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Recent data shows that violent video games, wait for it, show "no significant relationship" to mass shootings.
As reported on by Kotaku, it's important to note that this professor has attempted to answer the question credibly, with empirical data. It's a real science stab at it, rather than what is often in the end simply an opinionative conclusion by people who have little clue about the medium and their own agendas to attend to.
Christopher Ferguson of Texas A&M International University says that despite more than a decade's worth of information there is no link between violent crimes and violent games. This was published in the latest Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
Ferguson takes a genuinely close look and why the links are so often made, and it probably has more to do with moral panic being the cause for games' frequent use as a scape goat. And let's not forget that any professor involved in justifying this elevates his chances of another grant check.
I'm sure very few of you are actually surprised, but it's good to see that support for the "games create violence is bullshit" army is building, as common sense and logic prevail.
As reported on by Kotaku, it's important to note that this professor has attempted to answer the question credibly, with empirical data. It's a real science stab at it, rather than what is often in the end simply an opinionative conclusion by people who have little clue about the medium and their own agendas to attend to.
Christopher Ferguson of Texas A&M International University says that despite more than a decade's worth of information there is no link between violent crimes and violent games. This was published in the latest Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling.
Ferguson takes a genuinely close look and why the links are so often made, and it probably has more to do with moral panic being the cause for games' frequent use as a scape goat. And let's not forget that any professor involved in justifying this elevates his chances of another grant check.
It has been observed that a small group of researchers have been most vocal in promoting the anti-game message, oftentimes ignoring research from other researchers, or failing to disclose problems with their own research. As some researchers have staked their professional reputation on anti-game activism, it may be difficult for these researchers to maintain scientific objectivity regarding the subject of their study. Similarly, it may be argued that granting agencies are more likely to provide grant money when a potential problem is identified, rather than for studying a topic with the possibility that the outcome may reveal that there is nothing to worry about.
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