Gaming the System

Concerns over violent media started in the 50's, and have remained a controversial topic of debate ever since. In this episode, I explore whether there's any validity to the argument that video games make people violent, or whether it's a symptom of something else.

Show Notes

With tens of millions of teenagers playing violent video games such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and PUBG do parents have cause for concern? Does playing video games make you violent? If you are playing violent video games, are you at risk of committing horrific acts of murder? 

As it turns out, the answer isn't quite so black and white.

There has been a huge amount of research done on the topic of whether or not video games cause violence, and the general consensus sits somewhere in the middle.

Most people are in agreement that prolonged exposure at an early age to violent video games could increase the likelihood of aggressive behaviour in adolescence, however, aggressive doesn't necessarily mean violent.

You can find some links that I made use of throughout the episode down below, and there's a huge rabbit hole of information that you can end up getting lost in if you really want to.

Liked the podcast? Didn't like it? Let me know what you think by sending an e-mail to james@gamequitters.com if you have any feedback, questions, or just any comment at all.

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Until next time.

Useful Links:
  1. Business Insider, 2018
  2. APA, 2015
  3. Berkowitz, 1993
  4. Eron, Huesmann, Lefkowitz, & Walder, 1974
  5. Ferguson et al., 2013
  6. Sameroff, Bartko, Baldwin, Baldwin, & Seifer, 1988
  7. Supreme Court, 2011
  8. https://dana.org/article/do-violent-video-games-lead-to-violence/
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/05/sports/trump-violent-video-games-studies.html
  10. https://www.ft.com/content/1c5914b6-bdb7-11e9-9381-78bab8a70848
  11. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ulterior-motives/201908/the-evidence-video-games-lead-violence-is-weak
  12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violence_and_video_games

What is Gaming the System?

Part of the Game Quitters network, GTS brings you everything you need to know about video game addiction, and how people have changed their lives after overcoming it.

Each week we cover a range of topics from industry news and surprise mechanics to companies fighting back against gaming disorder.