The Effect of Media on Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

The Effect of Media on Audience - Essay Example I will use the subject to the subject model in comparing how the two articles answer to the effect of video gaming to the individuals playing them and to the whole society at large. In the first article, most research studies show that playing anti-social video games for instance; violent ones lead to violent behaviors and aggression by the individuals who play such games. This is because in playing these video games, one is actively involved in it and hence will tend to behave in the manner in which he plays. Another reason is that individuals who play violent video games normally identify with the violent character and so they will also behave aggressively. The violent games also reward violent behaviors as those who are violent in playing are rewarded by points, are allowed to move to the next stage or through spoken praise for instance ‘Great shot!’ after murdering the opponent. This reward ensures there are increases in the frequency of violence. This is proven thro ugh a study in which boys were seen to be more aggressive after playing an intense video game. For instance, â€Å"In a study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology this year, participants played either a violent or non-violent video game for 20 minutes per day over 3 days. After playing the game, they then played a competitive task in which, if they won, they could blast their opponent with an unpleasant noise. The researchers found that participants who played violent games blasted their opponents in the secondary task for longer, which was interpreted as an increase in aggressive behavior† (Silvia 54). According to Clay Routledge, a psychologist, if violent games can cause aggression and violent behavior then it goes without saying that prosocial video games such as tit for tat games can lead to prosocial behavior. Prosocial means behavior that will have positive effects on the society.