Violence & Video Games?

Does violence in video games promote violence in real life?

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Linking Real Life Violence and Video Game Violence is an Illusory Correlation

Recently, there have been quite a few shootings happening. Most of those times, the idea has at least been tossed around that the shooting was a result of violent video games. Even in shootings that aren't the most recent, violent videos games has often been claimed to be the reasoning behind a shooting. Many have tested this and come with several different outcomes. But one that seems prevalent is the one by Christopher Ferugson. 

Ferguson's experiments have shown that violent video games do not promote violence. But that's not he has found from his research. he found that in cases where the person that committed the violence has a pre-existing mental health issue, the violent video game can actually be helpful. Ferguson says, "...playing violent video games seemed to be associated with less bullying." Ferguson believes, like many including myself, believe that violent video games are a way to blow off steam not to build aggression. 

<Sources>

Time

[violencefromvideogames-blog]

Ban against video games?

Last year the supreme court refused to let California to regulate the sale of video  games to children. They also said that the government does not have the power to restrict what children are exposed to. More than 46 million american households own a gaming console. Other than video games books like Hansel and Gretel can also cause violence since they baked their captor in an oven.

<Sources>

Huffington Post

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Did Video games make Adam Lanza shoot 27 people

On december 14th Adam Lanza shot 27 people at a conneticut

Elementery school. many people think that what he did was a result of

being exposed to violent video games. Senator lieberman said “The violence in the entertainment culture, particularly with the extraordinary realism to video games and movies now, does cause vulnerable young men, particularly, to be more violent,." There was no evidence that Adam lanza played video games.

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Many people think playing violent video games contribute to violent behavior. but according to a 2001 U.S. Surgeon General's report (1.3 MB)  the things that cause violent behavior are mental health, and being abused at home.

Guillaume de Fondaumiere, MA, former President of the French National Video Game Association says that playing violent video games can be an oultlet to express anger.

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Washington Navy Yard Shooting

Aaron Alexis was a 34 year old man who killed 13 people at a navy yard on September 16, 2013. Aaron arrived on august 25th in Washington and later bought a Remington 870 at a gun store 15 miles south of Washington. He then entered the military base with the gun disassembled in a bag.  Before all of this he was hearing voices in his head and according to an FBI official he was being controlled by extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves. He was then prescribed  Trazodone normally for insomnia he later sought treatment for insomnia and said he had thoughts of harming others.

<Sources>

Rueters

[violencefromvideogames-blog]

Did Devin Moore Murder because of Grand Theft Auto?

In 2003, Devin Moore was being questioned by two policemen about committing grand theft auto. Midway through the questioning, Moore grabbed the handgun of one of the officers, and shot the handgun's owner, as well as two other police officers in the head. He stole a police car and was later apprehended. When taken back to the police station, he said, "Life is a video game. You've got to die sometime." He blamed his situation on the video game, Grand Theft Auto Vice City. During his trial, he plead that he had post traumatic stress disorder and was beat by his father. The jury said he was guilty and he was sentenced with the death penalty. 

Post traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder. It is caused by the afflicted having gone through an extremely traumatic experience that brought them very close to serious injury of even death. Devin claims he was experiencing this disorder and that is why he committed the murders he was accused of committing. 

  <Sources>

Murderpedia

U.S. National Library of Medicine