New Research Shows No Link Between Violent Video Games And School Shootings

from the sorry,-jack-thompson dept

Some new research has found that, despite media hype, there is no relationship between violent video games and school shootings. The report criticizes earlier reports linking violent video games to aggression, noting that their methodology was flawed -- and also points to the unfortunate trend of politicians and the mainstream media to team up to create moral panics around such things despite not having any evidence of a causal link. This is the latest in a long line of recent research that has noted similar findings. Maybe we can finally get past blaming video games for youth violence...
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Filed Under: research, video games, violence


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  1. identicon
    Grammar Nazi, 22 Jan 2009 @ 10:50am

    *Big Smile!*

    "around such things despite any evidence of a causal link."

    Shouldn't that be:
    around such things despite having no evidence of a causal link.

    or:
    around such things despite lack of evidence of a causal link.

    or:
    around such things without any evidence of a causal link.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Overcast, 22 Jan 2009 @ 10:59am

    Since when would facts ever stop self-interest groups or government?

    Facts can always be changed on paper. Pay some other clown to come up with a study that says they are linked and viola'!

    Many times, I think the answer to the study comes first - then funding to find a path to make the question fit the answer they have already decided on.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 11:05am

    Isn't it funny how often a research paper will agree with its hypothesis?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Matt, 22 Jan 2009 @ 11:10am

    Re:

    bingo. If only people know how that works with MADD and drunk driving.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Jason, 22 Jan 2009 @ 11:34am

    Re: AC

    "Isn't it funny how often a research paper will agree with its hypothesis?"

    I think most people can agree that his findings are actually common sense. Most (serious) researchers wouldn't research something too ridiculous. For example, who would do a paper on why smoking actually cures cancer?

    I think anyone who has grown up playing games can attest that we aren't screwed adults. None of my friends/associates have any violent tendencies.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 11:36am

    Re:

    Facts are the enemy of the "Truth."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Sergio, 22 Jan 2009 @ 11:41am

    Got Violence

    Saying that violent kids play violent video games is the same as saying violent kids drink milk.

    It makes a lot of sense that violent people would be drawn to violent content. Which has been proven by many studies to reduce the violent tendencies in these people because the game acts as a release for their aggretion.

    THERE IS ONLY ONE REASON THEY MAKE THESE ACCUSATIONS: It makes them look like they're doing something positive. They choose video games because most older adults don't know much about them and therefore makes the idea that they could be bad for kids plausible.

    In the past is was music and movies and TV. In the future it will be...well, we don't know yet, but it will happen.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    Mike (profile), 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:14pm

    Re: *Big Smile!*

    Ooops. Fixed. Thanks.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    Chris, 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:18pm

    violence

    video games promoting violence
    movies promoting violence
    television shows promoting violence
    music promoting violence

    kids practicing violence in a violent society

    You're right, there is no casual connection.
    What else could explain away the violence in our society??
    The availability of guns and knives??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. identicon
    logicprobe, 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:27pm

    SSRI link?

    What about the link between school shootings and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors? With only one or two possible exceptions, every school shooter has been on Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, or something similar.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    chris (profile), 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:33pm

    Re: violence

    You're right, there is no casual connection.
    What else could explain away the violence in our society??
    The availability of guns and knives??


    if you rounded up all the guns and knives we would just keep killing each other with sticks and stones.

    video games and violence are just the latest boogie man. in the 80's it was devil worship and cults. in the 70's it was music that made kids commit suicide. in the 50's it was rock and roll that caused interracial dating... and communism.

    society has been on the verge of collapse from one evil or another for as long as there has been society, except for maybe that first 15 minutes at the beginning.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    Adam, 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:50pm

    Don't forget

    At one time D&D was going to make all the children into unthinking zombies. People hear "protect the children" and stop thinking.

    What a relief though; I was just waiting for that video game violence over the past 18 years to catch up with me and make me kill a bunch of people. That's a load off my mind!

