Editing Video game (section)

===Controversies===
{{more citations needed|section|date=June 2023}}
{{main|Video game controversies}}
{{see also|Digital media use and mental health#Autism}}

[[File:Compulsion loop for video games.svg|thumb|right|The [[compulsion loop]] for video games is believed to trigger [[dopamine]] release that can encourage [[addictive behavior]].]]
Video games have caused controversy since the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Timeline of Video Game Controversies |url=https://ncac.org/resource/a-timeline-of-video-game-controversies |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=National Coalition Against Censorship |language=en-US}}</ref> Parents and children's advocates regularly raise concerns that [[Violence and video games|violent video games]] can influence young players into performing those violent acts in real life, and events such as the [[Columbine High School massacre]] in 1999 in which some claimed the perpetrators specifically alluded to using video games to plot out their attack, raised further fears.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} Medical experts and mental health professionals have also raised concerned that [[Video game addiction|video games may be addictive]], and the [[World Health Organization]] has included "gaming disorder" in the 11th revision of its [[International Statistical Classification of Diseases]]. Other health experts, including the [[American Psychiatric Association]], have stated that there is insufficient evidence that video games can create violent tendencies or lead to addictive behavior,<ref name="nytimes 20190805">{{cite web |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/sports/trump-violent-video-games-studies.html |title = Video Games Aren't Why Shootings Happen. Politicians Still Blame Them. |first = Kevin |last = Draper |date = 5 August 2019 |access-date = 22 August 2019 |work = [[The New York Times]] |archive-date = 26 April 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200426031749/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/sports/trump-violent-video-games-studies.html |url-status = live }}</ref> though agree that video games typically use a [[compulsion loop]] in their core design that can create [[dopamine]] that can help reinforce the desire to continue to play through that compulsion loop and potentially lead into violent or addictive behavior.<ref>{{cite journal | title = Dopamine D3 Receptors Modulate the Ability of Win-Paired Cues to Increase Risky Choice in a Rat Gambling Task | first1 = Michael M. | last1 = Barrus | first2= Catharine A. |last2= Winstanley | date = 20 January 2016 | volume = 36 | issue = 3 | journal = [[The Journal of Neuroscience]] | pages = 785–794 | doi = 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2225-15.2016 | pmid = 26791209 | pmc = 6602008 | s2cid = 23617462 | url = }}</ref><ref name="gamasutra kim">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-compulsion-loop-explained | title = The Compulsion Loop Explained | first = Joseph | last = Kim | date = 23 March 2014 | access-date = 3 February 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] | archive-date = 14 August 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200814040040/https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JosephKim/20140323/213728/The_Compulsion_Loop_Explained.php | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url = https://time.com/5647659/no-video-games-dont-cause-mass-shootings-but-the-conversation-shouldnt-end-there/ | title = No, Video Games Don't Cause Mass Shootings. But The Conversation Shouldn't End There | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = 8 August 2019 | access-date = 3 February 2020 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | archive-date = 3 September 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200903005730/https://time.com/5647659/no-video-games-dont-cause-mass-shootings-but-the-conversation-shouldnt-end-there/ | url-status = live }}</ref> Even with case law establishing that video games qualify as a protected art form, there has been pressure on the video game industry to keep their products in check to avoid over-excessive violence particularly for games aimed at younger children. The potential addictive behavior around games, coupled with increased used of post-sale monetization of video games, has also raised concern among parents, advocates, and government officials about [[gambling]] tendencies that may come from video games, such as controversy around the use of [[loot box]]es in many high-profile games.

Numerous other controversies around video games and its industry have arisen over the years, among the more notable incidents include the [[1993 congressional hearings on video games|1993 United States Congressional hearings]] on violent games like ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' which lead to the formation of the ESRB ratings system, numerous legal actions taken by attorney [[Jack Thompson (activist)|Jack Thompson]] over violent games such as ''[[Grand Theft Auto III]]'' and ''[[Manhunt (video game)|Manhunt]]'' from 2003 to 2007, the outrage over the "[[No Russian]]" level from ''[[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]'' in 2009 which allowed the player to shoot a number of innocent non-player characters at an airport, and the [[Gamergate (harassment campaign)|Gamergate harassment campaign]] in 2014 that highlighted misogyny from a portion of the player demographic. The industry as a whole has also dealt with issues related to gender, racial, and [[LGBT|LGBTQ+]] discrimination and mischaracterization of these minority groups in video games. A further issue in the industry is related to working conditions, as development studios and publishers frequently use "[[crunch time (video gaming)|crunch time]]", required extended working hours, in the weeks and months ahead of a game's release to assure on-time delivery.