Violent Video Games Only Affect Some People

An anonymous reader writes "The media would have you believe that violent video games will be the downfall of our civilization and the cause of moral decline in young people. A recent study suggests that most people aren't so easily influenced by the violence; instead, just a few bad apples are likely to react poorly, with everyone else showing little or no effect from playing these games." The American Psychological Association has posted the academic paper (PDF) as well, in addition to a few related studies. One examines how games can be a force for good (PDF), and another looks at the motivations behind children playing such games (PDF).

Comments

Parents?

[asukasoryu]

What happened to blaming the parents? I don't believe you can send a child out to do anything independently and expect them to just turn out ok. Someone with the ability to reason (not all parents) should be interacting with the children to ensure they are developing desirable social and behavioral skills. This should be true for whatever children are doing, not just video games. Think about the children!