Role of Erotic Games in Shaping Adolescent Fantasies and Expectations
Video games have become an integral part of modern society, particularly for young people. They provide entertainment, social interaction, and education opportunities, among others.
Some games contain explicit or implicit sexual material that shapes teenagers' views about their bodies, relationships, and desires. This paper explores the role of video games with erotic elements in shaping adolescent fantasies and expectations.
Adolescents are exposed to various media platforms, including movies, television shows, music videos, magazines, pornography sites, and video games that portray sexual themes. Video game producers include erotic content in their products to attract players and increase sales. Such games often involve characters engaging in sexual acts, nudity, violence, profanity, and other provocative scenes.
"Grand Theft Auto" is an action-adventure game where the player assumes control of three protagonists completing missions while robbing banks, stealing cars, committing murder, and having sex. Players can choose one of these characters to interact with prostitutes, strippers, and escorts during sex-based mini-games. Other examples are "Skyrim", "Red Dead Redemption," and "The Witcher."
Erotic games affect teens' perceptions of intimacy and sexual behavior. According to a study by Dr. David Walsh, 80% of boys and 36% of girls play violent and sexualized games regularly. These games impact how they view romance and sex in real life. They may imitate what they see on screen when playing such games, leading to unrealistic expectations and unhealthy attitudes toward relationships. Erotic games promote promiscuous behaviors like cheating, using drugs or alcohol, degradation of women, and objectification of men. This causes emotional instability, low self-esteem, and poor communication skills among adolescents. Teenagers exposed to these games develop a warped view of love, including casual sex, infidelity, and abuse, which affect their future relationships.
Video game producers must provide age-appropriate content that aligns with society's values. Parental guidance is crucial to protect children from explicit media content. Young people should be taught to distinguish between fantasy and reality and the dangers of pornography addiction. Moreover, parents and educators should monitor the type of video games children watch and play. Schools should incorporate sex education programs into curriculums to empower youths with accurate information about healthy relationships, body image, and consent. Adolescents need mentorship and counseling to deal with social pressures that arise due to eroticism in video games. The government should enforce strict policies against exploitative content creators who target minors.
Adolescent fantasies and expectations are shaped by the video games they play. Producers must create age-appropriate products that do not expose children to explicit sexual material. Parents and teachers should guide teens on how to handle such exposure and help them understand its impact on their lives. Society needs to address the root cause of unrealistic perceptions and unhealthy behaviors caused by erotic games. By doing so, we can ensure our youths grow up with proper knowledge and understanding of intimacy and sexuality.
What role do video games with erotic elements play in shaping adolescent fantasies and expectations?
Video games with erotic elements can influence the way young people view sexuality, relationships, and romance, affecting their perception of what is normal or acceptable in these areas. The exposure to explicit content through video games can shape their understanding of sex and intimacy and may lead them to develop unrealistic expectations about sexual encounters.