FINAL LITERATURE REVIEW

Due to violence in video gaming, the amount of crimes and the level of aggressive behaviour has increased within the younger generation. However different studies have shown that this is not the case and violent games do not change the aggression levels at all. GrayBill (1987) showed through a study with sixth graders when using a violent game verses a non violent game the aggression levels didn’t change. This showed that violent games have no effect on the teenagers. However in a different study by Cooper and Mackie (1986) it showed the complete opposite when testing a violent game verses a non violent game using fifth grade girl. With this study it showed that when viewing a violent game that they showed different levels of aggression.

In more recent studies it has shown the same result as with Cooper and Mackie. Anderson and Bushman (2002) said that violent games promoted various forms of aggressive behaviour. However this was only an opinion and more proof would be needed to answer the question of if violent games were promoting aggressive behaviour in teenagers. Another study by Walsh (2000) showed that the reason behind teenagers and children having so many games is because of parents not being aware of the rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. This shows that parents do not know about how violent the games are. This suggests that the reason behind children playing violent games is due to the parents being made unaware of the content. Vince Mathews (2006) through a more recent study hesitated to make the statement that it is video game violence that is making teenagers more aggressive.  However what he does believe is that by doing this study it should encourage parents to make sure to look more carefully at the type of games they let their children play.

“Based on our results, I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent video-games playing and brain function” (Mathews 2006). This shows that games affect parts of the brain to release aggressive behaviour. The researcher believes that if parents were made more aware of how violent games can affect a child then maybe less children would be aloud to play them.

 A valid point made by Gentile and Andrerson (2003) suggested that it is because of violent acts being repeated throughout the game the childrens aggressive behaviour is increased. However researcher Patrick Kierkegaard states that crime has decreased since the increase of popularity with violence games. “Violent crime, particularly among the young, have decreased dramatically since the early 1990s, while video games have steadily increased in popularity and use” (Kierkegaard). Similar findings were made by Christopher J Ferguson (2010) who mentions in an article that recent research has shown that in Europe and the United States they are having less behaviour problems in young people since video games have grown in popularity and violent games are not the problem with youth.

 "Recent research has shown that as video games have become more popular, children in the United States and Europe are having fewer behavior problems, are less violent and score better on standardized tests. Violent video games have not created the generation of problem youth so often feared” (Ferguson 2010). So this shows that in his research it isn’t video games that are the problem with youth but the problem is the personalities of the teenagers. Through all of these findings the researchers results are inconclusive, because the facts show that since the increase in violent games, youths are less violent in the United States and Europe. However many other studies argue otherwise. He will use the research methodology to come to a conclusion.

Sources

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/147715-research-says-video-games-cut-violence no date, Kierkegaard Patrick, “Researcher thinks video games cut violence” {Internet}

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/, “Does video game violence make teens aggressive”, 2006, Mathews Vince, {Internet}.

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html,  1986, Cooper and Mackie, “Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors During Development” {Internet}

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html, 2002, Anderson and Bushman, “Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors During Development” {Internet}

http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html, 2000, Walsh, “The Impact of Video Gaming on Children”, {Internet}

http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html, , 2003, Gentile & Anderson, “The Impact of Video Gaming on Children”, {Internet}

http://www.massively.com/2010/06/15/mmo-family-video-game-violence-provokes-aggression-in-some-kids/, 2010, Ferguson Christopher J, “ MMO Family: Video game violence provokes aggression in some kids but not others”, {Internet}

Research Methodology

For this part of the essay the researcher has decided to use differing techniques which are both qualitative and quantitative methods. Wolcot (1994) wrote over fifety ways to dealing with data. One of which is surveys for quantatitive methods, the researcher has decided to do this as part of his research. He will create a survey/questionnaire using closed questions, then making a pie chart to show the results. The researcher wants to do a minimum of ten results. For the qualitative part of the research he will do a focus group using an audio piece of equipment to record the speaking using open based questions. This will be an important part of the research as it will expand on peoples experience with violent games finding out their personal opinions and beliefs on the subject. Some of the most important questions to ask are :

·         What makes violent games such as ‘Call of Duty’ so appealing?

·         Do you think that gaming is destroying the youth of today, and if so how?

·         In games such as ‘Grand Theft Auto’ you play the role of a criminal. Do you think that this encourages people to become these roles and if so how?

The researcher will use a group of students as need experiences from younger people as it is based on the young generation. This will be really interesting to hear stories about gaming that have affected them and to generally see if they think that violent games should be banned. Then the researcher will listen back to the tape and type word for word the responses, afterwards noting down the most valid points recorded for the results.

