It suddenly occurred to me that it would be very interesting to find out what people here think about this kind of thing.
Do videogames inspire violence? Or are people just acting out about it? Apparently, "official research" on the subject produces mixed results, and it comes down to opinion more than anything else.
I did some internet searching and was bombarded with conflicting evidence (which was to be expected, I guess). There's a nice long
list of disturbing one-off cases on Wikipedia, but I don't think "Grand Theft Auto III-inspired shootings" are representative of the general reaction to violent videogame exposure.
Actually, just looking at overall stats for the USA, it appears that crime in general has been decreasing incrementally ever since 1991, and the introduction of infamous games targeted for violent inspiration has had no obvious effect on the trend. (I've found a number of sources that state this argument -
here's one that's nice and easy to read, although you could question the objectivity of the article.)
I've seen several articles claiming that videogames have helped to
reduce violence. It could be that videogames act as an outlet for violence rather than an inspiration. But then again, does a general decrease in crime rates really prove anything about videogame-inspired violence?
My critiquing of evidence has probably turned a few of you off now. Sorry about that
The way I see it, it's like stress affecting your chances of getting heart disease. Videogames inspiring violence is just an observed correlation, without there being any real proof that the relationship actually exists. I think it's quite possible that there is a correlation, but several other factors (genetics, bad childhood, self-esteem, all that stuff) need to compound with it in order for the effect to come through.
Anyway. I wanted to post this to find out what the general opinion is around here, this being a forum dedicated to a videogame and all. Are videogames to blame for violent behavior? On any level at all?