Agressive video games are linked to triggering violence in teenagers as they glorify the phenomenon of forceful attainment

Do video games trigger violent behaviour? This has been a hot topic of debate since long and the topic is back in the headlines following mass shooting in El Paso, Texas.

An online manifesto, thought to be authored by the gunman, briefly mentioned the combat game, Call of Duty. To this, Donald Trump said that gruesome and grisly video games contribute to the glorification of violence. Trump’s statements were more reserved this time as compared to his comments on a similar subject, in 2018, when he called video games, vicious and summoned game industry executives.

The Entertainment Software Association, the biggest video game trade group, said that there is no causal connection between video games and violence. “More than 165 million Americans enjoy video games, and billions of people play video games worldwide. Other societies, where video games are played more frequently, have lesser level of violence than that in the US,” the group said.

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SHOW?

“There are no longitudinal studies that show a link between violence and video games. Certainly, there is no linkage to gun violence,” said Benjamin Burroughs, a professor of emerging media at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He said that some studies show a short-term increase in aggressive thoughts and feelings after playing video games, but not to the extent of violence. “Plenty of gamers get upset when they lose or feel the game was cheating, but it doesn’t lead to violent outputs,” he added.

In 2006, a small study, by Indiana University researchers found that, teenagers who played violent video games showed higher levels of emotional arousal and reduced ability to plan, control and direct thoughts and behaviour.

Patrick Markey, a psychology professor at Villanova University who focuses on video games, found in his research that, men who commit severe acts of violence actually play violent video games less than the remaining males. About 20 per cent were interested in violent video games, compared to 70 per cent of the general population. He explained this in his 2017 book, Moral Combat: Why the War on Violent Video Games Is Wrong. Another study by Markey and his colleagues showed that violence increases when a new violent film or video game comes out, because people start playing the game or watching the film. He said, “People who play voilent video games might be a little hopped up and jerky but it doesn’t fundamentally alter who they are. It is like going to see a sad movie. It might make you cry but it doesn’t make you clinically depressed.”

WHY DOES THIS THEORY PERSIST?

The theory persists because politicians on both sides have taken it up as an easy target, since it lacks a powerful lobby. In 2013, after the shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newton, Connecticut, Vice President Joe Biden held wide-ranging talks on gun violence prevention, including a meeting with video game industry executives. After the 2013 meetings, the White House asked for a research on the ‘effect of media and video games on gun violence’ but nothing substantial came out. Markey said, “Politicians on both sides go after video games as if this is their weird unifying force. It makes them look like they are doing something.” Another reason, according to Markey is that, video games can look disturbing to people who aren’t gamers. “They look scary, but research doesn’t support that there is a link to violent behaviour”, he added.

DO VIDEO GAMES NEED A RATING SYSTEM?

They already have a rating system dating back to the 1990s. Following an outcry over violent games such as 1992s mortal kombat, the Entertainment Software Association created a rating board in 1994 to assign ratings for those 18 and older. The ratings suggest an age range and describe the possibly objectionable features. The mature rating, for example, indicates the game is generally suitable for ages 17 and up and may have intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content or strong language.

In 2011, the Supreme Court rejected a Californian law banning the sale of violent video games to children. The decision found that video games, like other media, are protected by the first amendment.