The video gaming industry started off with geeky followers and expanded into today’s mainstream video gamer. It is of no wonder that many of the video games of today receive some good and bad press alike. Most notably Grand Theft Auto IV. Yet what many fail to see is that this type of video game is not meant for those of young age; it is meant for the mature adult.

In my search of the net for video gaming and the culture that surrounds our industry I happened to find an interesting article called “Cool School: Where Peace Rules”, but as it turns out that is the name of a video game that was developed right here in our own backyard a homegrown video game that is impacting students and parents across the nation.
Cool School: Where Peace Rules puts the balance of yin and yang where it shows the other side of what is possible vs. that of the violence of Grand Theft Auto IV showing those who are still young how to handle tough situations in a good way.

Before you were brought aboard to help create Cool School: Where Peace Rules; were you interested in the effects of video games on American culture?

Yes, I conducted two studies with my doctoral students on how adolescents and college students evaluate video games in terms of whether they view the images in games to be stereotypical, and whether the images, if stereotypical, influence their behavior. We published two papers on this topic—see below.
Extensive research has focused on whether the aggression displayed in games influences youth’s behavior and attitudes. We studied whether stereotypical images are viewed negatively or positively by adolescents, and whether this is related to their acceptance of stereotypes, and whether that is a function of player frequency.

Henning, A., Brenick, A., Killen, M., O’Connor, A., & Collins, M. J. (in press). Adolescents’ perceptions of gender stereotypes in video games. Children, Youth, and Environments (Special Issue on Children in Technological Environments).
Brenick, A., Henning, A., Killen, M., O’Connor, A., & Collins, M.J. (2007). Social reasoning about stereotypic images in video games: Unfair, legitimate, or “just entertainment”? Youth & Society, 38, 395 - 419.

What interests you most about the effects of the video game culture on the nation?

I’m concerned about the pervasiveness of negative stereotypes about males and females, as well as about ethnic minority members of our culture. The pervasiveness of stereotypes, such as sexualized images of women which depict them in subordinate roles, and overly aggressive images of men, as killer-oriented, are damaging. Many video games are fun, and some are free of stereotypes but most are not free of these negative images. The impact appears to be most concrete for young adolescent males.

As an expert in your field do you believe that the mainstream video games have a negative effect on American culture?

There are 2 issues: quantity and quality. Quantity refers to how much time kids are playing. Even good quality video game playing should not substitute for exercise, peer interaction, homework, and family time. Quality refers to the content. There are many different types of video games. Some teach about history and civilization, some help with learning about sports, dance, etc. These are probably fine, when played within reason. Most games are replete with negative stereotypes and this has not been the focus of much scrutiny. It’s a dire situation.

In the mainstream media there was talk about the negative effects of video games; yet who do you believe to be responsible for these effects is it the parents or is it the industry?

It’s a mixture. Clearly the industry produces the games, and feels little responsibility to depict quality level games. Parents should do more to monitor their children’s playing. They close their eyes, too often, not knowing how to do it.

Biography:

Melanie Killen, Ph.D. (1985, Developmental Psychology, University of California, Berkeley). Dr. Killen is Professor of Human Development, Professor of Psychology (Affiliate), and the Associate Director for the Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture at the University of Maryland. She has received funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Science Foundation (NSF) for her research. She studies children’s and adolescents’ moral development, social reasoning about exclusion, intergroup bias, prejudice, social cognition, and children’s interpretation of the media, as well as how media-based interventions can facilitate social development. Dr. Killen has co-edited 6 books, including serving as the Editor of the Handbook on Moral Development (2006), which is being translated into Chinese and Korean, and she has published over 90 empirical journal articles and book chapters. Her research has been profiled in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Baltimore Examiner, the American Scientist, The Chronicle of Higher Education, American School Board Journal, Teaching Tolerance Magazine, ABCNews.com, Newsweek.com, Parenting, Parent-Wise Magazine, Redbook, Baby Journal, as well as other print and media (radio, tv) outlets.

Previously Posted at CG Magazine

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and interviewee and are in no way connected with Gamers Daily News, its staff, partners or officers.