The Effect of Violent Online Games on Teenagers in Hong Kong

Teenagers' violence is one of the biggest problems facing our society in the new millennium. There are many reasons behind and many people blame that it is mostly due to the overload of violent mass media. Many researches have been done on this topic trying to answer this question. Contributing factors to the problem include violent television programs, movies, comics and online video games [Chilton: 1999]. A recent research done by four national American health organizations namely American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychological Association and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, has also already concluded that there exist a direct link between violence in media and violence on teenagers (Vermaakgeweld lei tot meer aggressie: 2000). In this paper, the emphasis will fall on violent online games, as a form of electronic mass media, and the influence on teenagers.…