Video Games
Violent video games have been blamed for school shootings, increases in bullying, violence towards women, and other violent acts. Some argue that these games desensitize players to violence, reward players for simulating violence, and teach kids and teens that violence is an acceptable way to resolve conflicts. [1][2][3][4]
Despite the prevalence of these beliefs, years of research have failed to show a causal link between video games and real-world violence. However, correlations have been found between pre-existing aggressive behavior and video games. Kids and teens who are predisposed to violence have also demonstrated an attraction to violent entertainment in general. [5]
Violent Video Games
The debate over violent video games can be traced back to the 1976 release of the game Death Race. The object of the game was to drive over screaming “gremlins,” at which point the creatures turned into tombstones. Controversy erupted over the game because the gremlins resembled stick-figure humans, and it was reported that the working title of the game was Pedestrian, intimating that the premise of the game was to kill pedestrians with cars. After protestors dragged Death Race machines out of arcades and burned them in parking lots, production of the game ceased. [6]
In 1993, public outcry followed the release of violent video games Mortal Kombat and Night Trap, prompting Congress to hold hearings on the regulation of video games. Threatened with the creation of a federal regulatory commission, the video game industry voluntarily established the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) on September 1, 1994, to create a ratings system. Based on the video game’s content, the ESRB assigns one of the following ratings:
- Early Childhood
- Everyone
- Everyone 10+
- Teen
- Mature
- Adults Only
Despite the rating system, violent games continued to garner scrutiny, including the John F. Kennedy assassination reenactment JFK Reloaded (2004, withdrawn from circulation in 2005), Columbine school shooting reenactment Super Columbine Massacre RPG! (2005), and RapeLay (a Japanese video game banned in several countries in which the player stalks and rapes a mother and her two daughters). Prior to the November 10, 2009, release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, leaked footage of the violence of the game stirred enough controversy that publisher Activision issued a statement defending its product. A shooter game named Hatred, dubbed “2015’s Most Controversial Video Game” by Vice, featured a mass killing involving cop-killing and face-stabbing. [10][11][12]
Legislation and Court Cases
In 2005, in response to the discovery of disabled but still accessible sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, then-Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) introduced a bill to criminalize the selling to minors of “Mature” or “Adults Only” rated video games, arguing that video games were a “silent epidemic of desensitization.” The bill died in committee. [13]
Also in 2005, California passed a law that required violent video games to include an age 18 label and criminalized the sale of these games to minors. The law was blocked by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and was struck down in February 2009 by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, citing First Amendment protections and the inability of the state to demonstrate a link between violence in video games and real-world violence. By December 2008, six other state statutes and two city ordinances concerning the sale of violent video games to minors were struck down by courts on similar grounds. [14][15]
Attempts to regulate video games were further hindered in 2011, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 7–2 in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association that the California law banning the sale of violent video games to minors violated free speech rights. In the majority opinion, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote, “A state possesses legitimate power to protect children from harm … but that does not include a free-floating power to restrict the ideas to which children may be exposed.” [14][15]
Mass Shootings
The controversy over violent video games tends to spike in the wake of mass shootings, particularly at schools. Following the April 20, 1999, massacre of 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado, the two teenage shooters were revealed to be avid players of weapon-based combat games Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. Following the shooting, 176 newspaper articles across the country focused on the allegation that video games were the cause of the tragedy. [16]
Within hours of the Virginia Tech shooting on April 16, 2007, attorney and anti-game activist Jack Thompson appeared on Fox News to blame the tragedy on the violent game Counter-Strike. Other high-profile figures such as television host Dr. Phil McGraw and then-Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney argued that video games were to blame for the shooting. However, it was later revealed by the Virginia Tech Review Panel that the shooter did not play video games. [17]
