Elvin M.

Ms. Milloy
ENG 101
9/19/15
Video Games - The Blame Game

For years, the connection between real-world violence and video game violence has been
debated. With tragedy after tragedy that has happened in the U.S. and other countries, reporters and
politicians have found it to be the bottom line to blame video games for violent behavior among young
teens and adults. With little to no research or reliable source on their side, reporters have constantly made
ordinary people believe that their child can be harmful to others by simulating a violent act on a gaming
system. On a video I watched called Do Video Games Cause More Violence?, a professor from the
University of Texas at Arlington named Michael Ward decided to demonstrate his rhetoric, which
includes ethos, pathos, and logos, as a response to these misguided accusations. The message of the video
seems to give viewers the impression that video games actually cause less violence.
As Michael Ward introduces himself, he seems to be using ethos by letting viewers know that he
is not only a professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, he also says that he and his children play
video games themselves. With the research that hes done, hes figured out that more video game playing
is actually associated with LESS real life violence. From what I saw in the video, he seems credible by
mentioning the studies that he conducted, methodologies, graphs, and other data sources, which all seem
legitimate. The video itself also was presented professionally and clearly showed statistics and visuals
that was easy for the viewer to digest. With all of this credible information that was shown, I would think
that gamers, non-gamers, and other researchers would understand where Michael Wards stance is with all
of this data.
Throughout the video, politicians and reporters were constantly bringing up any negative impact
that they claim gaming has had on young adults. For pathos, Michael mentions the positives that video

games have made for the entertainment industry and for society. Video games have been used to bring
friends and families together. It has brought artistry, storytelling, and animation to heights that have never
been reached. On the topic of censorship, Michael says We would be censoring games based on the
mistaken belief that it can cause violence and could actually be leaving Americans exposed to more real
life harm.
For logos, Michael believes that gaming has also affected other fields like the medical industry
and the military in a positive way. Its been known to teach through technology, decision-making, and to
evoke emotions through characters and storytelling. These statements seem to show that video games
have a more accepted and educational influence in other facets of society other than just homes.
Also for ethos, Michael came up with more interesting statistics. He believes that contrary to
popular belief, youth violence has steadily declined over the past 20+ years, while video games have
become more advanced and popular. He also mentions that a 100% increase in violent video game
consumption led to a 1% statistically measureable decrease in violent crime. Although this may not
seem to be a big decrease, Michael says that this still doesnt prove that video games cause violence.
Also, other forms of media, like movies and music, have and are still going through a regulations system.
Parents should be able to know what to expect from what theyre getting for their child judging by the
rating and the contents on it.
As a person that plays video games myself, I have played many video games that contain some
sort of violence for many years. I was also exposed to many violent movies and TV shows while I was
growing up and I never committed any violent acts. One thing I learned from this research is that there
more people that can relate to my personal opinion on this topic. I also learned that many different kinds
of research have been done and presented, but it can be overlooked by naive reporters and viewers.
But despite the amount of data available to them, Reporters are going to continually attack video
games. Politicians are going to keep using this blame scheme for political gain and to get paid by the

NRA. Parents are going to keep supporting these people and not realize what the actual cause of this
violence is. As this ignorance keeps happening, Michael Ward and other researchers are going to keep
producing evidence in hopes to keep people rightfully informed. If we keep ignoring the root of the
problem and instead keep blaming guns and video games for violence, things will continue to be the same
and possibly worse.

Works Cited

Ward, Michael. Do Video Games Cause More Violence? Youtube. Learn Liberty.
10/28/14. Web. 11/24/15