In this essay I will be discussing the link, if any, between video games and violence. There has been much research and opinions on this topic, some of it based on emotion and some based on empirical studies. What I will present will be a summary of some of that work and my own thoughts based on my readings.

The topic of video games leading to violence is a natural outflow of concerns that have been raised as early as the 1950’s with comic books and pinball machines. The 1970’s and 1980’s saw the emergence of video arcade games developed by companies like Atari. The 1990’s brought about Mortal Kombat. This was one of the first games to depict much blood and gore. Numerous arcade games followed in Mortal Kombat’s wake. So concerned were citizens that in 1993 and 1994 there were two congressional hearings held to discuss the issue of violence in video games with concerned academics, advocacy groups, and the video industry presenting before congress. In 1999, the Columbine massacre reignited the debate about violence in video games because the perpetrators were found to be avid players of violent video games.

The 2000’s brought about Grand Theft Auto, a very popular and very violent video game. Later came Call of Duty which was even more violent. To address violent video games (VVG) several states passed laws to restrict a sale of certain video games to children. Unfortunately, this did not help the 20 children and 6 adults that were massacred at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The perpetrator, Adam Lanza was found to have a trove of video games several of which were considered violent. The viewing of violent video games were also blamed for the shootings of the Olympia Mall in Munich, Parkland School in Florida in 2018, the Sao Paulo Suzano School and the El Paso and Dayton Ohio shootings in 2019.

Were video games responsible for these atrocities? Why might violent video games incite some people to violence and others not? What is the connection?

One researcher that has studied this topic of violence is George Gerbner, a professor of communications at the University of Pennsylvania. Though his focus was television, he spent his career studying how TV, particularly violent TV, affects people. He differentiated between a “Mean World” of violence and danger and “Happy Violence” He said that “fearful people are more dependent, more easily manipulated and controlled, more susceptible to deceptively simple, strong, tough measures and hardline postures. They may expect and even welcome repression if it promises to relieve their insecurities. That is the deepest problem of violence-laden television” (Myna, O. George Gerbner, 86; Educator Researched the Influence of TV Viewing on Perceptions. Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2005).

Gerbner differentiated between types of violence. Happy Violence is funny violence. It is the old routine of someone slipping on a banana peel or being bopped on the head with a pan. The Mean World violence makes us fearful and afraid of confrontation. In an essay by Derek Scott in Roman Espejo’s book Introduction to Video Games (2003) the author claims that in his analysis of a variety of studies on the topic of VVGs that these games may have a calming effect and actually inhibit aggression in people who play VVGs. He states that “violent computer games don’t spur violence; violent computer games channel anti-social impulses in societally acceptable ways.” Many other studies have concluded that VVGs act as a stress reliever much like drugs and alcohol.

Others caution that VVGs may harm children. They say that children who play VVGs have increased aggressive thoughts and behaviors, psychological arousal as well as antisocial behavior. Furthermore, exposure to violence in video games leads to desensitizations and a reduction in emotion-related psychological reactivity to real violence. (Carnage, N., Anderson and Bushman, B. The effect if video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 43 (2007): 489-496).

Some people point out that children have been playing games related to violence for centuries. Cowboys vs indians, superhero vs villains, police vs criminals, Star Wars games — these are all games that involve shooting and fighting. It’s been argued that the factors that make video games especially prone to violence in real life is the level of engagement that these games have (Funk, J., B., Violence exposure in real-life, video games, television, movies, and the internet: is there destination. Journal of Adolescence 27 (2004) 23-39). Funk theorizes that intense engagement may increase the probability that the game behavior will generalize the game situation. This would be a result of the active participation that the VVG requires of the gamer.

Studies indicate that the reason for increased aggression to violent scenes is because aggression is based on the learning function of the brain and each violent episode is in essence a learning trail (Dill, K., E. (2009) How Fantasy Becomes Reality: Seeing Through Media Influence. Oxford University Press US).

Supporters of video games are quick to point out that video games are not the only source for violent material. It’s all around us in the media and in the movies. Even Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia scoffed at the belief that real world violence is caused by violence in video games. Violence as entertainment has always been an aspect of mainstream media and video games should not be viewed in isolation.
According to the review of VVGs on children and adolescents, overall the evidence supported the hypothesis that violent video gameplay is related to aggressive affect, psychological arousal, aggressive thinking and aggressive behaviors (Gentle, D.A., Stone, W (2005) Violent video games effect on children and adolescents. A review of the literature. Europe PMC Minerva Pediatrica 57(6),337-358).

In another study on vulnerable populations there was no evidence found for increased bullying or delinquent behaviors among youth with clinically elevated mental health symptoms who had also played VVGs ( Ferguson, C. J., Olson, C.K. (2014) Video Game Violence Use Among “Vulnerable” Populations: The Impact of Violent Games on Delinquency and Bullying Among Children with Clinically Elevated Depression or Attention Deficit Symptoms Journal of Youth and Adolescence 43,127-136).

In summary, it seems that violent video games can increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. There is no evidence to indicate that there is any correlation between VVG watching and mass shootings. In fact, some researchers believe that VVG watching can also have a common effect in that tension is released while playing video games. These seem to be reasonable conclusions. Based on the research to date there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of a need to regulate violent video game watching.