A 2013 CBS News report, citing law enforcement sources, claimed that the shooter at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut on December 14, 2012, “was motivated by violent video games and a strong desire to kill more people than another infamous mass murderer.” Citing unnamed sources, CBS said the shooter was “likely acting out the fantasies of a video game as he killed 20 first graders and six adults at the school.” Connecticut State Police spokesman Lieutenant Paul Vance called those reports “mere speculation.”[18][19]
In a January 16, 2013, news conference about gun violence, President Barack Obama requested $10 million from Congress to fund studies about gun violence, including “the effects violent video games have on young minds.” [12]
Following the 2019 shootings at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, and near the entrance of the Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton, Ohio, President Donald Trump stated, "We must stop the glorification of violence in our society. This includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace. It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately.” [20]
Current Debate
Although it is commonly believed that violent pastimes normalize violence and have a desensitizing effect toward violence, especially on impressionable young people, academic studies have not supported such beliefs. For example, a 2019 study claimed conclusively that violent video games do not cause players to act violently, much less conduct mass shootings, in the real world. As explained by Andrew Przybylski, a researcher at Oxford University and one of the authors of the study, “We found a whole lot of nothing” connecting violent video games to real-world violence.” [20]
Thus, the current debate about violent video games has shifted from whether they cause violent behavior to whether kids and teens should be allowed to play them. With 85 percent of teens aged 13 to 17 playing video games, and 56 percent reporting they play violent games, should kids and teens be allowed to play them? Explore the debate below.[21]
Pros and Cons at a Glance
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Pro 1: Violent video games, like all games, tap into kids’ desire for play and imagination, and that’s healthy. Read More. | Con 1: Violent video games increase the likelihood of violence in kids and teens predisposed to or already exhibiting anger and aggression. Read More. |
| Pro 2: Violent video games offer a safe place to feel and regulate emotions like anger and frustration. Read More. | Con 2: Video games are addictive and addiction can lead to mental health issues. Read More. |
| Pro 3: Violent video games, like any video game, offer opportunities for community building. Read More. | Con 3: Kids and teens need more outside play and in-person socializing than more solitary time in front of a digital screen. Read More. |
| Pro 4: Violent video games are simply a scapegoat for complicated and distinctly American social problems. Read More. | Con 4: No healthy society should purposefully expose its kids and teens to violence, real or virtual. Read More. |
Pro Arguments
(Go to Con Arguments)Pro 1: Violent video games, like all games, tap into kids’ desire for play and imagination, and that’s healthy.
Whether they’re having tea parties, slaying dragons, or some other wild construct of their imaginations, kids’ first games are often tied to playing pretend. By the time they’re old enough to play video games, they are adept at determining what is make-believe and what is real.
For example, a study found that 4-year-olds believed the Sesame Street character Big Bird was real. But 5- and 6-year-olds understood that Big Bird is merely a person in a costume. The ability to differentiate between reality and fantasy is finely honed between the ages of 7 and 11. [22]
Thus, by the time violence is introduced to video games (in those marked “Teen” for those 13 and up), players know the difference between virtual violence in the context of a game and appropriate behavior in the real world. [9]
As clinical psychologist Michael Thompson clarifies, "there’s no such thing as violent play. Violence is an effort to hurt someone. But play, by definition, is fun. So whatever the game is, if children are playing and nobody is frightened or hurt, then it’s not violence." [23]
Most entertainment for kids and teens has always had some level of “violence,” from playing cops and robbers with sticks and dodgeball in gym class to shooting air rifles marketed to kids and playing early video games like Spacewar! and Frogger. So the “mild violence” allowed in kids’ video games is nothing new. The advantage of video games is that no one can actually shoot out someone’s eye.
Pro 2: Violent video games offer a safe place to feel and regulate emotions like anger and frustration.
