Is it true that violent video games generate violent behavior?

There are many stories, news and hoaxes floating around the internet about young people who murder their parents because of violent video games. For example, earlier this year, in the town of Elche (Alicante), a young man killed his parents after they cut off his internet access because of his poor grades. Like that of the boy with the katana, this story is terrifying, but, Is it true that video games generate violent behavior?

The answer is complicated. Although many studies and professionals have argued for years that video games, especially the most violent ones, generate violent behavior in children and young people, the latest research shows that many other factors come into play when explaining violent behavior of a certain subject.

A cause-effect relationship between violence and video games?

The resolution of the American Psychological Association (APA) from last year 2015 states that “There is insufficient scientific evidence to corroborate a causal link between violent video games and violent behavior.” Could it be said that the consumption of violent video games can lead to an increase in aggressiveness and violent behavior? Yes, but There seems to be no direct cause-effect relationship.since other factors such as the environment or history of violence come into play.

“Violence is a complicated social problem that usually arises from many factors. that merit the attention of researchers,” said APA President Sandra L. Shullman. “Attributing violence to video games is not scientifically sound,” she continues. And this statement “diverts attention from other factors such as histories of violence.”

Violent video games

First of all, it is worth establishing what is meant by violence in video games. It is clear that war and shooting titles, like Call of Duty, have an undeniable violent component. But also other more open video games, such as any of the GTA saga, in which racist behavior, explicit sex or other content is reproduced that should have a real age control associated with it.

Another aspect to value is the concept of competition that many video games live by. Titles like FIFA or Rocket League may not offer violent content, but The simple fact of living off competition could also influence the appearance of certain violent behaviors..

The APA’s own resolution recognizes that there are links between violent video games and “aggressive outcomes such as screaming and pushing.” In the case of video games that do not contain explicit violence, these behaviors could be as understandable as those that can occur after, for example, a soccer match. There is a relationship between certain video games and these behaviors, but not enough to establish a direct cause-effect relationship.

Competition in some video games can lead to violent behavior.

Do they generate violent behavior or not?

So, how to explain violent behavior in children and young people? It is clear that video games are a factor to take into account, but also others such as the social and family environment or the history of violence.. In the works on the subject published in recent years we find reasons to think that many other investigations have not taken into account the importance of these other factors.

A study carried out in Germany in 2019 analyzed the behaviors of 90 volunteers between the ages of 18 and 45. They all played daily Grand Theft Auto Vto the Sims 3 or none. After that time, a series of surveys focused on aggressive and violent behavior were carried out, but The results did not show any difference between the three groups.

It is to be expected, therefore, that the violent behaviors presented in certain children and young people are explained by many other factors. This is the conclusion also reached by a study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization by scientists from the University of London, focused on children between 8 and 18 years old who play the video game Call of Duty.

Although some parents claim that their children were more inclined to break things after playing, it does not seem that this has a direct relationship with violence. According to the study’s lead author Agne Suziedelyte, this It may indicate that these types of video games leave children more agitated, but not necessarily that they incite violence.. After all, the subjects were not more aggressive towards other people.

Most studies do not indicate a direct relationship between video games and violence.

The difficulty of measuring violence

Another fundamental aspect in this debate is the high difficulty of measuring violence. To what extent can a direct relationship be established between breaking a certain object or handling a toy weapon with violent behavior?

It is evident that the content that children and young people consume determines many of their behaviors. But when it comes to analyzing violence in this group of the population, It is more convenient to analyze other more serious factors related to the sociocultural level or the history of violence in the family..

All content can generate an influence on certain users, especially among the youngest. But, instead of limiting it to video games, it is advisable to treat them as powerful educational weapons that are capable of enhancing cognitive abilities such as creativity, concentration, attention or spatial-visual performanceamong many others.

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