Are video games harmful to children?

This week, you will write a paper that clearly states your thesis, introduces two or more arguments that support your thesis, and uses evidence to support your arguments. Remember that your thesis should be taking a stance on one side of the issue; your reader should be able to clearly be able to tell how you feel about video games and aggressive or violent behavior

Assignment Instructions

Use the Argument Template [DOCX] to guide your work. Be sure to delete any explanatory instructional text before inserting your writing. 

In your paper, address the following:

• Write an introduction with a clear thesis statement to introduce the arguments.
• Apply psychological principles to the creation of arguments and counterarguments.
• Write a conclusion with a statement of point of view and implications.
• Address assignment purpose in well-organized paragraphs, incorporating credible sources, accurate paraphrasing, tone, and citations.

Refer to the scoring guide to ensure that your work meets the grading criteria for this assignment.

Reading these articles will help you to start formulating knowledge for constructing your argument that supports your stance on the topic of violence in video games.

If you’re taking the stance that video games are not harmful to children, refer to the following resources. Read the discussion of each.

• Harrington, B., & O’Connell, M. (2016). Video games as virtual teachers: Prosocial video game use by children and adolescents from different socioeconomic groups associated with increased empathy and prosocial behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 650–658.
• Lobel, A., Engels, R. C. M. E., Stone, L. L., & Granic, I. (2019). Gaining a competitive edge: Longitudinal associations between children’s competitive video game playing, conduct problems, peer relations, and prosocial behavior. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(1), 76–87.
• Verheijen, G. P., Stoltz, S. E. M. J., van den Berg, Y. H. M., & Cilleson, A. H. N. (2019). The influence of competitive and cooperative video games on behavior during play and friendship quality in adolescence. Computers in Human Behavior, 91, 297–304.
• Wang, B., Taylor, L., & Sun, Q. (2018). Families that play together stay together: Investigating family bonding through video games. New Media & Society, 20(11), 4074–4094.

If you’re taking the stance that video games are harmful to children, refer to the following resources. Read the discussion section of each.

• Chang, J. H., & Bushman, B. J. (2019). Effect of exposure to gun violence in video games on children’s dangerous behavior with real guns: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Network Open, 2(5), 1–11.
• Coyne, S. M., Warburton, W. A., Essig, L. W., & Stockdale, L. A. (2018). Violent video games, externalizing behavior, and prosocial behavior: A five-year longitudinal study during adolescence. Developmental Psychology, 54(10), 1868–1880.
• Dowsett, A., & Jackson, M. (2019). The effect of violence and competition within video games on aggression. Computers in Human Behavior, 99, 22–27.
• Greitemeyer, T. (2018). The spreading impact of playing violent video games on aggression. Computers in Human Behavior, 80, 216–219.
• Shao, R., & Wang, Y. (2019). The relation of violent video games to adolescent aggression: An examination of moderated mediation effect. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1–9.