Scientists say videogames causing violence is about as likely as “bananas causing suicide”
In the wake of more mass shootings in the U.S. over the weekend, President Donald Trump put the blame partly on “glorification of violence in our society,” and “gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace.” The hashtag ‘video games are not to blame’ started trending on social media shortly afterward, and there’s been a renewed round of pushback from industry figures, researchers, and journalists on the idea of linking virtual violence with real atrocities.
Back in 2017, the American Psychology Association’s media psychology division published a policy statement, citing a lengthy array of research conducted over decades, saying that “scant evidence has emerged that makes any causal or correlational connection between playing violent video games and actually committing violent activities.”
Dr. Chris Ferguson, who led the committee that put together the statement, puts it even more succinctly in an interview with the New York Times. “The data on bananas causing suicide is about as conclusive. Literally. The numbers work out about the same.”
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