Adopted by the APA Council of Representatives in August 2015. (Suggested citation is included with references.)Video game use has become pervasive in the American child's life: More than 90% of U.S. Children play some kind of video games; when considering only adolescents ages 12 - 17, that figure rises to 97% (Lenhart et.al, 2008; NPD Group, 2011;).

Although high levels of video game use are often popularly associated with adolescence, children younger than age 8 who play video games spend a daily average of 69 minutes on handheld console games, 57 minutes on computer games, and 45 minutes on mobile games, including tablets (Rideout, 2013). Considering the vast number of children and youth who use video games and that more than 85% of video games on the market contain some form of violence, the public has understandably been concerned about the effects that using violent video games may have on individuals, especially children and adolescents.News commentators often turn to violent video game use as a potential causal contributor to acts of mass homicide. The media point to perpetrators' gaming habits as either a reason that they have chosen to commit their crimes, or as a method of training. This practice extends at least as far back as the Columbine massacre (1999) and has more recently figured prominently in the investigation into and reporting of the Aurora, CO theatre shootings (2012), Sandy Hook massacre (2012), and Washington Navy Yard massacre (2013). This coverage has contributed to significant public discussion of the impacts of violent video game use. As a consequence of this popular perception, several efforts have been made to limit children's consumption of violent video games, to better educate parents about the effects of the content to which their children are being exposed, or both. Several jurisdictions have attempted to enact laws limiting the sale of violent video games to minors, and in 2011 the US Supreme Court considered the issue in Brown v.

American Psychological Association, Task Force on Violent Media. Technical report on the review of the violent video game literature.

Washington, DC: Author.Anderson, C.A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E.L., Bushman, B. J., Sakamoto, A., Rothstein, H.R., & Saleem, M. Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 151-173.Arriaga, P., Monteiro, M. B., & Esteves, F. Effects of playing violent computer games on emotional desensitization and aggressive behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 41(8), 1900-1925.Baron, R.

Much like Konami's arcade version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (released during the same year), the game was available in a four-player dedicated cabinet,. Play this game online for free on Poki. Lots of fun to play when bored at home or at school. Streets Of Anarchy: Fists Of War is one of our favorite action games.

A., & Richardson, D. (Eds.) (1994). Human Aggression: Perspectives in Social Psychology.

New York, NY: Springer.Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K.A. Multiple sources of data on social behavior and social status in the school: A cross-age comparison.

Child Development, 59(3), 815-829Ferguson, C. J., & Kilburn, J. The public health risks of media violence: A meta-analytic review. The Journal of Pediatrics, 1-5. 10.1016/j.jpeds.2008.11.033.Ferguson, C.

Evidence for publication bias in video game violence effects literature: A meta analytic review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 470-482.Ferguson, C. The good, the bad and the ugly: A meta-analytic review of positive and negative effects of violent video games. Psychiatric Quarterly, 78, 309-316. DOI 10.1007/s11126-007-9056-9.Happ, C., Melzer, A., & Steffgen, G.

The effects of empathy and game character in violent video games. Cyberpsychology, behavior, and social networking. 1-7.Hasan, Y., Begue, L., Scharkow, M., & Bushman, B. The more you play, the more aggressive you become: A long-term experimental study of cumulative violent video game effects on hostile expectations and aggressive behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 49, 224-227.Huesmann, R. L., & Taylor, L. The role of media violence in violent behavior.

Annual Review of Public Health, 27, 393-415. DOI:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.040.Krug, E. G., Dahlberg, L. L., Mercy, J. B., & Lozano, R.

World report on violence and health. Geneva: World Health Organization.Lenhart, A., Kahne, J., Middaugh, E., MacGill, A., Evans, C., & Vitak, J. Teens, video games and civics. Washington, DC: Pew Internet & American Life Project.Moller, I., & Krahe, B.

Exposure to violent video games and aggression in German adolescents: A longitudinal analysis. Aggressive Behavior, 35, 75–89.NPD Group (2011). Kids and gaming, 2011. Port Washington, NY: The NPD Group, Inc.Rideout, V.

Zero to eight: Children's media use in America 2013. San Francisco, CA: Common Sense Media.Saleem, M., Anderson, C.

A., & Gentile, D. Effects of prosocial, neutral, and violent video games on children's helpful and hurtful behaviors. Aggressive Behavior, 38(4), 281-287.Shafer, D. Causes of State Hostility and Enjoyment in Player Versus Player and PlayerVersus Environment Video Games. Journal of Communication, 62(4), 719-737.VandenBos, G.R. (Ed.) (2007).

APA Dictionary of Psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Astroblast radar. Good luck to all of you!

Developed by
Konami Industry Co. Ltd.
Released
Apr 26, 1989
Platform
Arcade
Published by
Konami Industry Co. Ltd.

Perspective
Side view
Narrative
Crime
Genre
Action
Gameplay
Beat 'em up / Brawler
Visual
2D scrolling

Description

At least fifteen women have been kidnapped by a mobster's criminal syndicate. Players are tasked with rescuing the captured women and on the way clean up the streets from the mob boss's henchmen.
Crime Fighters is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up. The game consists of eight levels consisting of locations around an urban landscape such as a subway train, building rooftops, and a waterfront. Players can punch, kick, and jump kick enemies to dispatch them. Also, contrary to the well known idiom, the player is actually encouraged to kick a man when he's down. Occasionally the player will also get their hands on a weapon. Weapons in the game include knives, pipes, and even guns. At the end of each level, the player will face off against a boss, who is stronger than the usual combatants.

From Mobygames.com. Original Entry