The Addiction Solution: How to Deal with Children’s Video Game Aggression

As video games have increased in popularity, they have been the subject of much debate and have often been regarded as violent.  Today we are seeing more and more children acting out aggressively as a result of playing violent video games for extended periods of time.

According to David Walsh from the National Institute on Media and the Family, research shows that there are “several reasons why children develop aggressive behaviour as a result of playing violent video games.”  In his research paper, Video Game Violence and Public Policy, Walsh states that “playing video games requires the child to be an active participant, assume a first-person point of view and identity, usually involve repetition which increases learned behaviours, and are based on a ‘rewards system’ which also increases learning.”  These factors all contribute to the way in which your child behaves in the real world–in one word, aggressively.

Parents who find themselves with children who are involved in excessive gaming looking for realistic, easy and accessible solutions on how to manage their child’s increasing aggressive behaviour as a result of gaming can use the following solutions as a guideline for help.

Setting Guidelines for Video Game Usage

The website for the North American syndicated radio program The Parent Report says that “the number one thing that parents can do to gain and maintain control of their child’s gaming is getting actively involved in their children’s video game usage.”  This requires limiting the amount of time the child spends playing the game through setting strict boundaries and guidelines.  The focus is on “playing in moderation, and selective use of the time allotted to playing video games” says reporter Sherry Rauh in her article Detox for Video Game Addiction for CBS news.  Parents take control of the situation by monitoring the current amount of time the child is gaming, and drastically reducing the time through close supervision and allotting scheduled time for play.  Your involvement in how much time they are spending playing should be the first step towards resolution and help.

“Parents should also have kids play games in public places in the home where they can be monitored, not in private, such as playing in their rooms,” says the National Institute on Media and the Family, a research-based organization dedicated to the effects of media on children and their families.

Seek-Out Alternative Activities

Supporting your child’s participation in other activities is a great way to combat excessive gaming and aggressive behaviour.  “Encourage your child to get involved in alternative activities, such as sports or reading, that pull them away from the tv and computer,” recommends The Parent Report.  Put an emphasis on getting your child involved in more physical activities that get the child outdoors and interacting in a social situation with their peers, rather than individual-based activities.  This helps the child to develop positive real-life relationships with others, and builds social skills as they are engaging in human interaction with others.

Talk With Your Child About Aggressive Behaviours

“Generating discussion regarding the content of the games your child is playing will help to open up a dialogue about how unacceptable violent solutions to real life problems are with your child, and help you to create alternative, positive solutions together,” suggests the American Psychological Association.  Take the time to discuss how to positively resolve conflict in your child’s life, and deal with tough situations that they may face in their everyday lives.   Together look for methods of resolution to conflict that do not involve violent or aggressive reactions and solutions.

The negative effects of violence, and differentiating between real-life and the video game world should be regularly discussed with your child.  The Parent Report proposes choosing different types of activities that involve problem solving as a solution.  This will help with your child’s understanding of aggressive behaviour, and the differences between their actions within the game, and their actions and consequences in reality.

Understand and Abide by Video Game Ratings

Enforcing video game ratings on the games your children are playing is a very important practice, advocates the American Psychological Association.  This includes monitoring both what your child is playing in your home, as while as what games they are purchasing and renting.  One solution is to purchase the games for the child or insist on being present when a video game is purchased.

You should be monitoring the video game ratings of the games that your children are playing as well.  “All video games are required to have a rating on the outside of their packaging, informing the purchaser of the rating of the games content,” advises the National Institute on Media and the Family.  Parents should take the ratings on the package seriously and ensure that abiding by this grading system is enforced within the home.

For additional help with this issue, please see the guide to video game ratings below.

Get Involved!

By becoming involved in your child’s gaming and taking a genuine interest, you can begin to conquer this issue in your own home.

The important question arising now is how can we continue to help our children as technology continues to grow and negative behaviours and habits begin to evolve alongside it?  How can we help our children deal with these aggressive behaviours and learn moderation with these addictive games?

We must move forward as our world changes and learn to adapt to these changes alongside our youth, because in real life there are no restart buttons after game over.

If you think that your child may have aggression issues due to video game addition, please see our checklist below.

The Debate over Video Game Aggression

Check out this debate over the influence of video games and their relationship with children’s aggressive behaviour.

The National Institute on Media and the Family’s Guide to Video Game Ratings in Canada and the United States

•    EC (Early Childhood) – ages 3 and older
•    E (Everyone) – ages 6 and older
•    E10+ (Everyone 10 and Older) – ages 10 and older
•    T (Teen) – ages 13 and older
•    M (Mature) – ages 17 and older
•    AO (Adults Only) – age 18 and older
•    RP (Rating Pending) – awaiting final rating on the game

Is Your Child Becoming Addicted to Video Games?

The National Institute on Media and the Family’s Addiction Checklist

•    Spending excessive amounts of time playing video games
•    Lying about the amount of time they are spending playing video games
•    Angry or aggressive when they are not playing video games, or their time has been restricted
•    Not completing homework and assignments
•    Significant drop in grades
•    Staying up late gaming and sleeping during odd hours or at school
•    Losing interest in other activities they once loved (sports, clubs, social groups)
•    Spending less time with friends in order to play video games

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