Study finds no connection between video games and violence

In light of the recent terrorist incident in New Zealand against ChristChurch worshipers, everyone was quick to point their finger at “destructive video games” which they thought were behind the heinous massacre, ignoring more serious reasons. Are video games really to blame here? Not at all, as this study confirms

Both Arab and international societies were quick to point out the similarities between the terrorist’s livestream and what they see in video games, and they were determinate that video games produce violent individuals who are most likely to become criminals, despite the large number of studies that deny any link between bad behavior in the virtual worlds and their parallel in reality. The recent terrorist act in New Zealand has rekindled the debate, especially with the popularity of PUBG Mobile that led parents and older people to once again call it the reason for killing and violence. However, a new study by Oxford University has shown that these allegations do not have actual basis.

Some might argue that the terrorist attack was filmed as a “video game,” but the first person’s perspective is not new in real life and is used in many military exercises and maneuvers. The perspective of photography is the only  similarity that the attack had with video games, but the more important reasons lie in the racism of the person and his extremist beliefs in the first place. This is exactly what the new study has said, which has not seen any new offensive aggressive behavior in those who play games continuously.

Although professor Andrew K. Przybylski previously thought that e-games “have a positive relationship with aggressive behavior,” the recent study by his university has succeeded in denying these claims, bringing together 1,004 teenagers divided equally into males and females, The result is the same: video games do not incite real violence.

The study dealt with the behaviors of students who consumed two hours of video games on a daily basis. They were asked several questions to analyze the social behavior with the participation of their guardians to make sure the answers were unbiased. The survey produced results contrary to the expectations of violent video games’ link with the aggressive behavior of adolescents, a result confirmed by more research that came with the same conclusion.

Will these studies stop the attack on the field of video games and putting them as the main culprit in the next violence act? Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case based on past experiences, but that will not change the fact that these allegations are not scientifically proven. What we can do right now is to highlight the positive events that players contribute to, such as the many charities and fundraising events like Games Done Quick.

You can read the full details of the Oxford University study at the following link.