The Effects of video game violence on the younger generation

Introduction

The game ‘Man Hunt 2’ was banned in the UK for its extreme violence (Boyes 2007). It is games like this that have raised questions around the levels of violence in games. The researcher wants to find out if and how violent games cause aggressive behaviour in the youth of today. Many games you take the role of a criminal such as in the widely controversial ‘Grand Theft Auto’ where you have the ability to kill and steal. The researcher believes that this many be an influence in the involvement of teenagers in crimes today. The hypothesis:

‘Violence in video games is causing aggressive behaviour in the younger generation, therefore the violence in gaming should be banned’

The researcher also wants to find out what the public thinks is the appeal of violent games to teens and children, whether it is the fact you can kill, the experience etc. He believes that one of the reasons so many young people are playing violent games is because their parents do not know about the aggressive patterns in children that derive from gaming. Some of the biggest selling games are all violent such as the Call of Duty series were you play the part of a soldier. Some people may think of this as an educational game about war, however it still rewards you for killing people and fighting the talaban. The researcher will look into what makes these games so popular. He will use questions to find out the answer to his title. The main ones to ask are :

·         What makes the violence in games so appealing to the young generation?

·         What is the publics view on this subject?

·         How does the public believe the violence in video games should be dealt with, should it be banned altogether or just cut down?

The main objective of this essay is to prove whether the researchers hypophasis is wrong or right.

Yesterday I did a focus group with fellow students for my qualititive research and typed up word for word the tape. I used open based questions and found many valid points that I will talk about in my results page. I now will try a different approach by doing a quantititive method by doing a questionaire using closed questions.

Literature Review (so far)

Due to violence in video gaming, it has increased the aggressive behaviour and the amount of crimes with the younger generation. However different studies have shown that this is not the case and violent games do not change the aggression levels at all. GrayBill (1987) showed through a study that with sixth graders he found that with violent and non violent games the aggression levels didn’t change showing that violent games have no effect of teenagers. However with a different study by Cooper and Mackie (1986) it showed the complete opposite result when testing a violent game verses a non violent game with fifth grade girls, which they found out with the study that they became more aggressive in different ways.

In more recent studies it has shown the same result as with Cooper and Mackie. Anderson and Bushman (2002) said that violent games promoted various forms of aggressive behaviour. However this was only an opinion and more proof would be needed to answer the question of if violent games were promoting aggressive behaviour in teenagers. Another study by Walsh (2000) showed that the reason behind teenagers and children having so many games is because of parents not being aware of the rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board. This shows that parents do not know about how violent the games are, suggesting that the reason behind children playing games is due to the parents being made unaware. Vince Mathews (2006) through a more recent study hesitated to make the statement that is it video game violence that made teenagers more aggressive, however what he does believe is that with this study it should encourage parent to make sure to look more closely at the type of games they let their children play.

“Based on our results, I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent video-games playing and brain function” (Mathews 2006). This shows that games do affect parts of the brain to release aggressive behaviour. The researcher believes that if parents were made more aware of how a violent game can affect a child then maybe less children would be aloud to play them.

 A valid point made by Gentile and Andrerson (2003) suggested that it is because of violent acts being repeated throughout the game the childrens aggressive behaviour is increased. However researcher Patrick Kierkegaard states that crime have decreased due to the increase of violence in gaming. “Violent crime, particularly among the young, have decreased dramatically since the early 1990s, while video games have steadily increased in popularity and use”. Similar findings were made by Christopher J Ferguson (2010) who mentions in an article saying that recent research shows that in Europe and the United States that they are having less behaviour problems since video games have grown in popularity and that violent games are not the problem with youth.

 "Recent research has shown that as video games have become more popular, children in the United States and Europe are having fewer behavior problems, are less violent and score better on standardized tests. Violent video games have not created the generation of problem youth so often feared” (Ferguson 2010). So this shows that in his research that it isn’t video games that are the problem with youth but the problem is the actual teenagers and their personalities. Through all of these findings the researchers results are inconclusive, as the facts show that since the increase in violent games that youths are less violent in the United States and Europe, however many studies argue otherwise. He will use the research methodology to conclude on the final conclusion.

Sources

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/147715-research-says-video-games-cut-violence no date, Kierkegaard Patrick, “Researcher thinks video games cut violence” {Internet}

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16099971/, “Does video game violence make teens aggressive”, 2006, Mathews Vince, {Internet}.

