It's worth noting that these studies don't contradict each other at all. One looks at the effects of violent games in young people, the other the effects of games in adults of an average age of 27.7 years. Different test group, different result. Perhaps a surprise to some, but by no means a contradiction in scientific conclusions. Not that a university study is needed to know all this. Anyone who has spent any time with a 7-year-old and a 27-year-old knows the difficulty the younger one has with coping with violent images from any media source, including games.
Games will continue to be an egg in the frying pan of politicians and "family values" proponents as long as the gaming community continues to respond to these reports with finger-pointing--at parents, TV, movies, even the idea of psychology as a science. In the mean time, the powers that be will be working without any real opposition to ensure that no one--even the adults who (according to those untrustworthy studies) are not affected by violence--are not allowed to play the violent games they so enjoy.
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Games will continue to be an egg in the frying pan of politicians and "family values" proponents as long as the gaming community continues to respond to these reports with finger-pointing--at parents, TV, movies, even the idea of psychology as a science. In the mean time, the powers that be will be working without any real opposition to ensure that no one--even the adults who (according to those untrustworthy studies) are not affected by violence--are not allowed to play the violent games they so enjoy.