In the discussion about content unsuitable for children, violent computer and video games, so-called “shooting games”, “first-person shooters”, “killer games”, or “riot games” have long played a major role. Usually, these games are accompanied by boosters from a third-party app like valorant boosting in order to increase their power or rank in the game.

In order to protect them from this, parents are best advised to accompany younger children, pay attention to age-appropriate content, use the possibilities of technical protection of minors and critically examine the fascination of these games with older children.

Violent content is particularly common in computer and video games, from moderate, child-friendly, and funny forms to distancing stagings to realistic war scenes and bloody horror scenes. The technological development has now reached a (super) realistic representation. If the game unfolds from the perspective of the subjective camera (in the first-person perspective), the visible distance to the real world becomes smaller and it requires the player greater cognitive efforts to differentiate between the virtual and real world.

Action Games Still Debatable If It Is Good For Skills Development

Since this is a very interactive medium, the frequency and density of violent content not only depends on the genre and title but also on the individual style of play. With regard to multiplayer and online games, the social interaction of the players must also be taken into account. These can animate themselves to violent actions and personally offend on the relevant platforms internally and externally. In addition, playing under competitive conditions can increase the aggressiveness of the players regardless of the violent content of the games. This also applies to game-related frustrations.

The Fascination Of Shooter Games

The following aspects can fascinate children and adolescents in the depiction of violence:

TENSION. Violence often serves to immerse the players in the game. The player sees himself at risk in his virtual existence and has to do everything possible to prevent this.

POWER, GOVERNANCE, AND CONTROL. Many computer games are based on the fact that players develop power and control the game. Young people in particular, who are anxious and insecure in everyday life, often tend to compensate for self-doubt.

SOCIAL MODELS. Violence is socially outlawed and yet virulent. For many young people, violent games are interesting because they can differentiate themselves socially.

MEDIAL ROLE MODELS. The presentation of virtual violence follows media role models like heroes and serves to identify and project one’s own fantasies of power and control.

TACTICAL BEHAVIOR. Instead of empathy, many computer games require tactical behavior within the framework of a defined rule system. A virtual counterpart is an object; the “game ethic” often separates “good” from “bad” in a simplistic black and white manner.

EMOTION MANAGEMENT: In a real safe situation, players consciously endure the tension of the fictional threat and symbolically manage fear.

Reception Of Shooter Games

Adolescents can experience media violence in very different ways. The interplay of media and personal factors influences the extent to which adolescents can distance themselves from the games and are inclined to feel confirmed in questionable values ​​and behavioral tendencies or to develop them.

  • Context,
  • Degree of reality and everyday life,
  • Staging,
  • Identification incentives and
  • Interactivity

Experiences of media violence are also influenced by various factors on the part of adolescents.

Risks of shooter games for children

Impact risks of media violence for children and adolescents are a situational emotional overload/fear of the players, reinforcement of a threatening world view, reinforcement of a value orientation, which accepts violence as a legitimate means of enforcement and conflict resolution and corresponding behavioral tendencies as well as a reduction in empathy or dulling against violence.

If parents accompany their children through the media world right from the start, they can be more careful that they are not confronted with inappropriate content and can be non-violent age and child-friendly

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