Video games don't cause violence, but they can have a worse impact according to Reader's Feature.

Recently, there has been a debate around the potential for video games to incite violence. However, research has shown that exposure to violence in video games has little bearing on how violent a person will be in society. Therefore, instead of focusing on this red herring, I believe the gaming industry should be tackling the issue of monetisation.

This includes exploitative and addictive mechanics, which are causing real harm to children, with profit being the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, gambling mechanics are easily found in games which target children. Lootboxes are a prime example, with Star Wars Battlefront 2 being particularly concerning.

The result of this is children getting their hands on credit cards and being coerced into spending hundreds of pounds in these games. An extreme example is the Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery game, which literally strangles your avatar unless you pay.

Popular titles such as Fortnite and EA Sports FC are continuing to use these tactics to target younger players, by offering exclusive skins and teams. This can lead to exclusion and shaming for those children whose parents do not want to waste their money or simply cannot afford it.

Moreover, many games place barriers to prevent or limit progress unless you spend real money. For instance, Assassins’ Creed is notorious for XP boosters, which means you can simply pay to level up your character. Similarly, games have been accused of being designed with slow levelling curves in order to tempt players into buying XP boosters.

Ultimately, it is scandalous that these exploitative and manipulative game mechanics have become normalised. As a social worker, I am often struggling to intervene with children whose families are ensnared in this web of exploitation. It is clear that the gaming industry is in desperate need of regulation in order to protect children from the long term harm of video games.

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