Videogames 7 - Videogames and effects model

Videogames and the effects model

The effects model - Albert Bandura - media has a direct effect on us, an assumption would be that representations of violence can 'model' or demonstrate violent behaviour and audiences 'copy' violent and socially unacceptable behaviour they see in media products. 

A flaw of this theory would be that there isn't much evideince that videogames causes violence or the direct cause of violence.

• When we consume a media product, we 'absorb' the ideolgies of the producer and change our own ideology and actions.
• This could be argued that this idea comes from WWII, with the Nazi Propaganda depicting Jewish people to be 'evil', perhaps making the Nazis have more reason to do horrible things to them.

• Bandura's theory can be proven from the 'Bobo doll' experiment which is when a child watches an adult hitting the doll in front of the child and the child will do the same. An issue of this experiment is that it is a doll, without much of a human shape, another issue is that the experiment was on children who are very easily impressionable, other vulnerable groups could be people with learning difficulties and people with mental health issues.

• AC presents a threat to the audience, both target, secondary and unintentional could be different to each audience, the game isn't realistic as you can see the speed you're going and text telling the player what you are about to do, perhaps younger impressionable audiences may see actions such as jumping from a high height and may do the same, however this links to a flaw in the theory.
• A flaw of the theory would be that it's highly unlikely that a person will go out and become an assassin, as the game is usually set in a historical period, it won't be as accurate from what they've seen.

• An example of a videogame is 'Doom' from 1993, which is a first-person shooter game where you shoot at demons, at the time of release there were a lot of criticisms of the game at the time and that the game was polluting the minds of the children however how would we know that it is suitable for children to play. This videogame caused moral panic as they worried people will become violent, with few criminal cases the game has been invloved in such as The Colombine Massacre in 1999, which the game was balmed for causing this. However this could be debunked as millions of people have played the game and this only represents the small number meaning that there must be other explanations.

• The issues with the effects model.
• Although videogames are resolutelty violent in depiction and problem solving, there is arguably no evidence that media products have such a direct effect on audiences, not including children and vulnerble people.
• The 'Bobo doll' experiement whicch this theroy is based upon is flawed as it uses children after watches an adult and not the relationship between media products.

• Alternatives to the effects model in which criticises it.
• Staurt Hall - reception theory - audiences receive media products in different ways in which they negotiate based on background.
• George Gerbner - cultivation theory - audiences are manipulated through repetition of ideological perspectives.
• Henry Jenkins - fandom - audiences can use or take pleasure from media products in any way they want, even if itcontradicts the dominant reading.