Tech

Federal Government Spends Nearly $800,000 On Anti-Aggression Video Game

Matthew Sullivan Contributor
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The Department of Justice has teamed up with a multi-media company in Colorado to create a video game that could prevent violence among middle school aged children at a cost of $791,846.

The video game will provide eighth grade boys with an educational forum to reduce the risk of dating violence among teens, The Washington Free Beacon reports. One in three American teens aged 14-20 fall victim to some form of relationship violence at some point in their adolescence, according to a study by the American Psychological Association.

The grant asserts that the new technology will be more effective in reaching out to teens than conventional teaching methods.

“Research has also shown that game playing is the most popular internet activity for early adolescent boys; thus interactive, web-based games and videos are ideal to engage young males in dating violence programming,” the federal grant reads.

In a report by the Washington Free Beacon, a developer explains that many projects like these are sponsored by the federal government. Around $2 billion a year is allocated to creating educational video games, according to a Special Business Innovation Research Program report.

While it is still unclear if the program will be successful, psychologist Christina Rizzo states that she has high hopes for the prospect.

“One of the things I’ve recognized is that there’s not enough out there for adolescent boys,” Rizzo said. “We need to create more for adolescent boys, from anger management to general relationship skills.”

Other video games in development include history and mathematics education.