Violent video games are a risk factor for criminal behavior and aggression, new evidence shows

Date: March 26, 2013 Source: Iowa State University Summary: New evidence demonstrates a lin !etween video "ames and youth violence and delin#uency$ %he research shows a stron" connection even when controllin" &or a history o& violence and 'sycho'athic traits amon" (uvenile o&&enders$ )eo'le are #uic to 'oint the &in"er or dismiss the e&&ect o& violent video "ames as a &actor in criminal !ehavior$ New evidence &rom Iowa State researchers demonstrates a lin !etween video "ames and youth violence and delin#uency$ Matt De*isi, a 'ro&essor o& sociolo"y, said the research shows a stron" connection even when controllin" &or a history o& violence and 'sycho'athic traits amon" (uvenile o&&enders$ +,hen critics say, -,ell, it-s 'ro!a!ly not video "ames, it-s 'ro!a!ly how antisocial they are,- we can address that directly !ecause we controlled &or a lot o& thin"s that we now matter,+ De*isi said$ +.ven i& you account &or the child-s se/, a"e, race, the a"e they were &irst re&erred to (uvenile court 00 which is a very 'ower&ul e&&ect 00 and a !unch o& other media e&&ects, li e screen time and e/'osure$ .ven with all o& that, the video "ame measure still mattered$+ %he results were not une/'ected, !ut somewhat sur'risin" &or Dou"las 1entile, an associate 'ro&essor o& 'sycholo"y, who has studied the e&&ects o& video "ame violence e/'osure and minor a""ression, li e hittin", teasin" and name0callin"$ +I didn-t e/'ect to see much o& an e&&ect when we "ot to serious delin#uent and criminal level a""ression !ecause youth who commit that level o& a""ression have a lot o& thin"s "oin" wron" &or them$ %hey o&ten have a lot o& ris &actors and very &ew 'rotective &actors in their lives,+ 1entile said$ %he study 'u!lished in the 2'ril issue o& 3outh 4iolence and 5uvenile 5ustice e/amined the level o& video "ame e/'osure &or 226 (uvenile o&&enders in )ennsylvania$ %he avera"e o&&ender had committed nearly nine serious acts o& violence, such as "an" &i"htin", hittin" a 'arent or attac in" another 'erson in the 'rior year$ %he results show that !oth the &re#uency o& 'lay and a&&inity &or violent "ames were stron"ly associated with delin#uent and violent !ehavior$ 7rai" 2nderson, Distin"uished )ro&essor o& 'sycholo"y and director o& the 7enter &or the Study o& 4iolence at Iowa State, said violent video "ame e/'osure is not the sole cause o& violence, !ut this study shows it is a ris &actor$

+7an we say &rom this study that 2dam *an8a, or any o& the others, went o&& and illed 'eo'le !ecause o& media violence9 3ou can-t ta e the stand o& the N:2 that it-s strictly video "ames and not "uns,+ 2nderson said$ +3ou also can-t ta e the stand o& the entertainment industry that it has nothin" to do with media violence that it-s all a!out "uns and not a!out media violence$ %hey-re !oth wron" and they-re !oth ri"ht, !oth are causal ris &actors$+ :esearchers 'oint out that (uvenile o&&enders have several ris &actors that in&luence their !ehavior$ %he ne/t ste' is to !uild on this research to determine what com!ination o& &actors is the most volatile and i& there is a saturation 'oint$ +,hen studyin" serious a""ression, loo in" at multi'le ris &actors matters more than loo in" at any one,+ 1entile said$ +%he cuttin" ed"e o& research is tryin" to understand in what com!ination do the individual ris &actors start in&luencin" each other in ways to either enhance or miti"ate the odds o& a""ression9+ ,hat does this mean &or 'arents9 %here is a lot o& misin&ormation a!out video "ame e/'osure, 2nderson said, that ma es it di&&icult &or 'arents to understand the harm&ul e&&ects$ 2lthou"h it is one varia!le that 'arents can control, he understands that with mi/ed messa"es a!out the ris s some 'arents may &eel it-s not worth the e&&ort$ +,hat 'arent would "o throu"h the 'ain and all the e&&ort it ta es to really control their child-s media diet, i& they don-t really thin it ma es any di&&erence9 %hat is why it is so im'ortant to "et out the sim'le and clear messa"e that media violence does matter,+ 2nderson said$ 5ust !ecause a child 'lays a violent video "ame does not mean he or she is "oin" to act violently$ :esearchers say i& there is a ta e away &or 'arents, it is an awareness o& what their children are 'layin" and how that may in&luence their !ehavior$ +I thin 'arents need to !e truth&ul and honest a!out who their children are in terms o& their 'sychiatric &unctionin",+ De*isi said$ +I& you have a id who is antisocial, who is a little !it vulnera!le to in&luence, "ivin" them somethin" that allows them to esca'e into themselves &or a lon" 'eriod o& time isn-t a healthy thin"$+ Story Source: %he a!ove story is !ased on materials 'rovided !y Iowa State University$ Note: Materials may !e edited &or content and len"th$ 5ournal :e&erence: M$ De*isi, M$ 1$ 4au"hn, D$ 2$ 1entile, 7$ 2$ 2nderson, 5$ 5$ Shoo $ 4iolent 4ideo 1ames, Delin#uency, and 3outh 4iolence: New .vidence$ 3outh 4iolence and 5uvenile 5ustice, 2012; 11 <2=: 132 D>I: 10$1166?1@A120A012A60B6A

7ite %his )a"e: M*2 2)2 7hica"o Iowa State University$ +4iolent video "ames are a ris &actor &or criminal !ehavior and a""ression, new evidence shows$+ ScienceDaily$ ScienceDaily, 26 March 2013$ Cwww$sciencedaily$com?releases?2013?03?13032612160@$htmD$