202 Useful Exercises for IELTS Side1-06-Ex1.3RadioItem1

　　　This week's controversial topic is.. . 'violent video games'.   Are they responsible for a rise in the number of attacksby children in the schoolyard?' Some social commentators 1 say yes. Worse, it has been suggested that two recentkillings by teenagers were prompted by the playing of video games with extreme content. But is it proven?

The jury is out on this issue.   Not nearly enough research has been done to either prove or disprove that violentgaming leads to violence in children in real life. What is known is that a child who is already disturbed mightcertainly react violently  after playing a violent computer game;  but a psychotic child might just as easily reactinappropriately to having  seen   a family   video or after reading the newspaper.

Unfortunately, it is too early to say yet whether the immense amount of violence on TV and in video games hasa deleterious effect on children, but one thing is certain - violence sells.   And, interestingly, violence appeals farmore to young male video gamers than to young female players;  the latter preferring games which rely more ondiscovery and the development of the relationships between the characters onscreen.   Does this prove that boysare somehow instinctively 2 more violent than girls? Not necessarily. It could merely be that the way in which non-100 violent   'so-called  girl's'   games   are  packaged,   with   their   pink   and  fluffy   characters   and  backgrounds,   does  notappeal  to   boys.     Software   companies   may   be  guilty   of  stereotyping   when   it   comes  to   how   they   package   theirproducts  for the two  sexes.

Are  violent video  games  merely  a form  of degrading entertainment?   Or do  they have  some  socially redeemingvalue after all?     It has been argued that because computer games are interactive 3 - gaming is not a passive activitylike  watching TV   - they might,   in fact,   allow a child to indulge his  or her violent fantasies  and relieve pent-upfrustrations in a socially acceptable and less harmful way.    On the other hand,  violent games may be heighteningthe   release   of  tension   children   experience   upon   destroying   an   onscreen   character;   violence,   instead   of  beingpunished as  in the real world,   is rewarded with higher scores  and faster music.

So, what do you think?   Let us know if you believe that violent video games lead to child violence by ringing thisnumber now:   01256-381574.             That number again   ...   01256-381574.