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html,  1986, Cooper and Mackie, “Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors During Development” {Internet}

http://www.personalityresearch.org/papers/kooijmans.html, 2002, Anderson and Bushman, “Effects of Video Games on Aggressive Thoughts and Behaviors During Development” {Internet}

http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html, 2000, Walsh, “The Impact of Video Gaming on Children”, {Internet}

http://www.pamf.org/preteen/parents/videogames.html, , 2003, Gentile & Anderson, “The Impact of Video Gaming on Children”, {Internet}

http://www.massively.com/2010/06/15/mmo-family-video-game-violence-provokes-aggression-in-some-kids/, 2010, Ferguson Christopher J, “ MMO Family: Video game violence provokes aggression in some kids but not others”, {Internet}

Due to not having many sources on my subject I have found this very hard, so I have decided to change my subject and start again calling it "The Effects of video game violence on our generation".

Research Methodology

For the research he has decided to use both quantitative and qualitative methods. For the quantitative method the researcher has decided to create a questionnaire built to find out whether the public prefer 3D to 2D. He plans to straight away ask what art form the public prefers and then ask questions to find out why. He also wants t to find out what the favourite all time animated film is. The questionnaire will contain mostly closed questions, however it will also have one or two open based questions to get a more in depth answer. The most important questions to find out for this essay is if people think that 3D should replace 2D animation, and if so why is this. It is important to find out about why these films have been so successful so the researcher wants to find out what aspects make a good animated film in the publics eye, whether it is the effects, the story, dialogue etc. The researcher also believes that the actors put in the films have an effect on the audience going to watch the films, so this is another question he wants to put to the public. He plans to ask a variety of people from the young to the old to find out the public’s opinion. For the qualitative method the researcher will do a focus group. He will use a tape recorder to capture word for word people’s opinions and use a group of students to get the young person’s perspective.  With the focus group the researcher will use open based questions to get a wide opinion. This is a widely argued subject so this focus group will help to get an in depth answer as to whether 3D should replace 3D Animation in the film industry.

New Introduction with resources and Hypothesis

In 1995 the first fully 3D computer animated feature length movie was released called “Toy Story” (Isaac p43). The film was a very popular because it managed to relate to both children and adults alike with imaginative characters and a great cast with Tim Allen and the well-known Tom Hanks. Making a fully 3D feature length film wasn’t an easy journey for the creator and animator John Lasseter (Pixar Story). Since then groups such as Pixar Studios and Dreamworks have created several other 3D animated films. Pixar Films captured the audiences hearts with humorous and emotional stories. The Toy Story series came to an end in 2010 with ‘Toy Story 3’. A review from Total Film says it is “Funny, Affecting and dramatically fearless, a great end to a series, if you watch it bring lots of tissues” (Smith, 2009). However since the advance in technology there haven’t been as many 2D films release as there have been 3D. And now being able to view computer animated films in 3D with glasses enhances the experience more, having another advantage of 2D. Viewing 3D in cinemas became so popular that Pixar re-released Toy Story one and two in the cinemas to enhance the film. This proved to be very popular and was said that ‘The 3D revamp adds an intriguing new dimension to an already wonderful film that’s both genuinely engaging and laugh out loud funny’ (Turner, 2009).
My Hypothesis is :

‘3D Animation is far more advanced and because of this it makes for a better viewing experience then 2D Animation, therefore it should replace this Art Form’

The popularity of the different types of animation are because of brilliant story telling and character development. Some of the old 2D style animations were hugely successful and popular with films such as ‘The Jungle Book’ and ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’. Pixar since 1995 have created eleven fully 3D feature length films including the new ‘Toy Story 3d’, each hitting big numbers in the Box Office. ‘People feared computers and new technology hearing that computers were smarter than humans. However it was computers that helped to take humans to new frontiers, such as landing a man on the moon’ (Keach, The Pixar Story). This was a great fear however computers don’t provide the creativity and are meant to be aids to help further out imaginations, therefore they could never replace humans. With 3D Animation if it did one day replace the art form of 2D the artists would not be out of jobs because the 3D Animation Companies all use storyboards and have character design so artists are always needed. The researcher wants to find out :

- Which Style of animation is the public’s favourite in the Film Industry?

- What do the public think makes a good animated film?

- Is the all-time favourite animated film in the form of 3D or 2D?

One of the aims is to research into the background of Disney / Pixar Studios and the different art forms. This will help the researcher to understand what the company who started animation had to go through to get to where they are today.

