Are Video Games Responsible for Violence?

On August 3, 2019, only hours after a horrific shooting in El Paso, Texas, which killed 23, a familiar talking point surfaced: video games were to blame.

For decades, the subject of whether computer games encourage real-world violence among children and adolescents has sparked debate – and headlines. After more than 20 years of study, experts are unable to establish a causal relationship between violent video game play and violent behavior. Nevertheless, a longitudinal investigation of the relationship between video game violence and human aggressiveness found that any influence was too minor to be practically important, according to a meta-analysis published in Royal Society Open Science in 2020.

So, what is the source of this myth's persistence? First, let's examine the controversial debate regarding the alleged relationship between video games and violent conduct.

On August 3, 2019, only hours after a horrific shooting in El Paso, Texas, which killed 23, a familiar talking point surfaced: video games were to blame.

For decades, the subject of whether computer games encourage real-world violence among children and adolescents has sparked debate – and headlines. After more than 20 years of study, experts are unable to establish a causal relationship between violent video game play and violent behavior. Nevertheless, a longitudinal investigation of the relationship between video game violence and human aggressiveness found that any influence was too minor to be practically important, according to a meta-analysis published in Royal Society Open Science in 2020.

So, what is the source of this myth's persistence? First, let's examine the controversial debate regarding the alleged relationship between video games and violent conduct.

The Conflict Between Video Games and Violence

For about as long as they exist, video games have had a terrible name. Barely five years after Pong hit the scene, in 1976, a low-fi black-and-white game called Death Race — in which players score points by chasing after digital "gremlins" as they escape your automobile — drew the ire of media and civic groups for enabling virtual murder. As a consequence of the public outcry, its creators removed it off shop shelves.

The debate heated up in the 1990s. Mortal Kombat had brutal elements like spurting blood and the power to tear an opponent's heart out through their chest thanks to developments in computer graphics. It was the subject of a series of congressional hearings on violent video games and their possible influence on children in 1993 and 1994.

Taking Responsibility

The fear of video game violence resurfaced again in 1999, when the game Doom, which effectively pioneered the first-person shooter genre, was blamed for the Columbine high school shooting. Christopher Ferguson, a Stetson University psychologist who has researched video game violence for decades, describes the occurrence as a watershed moment.

The Conflict Between Video Games and Violence

For about as long as they exist, video games have had a terrible name. Barely five years after Pong hit the scene, in 1976, a low-fi black-and-white game called Death Race — in which players score points by chasing after digital "gremlins" as they escape your automobile — drew the ire of media and civic groups for enabling virtual murder. As a consequence of the public outcry, its creators removed it off shop shelves.

The debate heated up in the 1990s. Mortal Kombat had brutal elements like spurting blood and the power to tear an opponent's heart out through their chest thanks to developments in computer graphics. It was the subject of a series of congressional hearings on violent video games and their possible influence on children in 1993 and 1994.

Taking Responsibility

The fear of video game violence resurfaced again in 1999, when the game Doom, which effectively pioneered the first-person shooter genre, was blamed for the Columbine high school shooting. Christopher Ferguson, a Stetson University psychologist who has researched video game violence for decades, describes the occurrence as a watershed moment.

"It really cemented in the public consciousness this concept that violent video games were accountable for school shootings or mass killings, Ferguson adds. With the exception of a few individuals, there was a great feeling of cultural unity on the subject – everyone assumed that violent video games were generating these sorts of massacres."

As a consequence, numerous renowned studies in the early 2000s investigated that relationship – and concluded that cruel video games did actually enhance aggressive behavior. Even so, not everyone agreed at the time. Ferguson, who was a PhD student at the time, says he began to see a discrepancy between the facts and what academics were stating.

"It's not that you couldn't construct a case for a relationship between violent video games and violence," Ferguson says, but the statistics simply weren't there.

"It really cemented in the public consciousness this concept that violent video games were accountable for school shootings or mass killings, Ferguson adds. With the exception of a few individuals, there was a great feeling of cultural unity on the subject – everyone assumed that violent video games were generating these sorts of massacres."

