Ok, this is gonna be a long post, but this study by far makes the best arguments I have heard on the whole "violent games" issue that I'm duty-bound to copy paste every quote from GamePolitics, and just paraphrase mostly everything else.

It's a good read, I promise.

A new study by Prof. Christopher Ferguson takes a look back at the various "video game crimes" spotlighted by the media, citing "moral panic" as the cause of how video games rose to become the media's new "straw man":

Moral panics may emerge from ‘culture wars’ occurring in a society... politicians, news media and social scientists, arguably [have] motives for promoting hysterical beliefs about media violence, and video games specifically.

Actual causes of violent crime, such as family environment, genetics, poverty, and inequality, are oftentimes difficult, controversial, and intractable problems. By contrast, video games present something of a ‘straw man’ by which politicians can create an appearance of taking action against crime...

As for the news media, it has long been recognised that negative news... ‘sell’ better than do positive news... As for social scientists, it has been observed that a small group of researchers have been most vocal in promoting the anti-game message... oftentimes ignoring research from other researchers, or failing to disclose problems with their own research...

He also mentions how most critics of video games are unfamiliar with video games themselves, even mentioning the infamous SE'XBOX incident in Fox News with Cooper Lawrence. Ferguson stated:

It has been the observation of this author, for instance, that the majority of individuals critical of video games are above the age of 35 (many are elderly) and oftentimes admit to not having directly experienced the games.

Some commentators make claims betraying their unfamiliarity, such as that games like Grant Theft Auto ‘award points’ for antisocial behaviour... despite that few games award points for anything anymore, instead focusing on stories.

He also criticized the methodologies used in previous studies that linked video games with aggression, ending the study by citing the various school shootings that have been blamed on violent video games:

School shootings, although exceedingly rare, are an important issue worthy of serious consideration. However, for our understanding of this phenomenon to progress, we must move past the moral panic on video games and other media and take a hard look at the real causes of serious aggression and violence...

the wealth of evidence... fails to establish a link between violent video games and violent crimes, including school shootings. The link has not merely been unproven; I argue that the wealth of available data simply weighs against any causal relationship.

---

If you've read this far, you wouldn't mind reading more:

• Look, Ma! No hands! Study suspects violent games are healthy for kids
• New research finds link between violent video games and biological systems
• Violent video games, piracy threaten Saudi Arabia's youth
• Jack Thompson interview: NIU shootout related to violent video games
• V-Tech panelist: violent video games should be banned
• Official VA Tech review panel: violent video games not a factor in V-tech shootings