Interactive Mediums Won't Have a Greater Effect on Users Than That of Passive Mediums.

Based off of the uses and gratifications theory, there should be no difference between the effects of an interactive media source such as video games and that of a passive source such as television. It has long been stated that video games pose a greater threat to youths than previous forms of media like TV because video games are interactive. The uses and gratifications theory is defined in the book Converging Media: A New Introduction to Mass Communication, written by John Pavlik. It is defined as using media to meet personal and especially psychological needs. This means that despite the source of the media, people will seek out the form that fulfills their needs.  So if they have a need for violence they will seek out violent media and determine whether the passive source or interactive source meets those specific needs. Both sources may be effective to accomplish the users goal and is solely dependent on the users preference.

The uses and gratifications theory makes assumptions that are key to understand in order to see how it applies to interactive and passive sources, among them are:

• The audience is active and its media use is goal oriented
• The initiative in linking need gratification to a specific medium choice rests with the audience member
• The media compete with other resources for need satisfaction
• People have enough self-awareness of their media use, interests, and motives to be able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of that use.
• Value judgments of media content can only be assessed by the audience.

The first assumption shows the user has a choice in which media they choose and they seek media to accomplish a goal. The second states that the effectiveness of the media is determined by the user but based of the third assumption is in competition with other sources so one source may not always be effective for everyone. The fourth will be beneficial later in this response and states that users are able to define why one media source is effective and they choose that. The last states that the user can only express the value of any one source. Even though video games are interactive TV may still be a better media source to fulfill violent needs of the user based of these assumptions.

There is also an article written by Victor Strasburger which states that there is little research done on comparing the effects of video games to that of TV even though there are multiple studies saying each may cause violent tendencies in their own way. The uses and gratifications theory allows us to hypothesize that each may cause violent tendencies and that each is effective to the particular user who is trying to fulfill a need. Recently video game violence has come into question from school shooters reporting that they were obsessed with violent games but before video games you had movies that prompted violence like Taxi Driver did with John Hinckley. Who is to say that one form of media was more effective at eliciting a violent tendency than another? If John Hinckley had access to video games would his Jodie Foster obsession been any less of a cause for his actions? By the uses and gratifications theory each user would have chosen the form of media that best accomplished their goals and would have lead to similar outcomes despite the form of media.

To further address if video games pose a greater risk of having more harmful effect than TV you have to look at the positive effects of their interactive nature. Based of the fourth assumption, users are able to provide researchers with an accurate picture of their media use and why they use it. This is helpful when analyzing Jeroen Bourgonjon's research titled Players’ perspectives on the positive impact of video games. Players in this study gave their perspective on how video games can create friendships, teach lessons, and provide stress release from the problems of everyday life. This is because games are interactive and require that players work together and make difficult choices. The virtual world also provides a place for many gamers to escape to and relax. Video games, as well as TV, may be chosen as a form of media to accomplish more goals than just violence.

Media is a tool and just like any tool can be used for good or be misused for violence. There is no one form of media that will accomplish everyones goals just like there is no one tool to finish all jobs. It is the users of media that will choose a form of it that best suits their needs. For some it may be video games but it could just as easily be a fan trying to recreate a scene in a show or movie. All forms of media are in constant competition with each other and by the uses and gratification theory any form may fulfill the needs of the user but which one does is up to them.