Quote[/b] ]Violent games, violent kids
4 separate studies show strong link
Stuart Hunter
The Province; with News Services
Monday, February 23, 2004
Customer plays video game in arcade. Four new studies say violent games make kids more aggressive.
CREDIT: Jon Murray, The Province
Violent video games beget violence, four new studies conclude.
The studies, published in the Journal of Adolescence, conclude that violent video games can prompt young people to perform poorly in school, argue with teachers, condone aggression and get into fights with their peers.
"There is a growing group of ultra-violent games and the research is becoming clearer that they're not good for kids," said Douglas Gentile, an Iowa State assistant professor of psychology and author of one study.
Gentile, who interviewed more than 600 Grade 8 and 9 students for his study, said violent video games generally depict graphic violence and large numbers of people being shot or attacked.
The study found that teens with non-aggressive personalities, who play a lot of violent video games, are almost 10 times more likely to get into a physical fight than teens who don't play such video games.
Gentile's conclusions: Kids who play violent games for an average of nine hours a week tend to see the world as a hostile place and are more prone to arguments and confrontation with teachers and peers.
A second study by Jeanne Funk, a psychology professor at the University of Toledo, indicated that kids who frequently play violent games have lower levels of empathy and higher pro-violence attitudes.
"This is maybe a first step in thinking that it's possible that playing video games could be associated with desensitization to violence," said Funk, who examined Grade 4 and 5 students.
A third German study revealed Grade 8 students who like violent video games are more likely to condone physical aggression.
The fourth study showed a correlation between even brief exposure to a violent video game (Doom) and aggressive traits.
Local video gamers, however, disputed the findings.
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At the Lions@Lair arcade on Granville Mall, gamer Wesley Flynn also dismissed the studies. "I've never seen anyone behave like that -- never," said Flynn, 24.
And after buying a non-violent Sonic: Heroes game for her 10-year-old son, Claire Renke said it's up to parents to ensure their kids are playing age-appropriate games.
"I have to say I disagree [with the studies]," Renke said. "If parents use video games as a babysitter, that might be the case, but I monitor what games my son plays and what kind of content they have."
But Amy Gough, 22, backed the four studies. "If you are playing eight hours a day, it is going to affect your behaviour," she said.
Sales of video games and related equipment in Canada rose 13 per cent last year to $746 million, according to A.C. Nielsen figures, prompting some parents to debate the merits of violent games.
Tennessee teen stepbrothers William and Joshua Buckner were sentenced to an indefinite term for reckless homicide, endangerment and assault last year after using a rifle to shoot at passing vehicles to imitate Xbox's Grand Theft Auto. The game features murder, prostitution and beatings.
