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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 2) - Reality Check

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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 2) - Reality Check

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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 2) - Reality Check

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This week on Reality Check, Lucy tackles the minefield that is violent video game research, and asks if it can really be measured in the lab. Add us on YouTube Gaming!

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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 1) - Reality Check

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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 1) - Reality Check

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Do Video Games Make Us Violent? (Part 1) - Reality Check

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The latest psychological research seems to indicate a link between violent video game use and aggressive behaviour. But what led scientists to this conclusion?

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Yes, Violent Video Games Do Cause Aggression

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Yes, Violent Video Games Do Cause Aggression

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In the wake of the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the country has begun a search for answers. Much of this search has focused on gun laws, a valid point given that the United States has the fewest regulations on guns and the highest gun murder rate of any industrialized country.

But others have focused on the psychology of the shooter - what could possibly cause someone to do something so inhuman? Right now, we really don't know. We have very little reliable information about Adam Lanza, much less an explanation for the inexplicable.

Some writers have stated definitively in prominent media outlets that one factor is definitively not to blame: violent video games. There is no evidence, they say, that violent video games lead to aggression in real life.

Except there is - plenty of it.

Two meta-analyses, including data on more than 134,000 people, have concluded that violent media causes more aggressive behavior in real life. These are mysteriously absent in the time.com article, which instead mentions a few small studies. This is why scientists do meta-analysis: To find the overall trend across a mass of data, instead of looking at a few studies here and there which may find conflicting results.

These meta-analyses examined both correlational and experimental studies across several cultures, including only methodologically sound studies. The inclusion of experimental studies is important: It means studies have shown that violent video games actually cause aggression. In correlational studies - those that examine violent media consumption and aggression outside the lab - it could be that aggressive kids want to play aggressive games, or that an outside factor such as family background causes both. But an experiment randomly assigns participants to play a violent vs. a non-violent video game, and then measures aggression.

These studies find that playing violent video games does, indeed, cause aggression. The effect is a correlation of about r = .20, considered a small to medium effect in psychology. But even a small to medium effect at the average causes a doubling or tripling of the number of people who are highly aggressive after playing a violent game.

If a large meta-analysis found that kids who eat candy were more likely to hit other kids - with a doubling or tripling in the number who hit really hard -- few people would have a problem saying kids shouldn't eat candy. Yet because many people enjoy playing video games, they are reluctant to take action to keep people from playing these games - even if it leads to aggression or violence.

It makes sense that the video game industry would not want to believe that their product leads to aggression and violence in real life. But it's infuritating to see fellow researchers making this claim while cherry-picking which studies they mention. Science is best when it relies not on individual studies but on the preponderance of the evidence. The preponderance of the evidence here is clear, and suggesting otherwise does a disservice to the field and to the public.

Some point out that violent crime has declined over the last twenty years as video games have become more vivid and violent. However, many other powerful factors influence the crime rate, from demographics to changes in policing to drug wars. So this observation tells us very little about the effect of violent video games on behavior.

No, taking away violent video games would not end mass shootings. But the best evidence available suggests that it would reduce real-life aggression. Like all research, these studies are based on averages -- not everyone who plays violent games will become more aggressive. But some will.

Whether the rights of the many should be restricted for the actions of a few is a debatable point. I will leave it to politicians and others to debate exactly what action should be taken; as a psychology researcher, I can only point out the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence. Here, the evidence is very strong. Don't believe anyone who tells you otherwise.

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Yes, Violent Video Games Do Cause Aggression

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In the wake of the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, the country has begun a search for answers. Much of this search has focused on gun laws, a valid point given that the United States has the fewest regulations on guns and the highest gun murder rate of any industrialized country.

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Do Violent Video Games Really Cause Aggression?

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Do Violent Video Games Really Cause Aggression?

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Do Violent Video Games Really Cause Aggression?

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There is a link between violent video games and higher levels of aggression in players, according to a new report from a leading group of psychologist

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Violent Video Games Create Aggression, But Do They Cause Kids to Commit Crimes?

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Violent Video Games Create Aggression, But Do They Cause Kids to Commit Crimes?

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The question of whether violent video games have a harmful effect on children is a hotly disputed one.

And not just between the entertainment industry and medical experts.

It's also a contentious point among professionals who deal with children's health issues.

The topic is prominent enough that it prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to issue a recommendation last month about children watching violent movies and playing violent video games.

The report's authors stated they are frustrated by resistance to accept studies that link violence to the video games as well as the lack of action on the issue.

"Although there is broad scientific consensus that virtual violence increases aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, there has been little public action to help mitigate children's exposure to it," the authors wrote.
Read more: Children with autism more likely to develop video game addiction "
Aggression but not crime

A task force report released in August 2015 by the American Psychological Association (APA) concluded there's a definite link to increased aggression in children who play violent video games.

However, the task force members said it's uncertain whether that aggression correlates with criminal violence or juvenile delinquency.

The research was the first in this field to examine the breadth of previous studies, and to undertake multiple approaches to reviewing the literature.

