Study links violent games to violent thoughts and behavior

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If you're a subscriber to the APA's Psychological Bulletin (and why wouldn't you be?), you'll find something especially relevant to your interests in the March issue. Psychologist Craig Anderson analyzed existing studies of 130,000 people from the U.S., Europe and Japan, and found that exposure to violent video games was associated with aggressive behavior and thought, along with typical accusations of an inability to foster positive social behavior. A rebuttal to the study from another psychologist and ESA chief Michael Gallagher is featured in The Washington Post article on the subject.

We're not doctors nor scientists ourselves, so we're not going to try to pick apart Anderson's findings. We, like Gallagher, are just going to point towards the research of two people who don't have such a huge axe to grind (as Anderson so clearly does). As Dr. Cheryl K. Olson and Dr. Lawrence Kutner wrote in their Grand Theft Childhood, "the strong link between video game violence and real world violence, and the conclusion that video games lead to social isolation and poor interpersonal skills, are drawn from bad or irrelevant research, muddleheaded thinking and unfounded, simplistic news reports."

Also, we'd ask that Anderson clarify if the tendency toward violent impulses was specifically sparked by playing Modern Warfare 2 online with a bunch of 12-year-old racist homophobes. Because, then dude, yes.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/01/study-links-violent-games-to-violent-thoughts-and-behavior/#comments

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"Study links violent games to violent thoughts and behavior" :: Login/Create an Account :: 11 comments

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presleyPosted:

i want a tenth lobby for free anyone whanna help

jakeebPosted:

this is too much to read!

oneinsanemofoPosted:

I afree with BWP92. It's not fair to any game to only review cases of 12 year olds. the game is meant for older people because younger children can be influenced extremely easily.

f-ingbonneyPosted:

I AGREE WITH CELTICS. THEY ONLY DO "STUDIES" ON THE IDIOTS THAT SCREW UP. FOR THAT MATTER THEIR BROAD STATMENT IS JUST THAT. A STATEMENT THAT HAS NO BASSIS OF ACTUAL FACT OTHER THEN A FEW KNUCKLES HEADS THOUGHT THAT THEY WERE A CHARACTER IN A VIDEO GAME OR WAS ACTING OUT THAT THEY WERE. IT SOUNDS ALOT LIKE PROFILING AND STEROTYPING TO ME. BUT WHAT DO I KNOW? LETS ALL LISTEN TO THE DOCTORS WITH A PHD AND NO COMMON SCENCE.

BWP92Posted:

i wish that they should study the people that should actually be playing these games. they study young teenagers and not the 17+ populous that is allowed.

it is not the fault of the video game if the child playing can not decipher between reality and a video game and between right and wrong. stopping video games will not stop middle school violence. these games are meant for the mature, yet they are played by the young and easily influenced. it seems that the parents should have more control over what their children are playing, but that is my opinion.

CaptainMorganPosted:

lmao look at that guys face

tsnyder700Posted:

yeah, if there weren't m rated vid games, then there would be a lot less violent kids in mid school.

Light_K_YagamiPosted:

I do not agree with this, Racist and Homophobes are a choice. I made mine and those 12year olds made there's. You are what you wanna be. Video Games have to relevance to this. You might say so but its not, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. If i get violent thoughts its my mind not some damn game.

patrick4989Posted:

I am doing a study in my psychology class in which violent video games is directly related to aggressive behavior in adolescent. It is usually greater when the children can identify the role of the main character to there own life. This is only true in adolescent children not in older mature adults.

CelticsPosted:

i wish they would review players that arent total ****