In an increasingly digital world, video games have become part of the lifestyle of millions of children, adolescents and even adults, particularly as a form of entertainment.
A wide variety of video games, produced locally and internationally, are now easily accessible, either for free or at a cost, as long as users have an Internet connection and a smart device. This accessibility has enabled some players to spend hours a day immersed in gaming.
However, concerns have emerged in recent years following violent incidents involving children in their early adolescence, with video games sometimes being cited as one of the factors linked to the perpetrators.
Can video games really influence young people to the extent of driving them towards violent behaviour?
INFLUENCE ON BEHAVIOUR
Sharing her views on the issue, Associate Prof Dr Norfaezah Md Khalid, a senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling at Universiti Malaya, said video games and digital content could potentially be among the factors influencing adolescents’ tendency towards aggressive and criminal behaviour.
She said this could happen when adolescents are repeatedly exposed to violent content without proper monitoring and guidance, potentially affecting the way they interpret and respond to situations.
“Based on the Social Learning Theory introduced by Albert Bandura in his book ‘Social Learning Theory’, people learn behaviour through observation, imitation and reinforcement. When adolescents frequently watch characters in digital content resolve conflicts through force or violence, they may come to perceive such actions as effective, normal and acceptable ways of dealing with problems.
“This perception can affect the way they manage their emotions, make decisions and interact with others, particularly if they lack strong self-control and critical-thinking skills,” she told Bernama.
According to the World Health Organisation, a person may be considered to have gaming disorder when they exhibit three main characteristics: an inability to control their gaming habits; prioritising gaming to the extent that it takes precedence over other daily commitments and activities; and continuing to play despite being aware that the behaviour is negatively affecting various aspects of their lives, including education, social relationships and well-being.
Norfaezah said behavioural changes are among the early signs that can help parents or guardians identify whether their children are beginning to experience negative effects from excessive video game exposure.
Among the signs to watch for are increasing difficulty in controlling gaming time, becoming rebellious or angry when access to games is restricted, and experiencing disrupted sleep patterns that affect their daily routines.
She said adolescents in this group might also begin withdrawing from social and face-to-face recreational activities, while disregarding advice from parents or those close to them about the risks and negative effects of excessive gaming.
However, she stressed that not every adolescent who enjoys playing video games would be easily influenced by their negative effects as other contributing factors, including family background, peer influence and the social environment, also play a role.
“Criminal behaviour usually does not occur due to a single factor. It is the result of the interaction of various psychological, social and environmental factors that shape how an individual thinks, makes decisions and behaves,” she said.
ESCAPING REAL LIFE
Norfaezah said adolescents experiencing loneliness, stress or emotional difficulties are more likely to turn to online gaming as a means of escaping the realities of life.
She said a lack of emotional support and the absence of a safe space to express their feelings, whether at home or at school, could also lead them to perceive the virtual world as a safer environment.
“Depression, anxiety, family problems and social conflicts can drive adolescents to seek an escape from painful thoughts. This is known as emotional avoidance, where individuals try to reduce stress not by addressing the underlying problems but by distancing themselves from uncomfortable emotions.
“It is therefore not surprising that adolescents facing such conflicts may turn to social media and online games because these platforms are perceived as offering temporary relief. For them, the virtual world provides immediate rewards such as attention, a sense of achievement, entertainment and a feeling of acceptance (within gaming communities),” she said.
Norfaezah also pointed out that online communities can exert a significant influence on adolescents as they not only play video games but also interact, exchange views and develop their identities within these spaces.
She said, from a negative perspective, digital communities could influence adolescents in various ways, including by spreading harmful views, provoking others and normalising violent behaviour within gaming environments.
“This is why adolescents can easily be influenced by negative norms in digital communities… it takes place through a gradual process of social adaptation. Initially, they may simply observe the use of abusive language and culture of insulting, provoking and belittling others, or aggressive behaviour within the group.
“However, when such behaviour is perceived as normal, accepted or supported, adolescents may begin to regard it as part of the community’s norms. The phenomenon of FOMO (fear of missing out) also plays a role because, out of fear of being ostracised or perceived as weak (if they do not follow the group’s culture), they may engage in behaviour that goes against their own values simply to gain acceptance within the gaming community,” she added.
BE MORE VIGILANT
Meanwhile, International Islamic University Malaysia Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling senior lecturer Dr Puteri Azlian Megat Ramli said the possible link between student crime and video games warrants serious attention from all quarters.
She said frequent exposure to violent content without proper supervision could desensitise young people to aggressive behaviour.
“This can be seen when they begin using video game jargon in their daily conversations, including labelling others as ‘NPCs’ (non-player characters), while also displaying emotional detachment towards the pain and suffering of those around them.
“This may also cause them to act recklessly, as though fatal mistakes that result in harm to themselves or others due to a loss of control can be easily undone, much like reviving a character in a virtual world,” she said.
Puteri Azlian said those closest to adolescents, particularly parents, need to be alert to behavioural changes among teenagers who may be overly influenced by video games, including extreme anger and a tendency to post hateful or revenge-driven content on social media.
“To promote healthy digital media use, parents should play an active role by not only establishing gadget-free zones but also engaging with their children as gaming partners to better understand the content they are accessing.
“This requires open two-way communication. Parents must also be firm in screening video games to ensure they are appropriate for their children’s emotional maturity, rather than relying solely on their chronological age,” she said.
Puteri Azlian added that building adolescents’ resilience and emotional regulation should begin at home, with parents giving their children the space to express their feelings and helping them manage their emotions in healthy ways through open communication.
At school, she said, the establishment of peer-support groups and safe, confidential channels for reporting bullying cases could help strengthen students’ emotional well-being and psychological stability.
DIGITAL LITERACY EMPOWERMENT
Elaborating, Puteri Azlian said addressing the issue also requires a more comprehensive approach, including strengthening digital and media literacy education in the school curriculum to equip students with the skills to critically evaluate online content and distinguish between fantasy and reality.
At the same time, she said Malaysia needs to strengthen its guidelines and age-rating systems for video games and digital platforms as existing age restrictions can still be easily circumvented through falsified information, including fake dates of birth.
She proposed that the government consider implementing a stricter and more secure age-verification system by integrating digital identity and biometric verification methods, including facial recognition and identity cards.
Such measures, she said, could help restrict children and adolescents’ access to violent content while ensuring that users’ personal data remains protected.
“Existing policies appear to serve more as legal protection for technology companies (enabling them to demonstrate that they have taken certain steps to regulate user access), rather than functioning as truly effective mechanisms to protect children from exposure to inappropriate content.
“Therefore, parental monitoring and involvement cannot be overlooked. For example, two teenagers who are both 14 years old may have very different levels of emotional maturity and psychological resilience. That is why, in my view, parents need to assess whether digital content is suitable based on each child’s emotional development and maturity, rather than relying solely on the prescribed age limits,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
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