murders through a CCTV camera makes the game a harrowing and disturbing experience for the player. Vice City is presented with bright colours and an 80's soundtrack to accompany the missions and vehicle highjackings. The two in comparison put very different perspectives on violence. ''�Only the criminally disturbed could mistake them for anything else but escapism.'�

One of the worries that have taken hold of the media in recent years has been that violence in the media, video games, films, music, may lead to a desensitisation of violence and as a result violent behaviour. It can make people think less of violence and therefore lead them to think less of committing an act of violence. However, this is not likely in any normal person who simply plays video games for entertainment whether they are violent or not, there must be an 'ambition to kill'�. In the average shoot-em-up, first person shooter video game such as Manhunt and Vice City, ammunition and weapons are found lying on the ground to be picked up and used straight away. 'When a child stops playing the game and does not find a 'rail gun'� lying at their feet, the fantasy of the video game is broken.'� If the child wanted to commit an act of violence they must first have access to a weapon and then take the weapon with the intent on killing an innocent person, this is an 'ambition to kill'� and happens in reality not in a video game. A normal child can easily distinguish between what is right and wrong, and what is reality and virtual, therefore they would know that the acts they are committing in any violent video game is wrong and a violent crime that they would not even imagine committing in reality.After the Columbine shootings the media claimed that the video game 'Doom' that was played by the two killers is used by the military to train their soldiers to kill. The military however claims that the game was used ''� to teach cooperation, listening skills and quick decision making.'� It seems that the media and public did not listen to this explanation and now simply use video games as a scapegoat to the much deeper question of why kids kill.

A study in April 2000 by The American Psychological Association (APA) found that video games might be more harmful to children than violent television and films because of their interactive nature. From Washington it was found that playing games like Doom or Wolfenstein 3D (both first person shooters'�) '�can increase a person's aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour both in laboratory setting and in actual life'�'� A study by psychologists in America found that the amount of video games students played in the past was associated with lower grades at college. Dr. Anderson of Iowa State University said that 'Violent video games provide a forum for learning and practising aggressive solutions to conflict situations.'� His studies, along with other American psychologists found that violent video games do in fact have a negative and antisocial effect on children and even college students leading to aggressive behaviour. When only playing video games for a short amount of time the game encourages aggressive thoughts, when playing for a long period of time effects are likely to be long lasting as '�'�the player learns and practises new aggression-related scripts'�'� One of the main concerns of the study was that the interactive nature of the video game as it is potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television or films, which are known to have effects on aggression and violence as well. Also in April 2000 Professor Karen Dill, a psychologist at Lenoir-Rhyne college, North Carolina, co-authored two research projects that looked into how video game violence effects young adults. She too argues that video games are more dangerous than violent television and films because they are more ''�engrossing and require the player to identify with the aggressor.'� She suggests that these games provide a learning environment for aggression.

It seems that there is research both to suggest that violent video games affect children greatly by causing them to have aggressive thoughts and be more violent, but there is also research that suggests video games are a learning tool and can help children develop useful skills such as hand eye coordination. With all of this inconclusive evidence put before me I can only conclude that society has not yet decided what the true effect of violent video games is on children and that it is possible video games are being used as a scapegoat to deflect attention from abusive and violent parents and the reason for child killers.

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