Growing up as a child I would always enjoy playing the newest video game. This was a way for me to release all the built up anxiety and would allow me to just relax for a while. Regardless of the game, it always did the job. I can remember playing games like Mario Cart, Sonic, and Madden. As an adult, I still enjoy sitting down and playing a video game every now and then. Games that I enjoy now are the like of Madden, MLB the Show, and Call of Duty. Call of Duty has received a lot of negative criticism over the past couple of years from people that think that it affects the way we behave.

There are many theories in behavior that I have learned about in my media and society class regarding video games and violence. The fact is that there have not been many studies that look at the long term affects on behavior that violent video games such as Call of Duty have on the brain. None the less, people still argue that media causes us to be violent. They use the term catharsis to explain this. Catharsis states that media is an outlet that helps us alleviate violent tendencies. They argue that violent video games can have unintended, and unanticipated consequences for society.

I disagree with these accusations. I believe that in order for someone to act out in a violent way, they must already be violent. There are many different factors that go into this. A genetic and psychological issue must be there before someone is set off and commits a act of violence. I have played violent video games but I can distinguish reality from fantasy. I am not going to go out and commit acts of violence simply because I played Call of Duty for an hour today.