As a consequence, numerous renowned studies in the early 2000s investigated that relationship – and concluded that cruel video games did actually enhance aggressive behavior. Even so, not everyone agreed at the time. Ferguson, who was a PhD student at the time, says he began to see a discrepancy between the facts and what academics were stating.

"It's not that you couldn't construct a case for a relationship between violent video games and violence," Ferguson says, but the statistics simply weren't there.

Video Game Violence Research

For years, research on whether cruel video games increase violence in players – a subject with over 100 studies – has been divided. For example, in 2014, researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria discovered that violent video games increased aggression among gamers. However, a longitudinal research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture barely a year later found that playing violent video games was not a major predictor of physical aggressiveness.

According to Ferguson, several studies connected video games to violent behavior based on faulty methodology. This is due, in part, to the perceived high stakes and emotionally charged character of worries about young culture, he says.

Per his comment, "There’s this idea that ‘we’re saving children’ or ‘children’s lives are at stake. And scientists are human — we respond to social incentives just like anybody else does. If all of the incentives tell you to say one thing, then why would you say the other thing? Saying something isn’t a problem is a hard way to get grant money. "

False Positives: A Problem

Video Game Violence Research

For years, research on whether cruel video games increase violence in players – a subject with over 100 studies – has been divided. For example, in 2014, researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria discovered that violent video games increased aggression among gamers. However, a longitudinal research published in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture barely a year later found that playing violent video games was not a major predictor of physical aggressiveness.

According to Ferguson, several studies connected video games to violent behavior based on faulty methodology. This is due, in part, to the perceived high stakes and emotionally charged character of worries about young culture, he says.

Per his comment, "There’s this idea that ‘we’re saving children’ or ‘children’s lives are at stake. And scientists are human — we respond to social incentives just like anybody else does. If all of the incentives tell you to say one thing, then why would you say the other thing? Saying something isn’t a problem is a hard way to get grant money. "

False Positives: A Problem

The problem of false positives is only one of several that plague the area. In the behavioral sciences, "false positives" arise when scientists consider something to be statistically significant when the findings are really due to chance, sampling mistakes, or issues with a study's methodology. Ferguson discovered that research on video game violence is especially prone to false positives in an article published in the International Journal of Law and Psychology in 2018.

Yet, in recent years, further studies and meta-analyses — using more sophisticated research procedures — have contributed to the increasing amount of evidence showing any link between video games and violent behavior is, at best, doubtful.

In general, this new wave of superior research is really calling into question the apparent wisdom of 10 [to] 15 years ago, Ferguson adds.

The problem of false positives is only one of several that plague the area. In the behavioral sciences, "false positives" arise when scientists consider something to be statistically significant when the findings are really due to chance, sampling mistakes, or issues with a study's methodology. Ferguson discovered that research on video game violence is especially prone to false positives in an article published in the International Journal of Law and Psychology in 2018.

Yet, in recent years, further studies and meta-analyses — using more sophisticated research procedures — have contributed to the increasing amount of evidence showing any link between video games and violent behavior is, at best, doubtful.

In general, this new wave of superior research is really calling into question the apparent wisdom of 10 [to] 15 years ago, Ferguson adds.

Do Violent Games Encourage You to Be Violent?

In summary, there is no conclusive evidence that playing cruel video games causes real-life violence — or even aggressive conduct — in children and adolescents.

Nevertheless, this does not imply that every game is suitable for every player. Far from being a static, one-dimensional pastime, video games are a constantly evolving art form that includes everything from online shooters like Fortnite (which also serves as its own social media hub) to the first-person exploration game What Remains of Edith Finch, which functions essentially as an interactive novel. Almost 3 billion individuals worldwide played video games in 2022.

Every parent has the freedom to choose what is best for their family, Ferguson argues. Do what seems right for you as a parent. Please keep in mind that this is a moral choice, not an empirical one.

Moreover, a new study indicates that video games may bring a variety of mental health advantages. According to an Oxford University study released in 2021, playing social games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons was proven to be favorably connected with well-being.

So go ahead and pick up that controller - it won't damage anybody in most circumstances.