Start of Literature Review

When it comes to both forms of animation there are two GodFathers of each art form which are Walt Disney and John Lasseter. Walt Disney is the reason behind animation and he created some of the most well known characters in the animation industry. It was Walt Disney himself who said 'It all started with a mouse' (Disney W p20) this of course meaning the classic cartoon character Mickey Mouse. This character started becoming popular when Disney created his third short film called 'Steamboat Willie' which was the first of the short films to indroduce sound which added life to the character and story. This film came out in 1928 (Beck J p34). Technicolor was first indroduced in .... this would change the way animation was done making the backgrounds more beautiful and make it more fun to watch (usdfhiisdfsui). In 1934 'Snow White and the Seven Drarfs' became the first Feature Length Animated film (Beck J p58). This was the start of a new age of animation for the film industry.

John Lasseter was the creator of 3D Animation and worked in Pixar. Pixar first opened its doors in 1984 but it was ten years later when their first feature length film would be released (Kerlow I p42). The journey to get to the first film was a long and hard one. John Lasseter would sit in his office for days on his own and would even sleep under his desk so he could wake up early and start working. He created several short films. John Lasseter was nominated in AMPAS Animated Short Films catagory for his short film 'Luxo Lamp'(Pixar Story). He then started to create other short films however these ones being in 3D. With each short film he found new ways of animating and making the characters more realistic and how to do different backgrounds and materials. The first fully 3D Animated short Lasseter made was called 'The Adventures of Andre and Walle B' (haskash). It was shown in a small theatre to people and was something new and different. John Lasseter said 'I got inspiration from Mickey Mouse which when you look at it is basic shapes. So I created these two characters made from simple shapes called Andre and Walle' (Pixar Story). TALK ABOUT LUXO JR. However despite creating several short films the company Pixar were in trouble with lack of money and was on the brink of closing down. It was a man called Steve Jobs who could see the potential in the company and invested $$$$$$ to help them back on their feet. This was the Co Founder of 'Apple Computers'. In 1995 Pixar created the first Fully 3D Feature Length Film called 'Toy Story' which became hugely popular winning numerous awards. George Lucas who went to college with John Lasseter said 'When I saw this film the characters was the good the script was good. I was impressed' (Pixar Story).

Introduction

In 1995 the first fully 3D computer animated feature length movie was released called "Toy Story". The film was very popular because it managed to relate to children and adults alike with imaginative characters and a great cast with Tim Allen and the well known Tom Hanks. Making a fully 3D feature length film wasn't an easy journey and it was a dream come true for the creator and animator John Lasseter. Since then groups such as Pixar Studios and Dreamworks have created several other 3D animated films. Pixar films captured the audiences hearts with humourous and emotional stories. The Toy Story series came to an end in 2010 with 'Toy Story 3' which was a great end to a great series. However  since the advance in technology there haven't been as many 2D films released as 3D. And now being able to view animations in 3D with glasses it enhances the experience more, having another advantage over 2D. My Hypothesis is:

'3D Animation is far more advanced and because of this it makes for a better viewing experience then 2D Animation, therefore it should replace this art form'

The popularity of the different types of animation are because of brilliant story telling and character development. Some of the old 2D style animations were hugely successful and popular with films such as 'The Jungle Book' and 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'. Pixar since 1995 have created ten individual films hitting big numbers in the Box Office. Artists used to fear the computer thinking that they would replace their jobs, however computers are meant to be an aid and are not to be feared. It is humans who provide the creativity therefore computers could never replace humans. With 3D it is the same basic idea as 2D but instead of drawing with different pieces of paper flipping through, you make frames. With 3D animation if it did replace 2D the artists would not be out of jobs because you would still need storyboards and character design for which you need artists. The researcher wants to find out :

- With use of surveys and interviews which style of animation is the publics favourite?
- What do the public think makes a good animated film?
- Is the all time favourite animated film in the style of 3D or 2D?

One of the aims is to research into the background of Disney and the different art forms. This will help the researcher to understand what the company who started animation had to go through to get where they are today.

Possible Essay Ideas

The Effects of gaming on our Generation

3D has enhanced filming, however is it too soon for 3D TV's

With the advance in technology should 3D replace 2D animation in the Film Industry






I think I will use the third title

Please Comment because would appreciate opinions.

Essay - Rough Introduction (Please Comment)

It has been 15 years since the first full length 3D Animated Feature Film came to cinemas. However since then various animated film companies such as Pixar and Dreamworks have made many more 3D animated films. Gradually over the years there have been less and less 2D styled animated films come out because of 3D being so popular. The researcher wants to find out if 3D films should replace 2D completely because of the advances in technology or should people carry on with the origins of animation.