Mature Rated Video Games Do Not Cause Violence

Mature Rated Video Games and Violence

The topic of video games and violence is one that has received attention from state governments as well as the U.S. Congress. Rating standards have been established and thousands of jobs exist for the sole purpose of testing video games and rating them based on violence, language, and overtones. These things have happened because to some, it is believed that a link exists between a person playing violent video games and that person’s propensity to commit violent acts in society. Shootings, stabbings, robbery and other violent crimes have been influenced by violent video games. Violent video games have also been credited with improving skills such as hand-eye coordination and better peripheral vision.

Ever since the infamous Columbine shootings in 1999, violent video games and their effects on people have become an often discussed and highly controversial topic. There have been other highly-publicized shootings linked to violent video games and many studies have been conducted on this topic. However, the connection between violent video games and real-life aggression is still far from conclusive, and therefore we cannot assume that violent video games promote real-life violence and aggression in general.

A tactic often used by advocates against violent video games is to try to relate video games to violent youth crimes. Many advocates will cite various incidents such as the Columbine shootings or other highly-publicized incidents to illustrate their point. The intense media coverage on incidents related to violent video games gives the perception that the availability of violent video games has led to an increase in youth violence. However, this is simply not true. According to the US Department of Justice, violent crime rates have been on the decline ever since 1994. The rate of juvenile violent crimes in the US has also reached a 30 year low. While it is true that video games have been linked to school shootings...