    On second thought, now I need to come up with another scapegoat.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. identicon
    hegemon13, 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:55pm

    Re: violence

    You post some unrelated phrases, and then try to imply some sort of causality. What if I simply listed them in the other direction? That is, that people practice violence, and therefore make creative works about it. Oh, and why not list violent books? Oh, yeah, because books are inherently good, even when it's Lord of the Flies, which is a far more disturbing depiction of youth violence than anything I have seen in movies or video games.

    Do you really think violence is something new? If so, perhaps you should pick up some history books. Violence existed long before any of the influences you listed. The availability of guns and knives just means that they are the weapon used. It does not mean violence would occur without them. And knives? Really? The average 8-year-old could make their own knife if they wanted to. I don't think availability is the problem as far as that goes.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    hegemon13, 22 Jan 2009 @ 12:56pm

    Re: Re: violence

    EDIT:

    "It does not mean violence would NOT occur without them..."

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 1:28pm

    This just in...waters wet.

    Research something we don't already know seems like a waste of time and money.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    griff, 22 Jan 2009 @ 1:44pm

    Re: Re: violence

    >> if you rounded up all the guns and knives we would just keep killing each other with sticks and stones

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 22 Jan 2009 @ 1:47pm

    thing is, its either violent games or bad parenting and we all know it cant be bad parenting.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    MattP, 22 Jan 2009 @ 2:34pm

    Re: violence

    >You're right, there is no casual connection.
    >What else could explain away the violence in our society??
    >The availability of guns and knives??

    Sure worked out for Australia.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Rob (profile), 22 Jan 2009 @ 4:04pm

    Re:

    SHOCKING NEWS REPORT:

    OLD RESEARCH SHOWS NO LINK BETWEEN VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.

    JUST OFF THE PRESS:

    NEW RESEARCH SHOWS NO LINK BETWEEN VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES AND SCHOOL SHOOTINGS.

    How is this even news anymore, we were well aware years ago kids will blame whatever they can to cover up teenage angst and being all around emo. I'm sure bad parenting fits in here somewhere too.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. identicon
    Crazy, 23 Jan 2009 @ 8:45am

    This just in...

    Crazy kids do crazy things no matter what their exposed to! No one goes "oh wow a gun...well, might as well shoot someone with it!"

    Violence is built into our DNA, it's how we have survived on this planet as long as we have. Up until sometime in the 19th century, deadly torturous violence was part of everyday life. They were creative about it too which demonstrates a bit of crazy. Beating and whipping slaves, burning/drowning/crushing "witches," torturing Jews, feeding Christians to lions, having people fight to the death for entertainment, Greek theater depicting horrible murders and self mutilation. We have a loooong history of violence and the one constant throughout all of it is that, for most of us, watching it happen is a release for our internal need to act violently.

    There's also always the argument of Hitler. He didn't watch violent movies, listen to rock music, watch violent TV, or play violent video games. He was just crazy. Without a source of inspiration, he was forced to come up with his own twisted ways of slaughtering 6 million human beings. Maybe if he spent more time playing Grand Theft Auto and gotten some of that aggression out, history would have been a bit different don't you think?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    Nelson Cruz, 27 Jan 2009 @ 5:34am

    As if kids where never violent before video games came along! What was to blame then? TV? Books??? Well... acording to some that lived in those days... yes!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. identicon
    Your Mom, 29 Jan 2009 @ 12:24pm

    Re: *Big Smile!*

    I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  23. identicon
    eugene, 9 Oct 2009 @ 7:54am

    really

    r u sure that it has no relation to the shotings

    link to this | view in thread ]

  24. identicon
    nathan, 18 Oct 2009 @ 10:35pm

    Re: SSRI link?

    you seem to have brought up a very good point. i was wondering if you could send me a link so that i might cite it in a paper i'm doing for a class i'm taking. thanks a bunch

    link to this | view in thread ]


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