Link Between Video Games and Violence Still Debatable

Studies carried out over the years have provided conflicting evidence on whether violent video games indeed predispose teens who play them to committing acts of violence themselves. A new review of the existing literature seeks to clarify the issue.

Most parents nowadays are convinced that their kids should steer clear of this type of video games, but the fact is that some researches indicate that shooting stuff online may in fact help vent anger, and reduce overall stress levels.

On the other hand, other scientists have pointed out that children are easy to influence, and also that the young ones are very likely to try and emulate the behavior they see on-screen in real life.

At this time, a Supreme Court case taking place in California is debating whether selling violent video games to those below the age of 18 should be common practice or not. The amount of evidence presented here to support both viewpoints is the most impressive to date.

A team led by Brad Bushman, PhD, now seeks to determine which side is right, by carrying out an extensive review of all studies carried out to date. The expert is a professor of communication studies and psychology at the University of Michigan (U-M) Institute for Social Research.

“We took what I think is a very objective approach: we looked at the individuals on both sides of the debate and determined if they actually have expertise in the subjects in which they call themselves experts,” explains Bushman.

“The evidence suggests that those who argue violent video games are harmful have a lot more experience and stronger credentials than those who argue otherwise,” he adds.

Bushman is also a co-author of a new study on the issue, which will appear in the May issue of the Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy. The Supreme Court is expected to make a final decision in this case by mid-summer, PsychCentral reports.

In the paper, the expert and his team show that experts who propose video games have a negative influence on teens published more than 48 times the number of researches on the issue than scientists who argue for the opposite point of view.

“That’s a staggering difference. It provides strong support for the argument that video game violence is indeed harmful,” Bushman comments, adding that the analysis should come in handy for justices seeking to make sense of the two types of reports they are presented with.