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Video Games Not Contributors to Violence, Studies Show

Kathleen Struck

   Emily Seymour contributed to this report.

   Many young people reacting to the most recent mass shootings in the
   U.S. are rejecting the idea that violent video games motivate shooters.

   And research backs them up.

   One Twitter user, Scott@Serptentine_Back described his interests as
   well as the fact he'd been bullied in school, but ended with "NEVER
   HAVE I ONCE THOUGHT OF SHOOTING INNOCENT PEOPLE."

     Dear Pro-Gun people,
     I'm a white male.
     I listen to heavy metal music.
     Play video games
     Wear black clothing.
     Religion is a joke.
     Plenty of LGBT friends.
     Bullied in school.
     Rejected by girls.
     NEVER HAVE I ONCE THOUGHT OF SHOOTING INNOCENT
     PEOPLE[1]#VideogamesAreNotToBlame[2]#Toledo
     -- Scott (@Serpentine_Back) [3]August 5, 2019

   "Recent mass shootings have prompted the idea among some members of the
   public that exposure to violent video games can have a pronounced
   effect on individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)," wrote
   University of Missouri professor Christopher R. Engelhardt. "Empirical
   evidence for or against this claim has been missing, however."

   More than 23,000 tweets had used the hashtag #VideogamesAreNotToBlame
   by late Monday afternoon, pushing back on some politicians' assertions
   that violent video games influenced young, male shooters.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/hashtag/VideogamesAreNotToBlame?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://twitter.com/hashtag/Toledo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   3. https://twitter.com/Serpentine_Back/status/1158455569230921728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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