Psychologists have confirmed that playing violent video games is linked to aggressive and coldhearted behavior, but not everyone agrees.
The American Psychological Association (APA) has called for more parental control after a review of almost a decade examining the consequences of the exposure to violent video games. The task force conducted a comprehensive review of more than 300 violent video game studies published between 2005 and 2013.
“The research demonstrates a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect, and decreases in pro-social behaviour, empathy and sensitivity to aggression,” said the report.
“It is the accumulation of risk factors that tends to lead to aggressive or violent behaviour. The research reviewed here demonstrates that violent video game use is one such risk factor.”
The APA is now calling for increased parental control within games to protect children’s development.
The impacts of violent video games
News commentators have turned to violent video game use as a potential causal contributor to acts of mass homicide such as the Columbine and Washington Navy Yard massacre. The media point to perpetrators’ gaming habits as either “a reason that they have chosen to commit their crimes, or as a method of training,” the report states. Violent games are typically treated as a startling and critical revelation by those in pursuit of moralistic or advocacy goals.
But can we really state that games such as Call Of Duty and Grand Theft Auto could lead to criminal acts as extreme as mass shootings?
Many disagree
A group of 230 academics from around the globe wrote in its open letter to the APA that they felt the methodology of the research was deeply inconsistent. They labeled the research on media violence including video games as “misleading” and “alarmist”.
“The statistical data are simply not bearing out this concern and should not be ignored”. They pointed out to the fact that youth violence in the US and around the world was currently “at a 40-year low”. This decline in societal violence is in conflict with claims that violent video games and interactive media are important public health concerns.
Can video games trigger violence?
There is still very limited evidence established about whether violent video games would lead to criminal violence or delinquency someday. Dr Mark Coulson, associate professor of psychology at Middlesex University and one of the signatories of the letter, told the BBC: “If you play three hours of Call of Duty you might feel a little bit pumped, but you are not going to go out and mug someone.”
Dr. Mark Appelbaum, the chairperson of the APA task force who conducted the studies, also admitted that the picture is far more complex and that more research is needed to come up with a causal relation between video games and violence.
With more than 90% of children in the US play video games, and around 97% among adolescents aged 12-17, what do you think of violent video games triggering criminal behaviours? Share your views in the comments section below.
Interested in this topic?
Here’s a collection of Clapway articles exploring the controversial relationship between video games and players:
– Could Doctors Could Prescribe Video Games As Mental Health Treatment?
– Could Playing Video Games Increase Risk of Anxiety?
– Game Over: Sexist Bros Harassing Female Gamers Online You Lose
– Virtual Reality Systems Used to Treat PTSD and Other Illnesses
SnailVR gives you a break from reality in favor of virtual reality:
Can Violent Video Games Inspire Violent Behaviour in Real Life?
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