The data demonstrated a consistent relationship between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, cognition, and effect, according to the APA Task Force on Violent Media report.

Video game violence also leads to decreases in pro-social behavior, empathy, and sensitivity to aggression, the task force added.

Scientists have looked into the use of violent video games for more than 20 years, but task force chairman Mark Appelbaum, Ph.D., said, "There is very limited research addressing whether violent video games cause people to commit acts of criminal violence."

"However, the link between violence in video games and increased aggression in players is one of the most studied and best established in the field," Appelbaum, a psychology professor at the University of California at San Diego, said in a press release.

The APA report went on to say that no single risk factor consistently leads a person to act aggressively or violently, but rather it is an accumulation of risk factors that leads to the aggressive or violent behavior.

Violent video game use is one such risk factor.

Dr. Vic Strasburger, distinguished professor of pediatrics emeritus at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, said it goes deeper than violent video games.

"I've treated several school shooters and my best guess is that these kids have four factors that apply," Strasburger told Healthline. "One: They've been abused or bullied. Two: They have mental illness. Three: They are socially isolated. And four: They play violent video games."

"All four factors taken together produce a perfect storm," he added.
Read more: Does 'Pokémon Go' count as exercise? "
Other theories arise

The APA report was contradicted seven months later by another study that focused on children in Europe.

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health published their findings in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology.

The team of 13 researchers looked at the video game playing habits of more than 3,000 children across Europe in 2010.

They concluded children who played at least five hours of games a week had fewer psychological problems than students who didn't play the games.

The students' teachers also rated the video game players as better students.

"I think what we're seeing here is the evolution of gaming in modern society. Video games are now a part of a normal childhood," said Katherine Keyes, one of the 13 authors, and a professor of epidemiology at Columbia, in a U.S. News and World Report article. "It's no longer that kids who play a lot video games are the isolated, techy, brainy kids. What we're seeing here is that kids who play a lot of video games are socially integrated, they're pro-social, they have good school functioning, and we don't see any association with adverse mental health outcomes."

Keyes added there are down sides to playing a lot of video games.

"I want to be sure that we're not suggesting in this study that parents should let kids play unlimited video games because it's good for their mental health," she told U.S. News and World Report.

Another study that was published in October 2015 concluded that parents were an important factor in determining how much time children spend playing violent video games.

Researchers at Iowa State University used an online survey of both parents and children aged 8 to 12 for their conclusions.

They said children of "restrictive" parents who set firm rules spent less time playing violent video games.

In addition, children of "warm" parents who show approval through affection also played fewer video games.

However, the children of "anxious/emotional" parents who are often overprotective spent more time playing video games.
Read more: Most 2-year-olds use mobile devices "
Association urges changes in industry

There are calls for the video game industry to clean up its act.

After its study, the APA urged the video game industry to design games that include increased parental control over the amount of violence the games contain.

They also want developers to design games that are appropriate to users' age and psychological development.

In addition, they are encouraging the Entertainment Software Rating Board to refine its video game rating system. The hope of the APA is that the games' ratings "reflect the levels and characteristics of violence in games."

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) officials vehemently disagreed with the findings of the research in the latest APA report.

"Considering the APA's long-standing bias against, and attacks on video games, this slanted report is not surprising. Numerous medical professionals, researchers, and courts all debunk the fundamental thesis of their argument," they said in a statement to the video game news site Polygon.

When boiled down, Strasburger said that it's easy to pin aggressive behavior on violent video games but not necessarily crime.

"Many people would like to link first-person shooter video games and mass murders or even single murders, but that's virtually impossible to do from a scientific research point of view," he said. "Murder is rare. Video games are extraordinarily common."

Strasburger has come up with a simple hypothesis based on the research.

"The best we can say is that first-person shooter video games are probably not healthy for children and teens," he concluded.
Editor's Note: This story was originally published on August 14, 2015, and was updated by David Mills on August 18, 2016.

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do video games cause children to commit crimes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Violent Video Games Create Aggression, But Do They Cause Kids to Commit Crimes?

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The question of whether violent video games have a harmful effect on children is a hotly disputed one. And not just between the entertainment industry and medical experts. It's also a contentious point among professionals who deal with children's health issues.

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In my opinion, I believe that video games have increased violence in the generation of youth. According to my research, I have found out that scientists have concluded that video games cause teenagers and children to believe that violence is okay and normal from video games. This could cause them to think that causing violence and committing crimes in real life is humorous as it is in video games. There has also been a debate for video game makers to make video games to match a player's age and mental development due to the fact that scientists have found links connecting video games to violence and aggression. Video games will also make people's brains more hyperactive. Some people might say that violent movies or television shows do not cause violence in society and video games will not either. However, due to research, in a movie or television show, the one watching the movie is not actually performing the violence and is only watching. In video games, the player is the one who is causing, acting, and performing violence in the game. This concludes that video games are linking players to violence because they are actually committing acts of violence through a video game. In conclusion, video games make our youth less sensitive when actual violence occurs.