Study Concludes No Causal Link Between Video Games and Violence
A recent study by the American Psychological Association reaffirmed the long-held, and often-ignored, stance that there is no causal link between playing violent video games and exhibiting violent behavior.
The APA convened a task force to review its August 2015 resolution as the resolution is regularly cited by lawmakers and the mainstream media as evidence of a causal link between playing violent video games and committing violent acts such as mass shootings. The task force found that while there is an association between violent games and violent acts, those acts are limited to yelling and pushing, and do not include the extreme instances like the aforementioned mass shootings. APA President Sandra L. Shullman, PhD. said,
Violence is a complex social problem that likely stems from many factors that warrant attention from researchers, policymakers and the public. Attributing violence to video gaming is not scientifically sound and draws attention away from other factors, such as a history of violence, which we know from the research is a major predictor of future violence.
Apart from studying the effects video games have on children, the APA also works with the video game industry to encourage the creation of adequate parental controls on more mature games, and to redefine the existing ratings system.