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New research reveals kids who don't play videogames at all are more at risk of violent tendencies

Posted Apr 18, 2008 at 4:13PM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: Magazines, News Tags: Lawrence Kutner

Violent videogames - Image 1

In the history of videogames, no greater argument has ever surfaced than the argument that violence in videogames have a direct correlation with actual, real-life violence involving kids or teenagers.

Now, it seems that the matter can be settled with the results of a study that not only went on for several years and interviewed hundreds of individuals, but was also funded by the government AND headed by a husband-and-wife team that co-founded the Harvard School Medical Center of Mental Health and Media.

If that isn't something that even videogame critics can recognize as credible, we don't know what would.

In any case, what did the husband-and-wife team - namely Lawrence Kutner, PhD, and Cheryl K. Olson, ScD, find in the years of extensive research? Simply put - there is absolutely NO evidence linking violent games to real-life violence.

In fact, they found out through their interviews that the kids who didn't play any sort of game at all, even the violence-free ones, were more at risk of developing violent behavior in their lifetime.

Why is this, you ask? Because it seems that for boys, playing video games is a marker of social confidence. And that makes sense - you can easily make more friends and be treated as an individual if you can relate to the videogames other people are talking about. You develop relationships with those who you play with, and that builds up confidence.

Of course, they also found that gamers who only play violent videogames for fifteen hours a day straight are also at risk, but Kutner and Olson call this a risk marker rather than an actual cause.

They also discuss the short-term and long-term aggression effects of media. Here's an example from Kutner himself:

If you go to the local Cineplex and see a Jackie Chan or Jet Li movie and you watch a bunch of teenagers come out of that, of course they're going to be sort of hitting each other and kicking; you know, they're excited. But that goes away very quickly.

And so there's this leap of faith that if a child or teenager or even a young adult is exposed to this and they have a short term response, then that means it's going to change their behavior. We found it to be actually quite the opposite.

Well, that's certainly something for everyone to think about, right? So before parents and teachers cart off their kids for psychiatric evaluation just because they've been playing Mortal Kombat, they should probably give this study a look.

The results having been published in Kutner and Olson's latest book, "Grand Theft Childhood." Updates about this as we get them, and you can check out the video of their interview in the via link below.

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^- everything that isn't a controlled experiment, is really just an educated guess.

on topic:

i've always maintained video games, especially violent ones, help me work through my occasional anger and frustration. i don't take it out on the dog, wife, kids, co-workers or any of the other usual targets of misplaced agression.

i choose polygons that bleed like the wife and kids. ok i'm kidding but you get the point.

# Always said... — ThrashWolf 2008-04-18 19:15

Always said there was no problem with them. Finally Jack Thompson types can get off our backs(though JT himself will probably say Rockstar paid them to publish that book *eyeroll*)

also good ammo against restrictive parents.

# It's us, not games — Dodo 2008-04-18 20:59

Violence is part of human nature. It stems from our deep-seated hatred for other human beings. We just like making excuses and pretend we are a civilised race of beings, but we are not. If you're a psychopath, it's not because you play violent games, it's because you have mental issues and need help. Video games aren't responsible for manifesting what's already there in the first place.

If anything, video gaming can take off our some of the anger we feel everyday than taking it on people and objects, or worse, burying it inside. Perhaps violent people choose to play violent games and listen to violent music to relieve their aggression, but it sometimes it doesn't work. Just like therapy, rehabilitation and anger management doesn't always work.

Video games are merely the modern scapegoat for things that are wrong with our society which we are too ignorant and incompetent to deal with.

# gone to college yet? — Nevers 2008-04-19 02:41

... cuz, well, most everything we've been taught really isn't true... sorry to break the bubble ;P

# Exactly! — whaleshark 2008-04-19 22:35

Wow, you summed it up quite nicely! lol JACK THOMPSON EAT YOU HEART OUT!

# Has nothing to do with videogames — Oracle 2008-04-19 22:41

It's all about socioeconomic factors, which determines the access to luxuries such as videogames. Who the heck funds these researchers?

# nothing more to say — erikbirk2 2008-04-20 02:54

i was going to type a big long thing like most of you but now i dont have to. you pretty much covered it all.

# Credible? — Meseria 2008-04-20 02:59

I don't think its that credible because it only interviewed hundreds of kids and interviews themselves (like self-report surveys) are not a very accurate test unless your pool is a HUGE percentage of the total population. Also, just because you goto Harvard and have a govt. grant for research does not make your test is 100% foolproof. Sadly, i don't think this study or any study will silence violent game critics.

Violence has much more variables to it than, do they play video games or not? I think our own brains are far more complex than we can ever imagine.

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