“All children love to play good guys and bad guys because it’s how they explore what it means to be powerful. And if you’re a rule-following kid most of the time, it’s really fun to pretend to be the bad guy,” explains educator and author Jane Katch. [23]
“Kids can’t always verbalize their ideas, so they deal with themes that intrigue or worry them through play,” says Katch. She notes that whether the play is based in real life or imagination, “this is how kids gain mastery over confusion or fear,” and “the worst thing we can do is give kids the sense that their fantasy life is bad or wrong.” [23]
In fact, kids who were allowed to explore more combative ideas while playing were found to be less aggressive in other areas of their lives. The antagonistic play likely allowed them to work through their emotions in a healthy way. [23]
The same goes for violent video games for people of all ages. A Stanford University meta-study found that video “games confront players with novel challenges and immediate feedback on player technique. This unique mode of tackling difficulty allows players to adopt an iterative approach toward gameplay improvement and a subsequent sense of accomplishment, thus aiding them in adopting a healthy outlook toward real-world problems.” [24]
While sports have long been regarded as a healthy way to blow off steam, video games now fill that space for many more people, including those with disabilities, people who are just clumsy or have no interest in sports, and those who don’t have access to the sports they prefer. As the University of New South Wales Sydney notes, “at their core, [video games are] a way to manage aggressive behaviour and our innate drive for competition in a socially acceptable manner.” [25]
Pro 3: Violent video games, like any video game, offer opportunities for community building.
“Games are great at building connections with other people. There are real social connections being made by people playing with others. Even when it’s purely online and not necessarily translating into offline settings, the resulting intimacy and the social capital are very real and very valuable. It’s no different to the friendship you make playing rugby, netball or doing dance class or drama. There is a huge amount of research that confirms this time and time again–playing with others both allows us to connect with a large diversity of other people, broadening our networks as well as allowing us to deepen and strengthen bonds with those close to us,” explains UNICEF. [26]
Multiplayer online video games, including violent games, have been found to improve self-esteem, cognitive function, and social skills, while decreasing depression, stress, and loneliness. Plus, video games can be used for autism, depression, and anxiety treatments. [24]
Teens who play video games report that the games help them learn problem-solving skills (56 percent) and how to work cooperatively (41 percent). Games also improve their friendships (47 percent) and mental health (32 percent). While 98 percent of teens said they played video games for fun, 72 percent play to spend time with others, 66 percent to compete against others, and 50 percent to learn new things. Teens are already using video games, including violent ones, to make and keep friends and community. This in turn boosts happiness and self-esteem, while lowering the risk of anxiety and depression. [21][27]
Pro 4: Violent video games are simply a scapegoat for complicated and distinctly American social problems.
If video games were culpable for real-world violence, Japan—the source of so many video games and where the gamer culture is deepely engrained—would have an extraordinarily high crime rate. Instead, though the Japanese consume video games at similar rates to Americans, Japan has a nearly nonexistent violent crime rate. [28][42]
“Games have only become more realistic. The players of games and violent games have only become more diverse. And they’re played all around the world now,” explains Andrew Przybylski of Oxford University. “But the only place where you see this kind of narrative still hold any water, that games and violence are related to each other, is in the United States.” [29]
“Since their inception, video games have served as a source of moral panic and a convenient scapegoat for acts of spectacular violence [in the United States]. But placing the blame on video games only allows us to avoid reckoning with the deeper roots of violence and grappling with a broken culture,” explains cultural historian Carly A. Kocurek. [30]
Kocurek notes that video games are blamed because people “want a manageable solution to a complex problem and because they are unwilling to consider broader culpability that would implicate not one set of products, but our culture as a whole. Such assertions enable politicians to ignore the culpability of lax gun regulations, white supremacy, misogyny, anti-Semitism and other bigotries rooted deep in contemporary society.” [30]
In other words, it’s easier to blame video games and to pass regulations to control them than it is to combat the customs and ideologies causing American violence.
Con Arguments
(Go to Pro Arguments)Con 1: Violent video games increase the likelihood of violence in kids and teens predisposed to or already exhibiting anger and aggression.
While playing violent video games does not cause kids and teens to become violent, playing the games can trigger someone predisposed to violent behavior.
As psychologist Lisa Damour explains, “if we think about kids sort of arraying themselves on a range of how violent they are, [then] violent video games are going to move your kid up a notch. And so what it means is, if your kid is prone to express anger through violence, playing [violent] video games is going to increase the likelihood they’ll do that.” [31]
The American Psychological Association confirms “that there is a small, reliable association between violent video game use and aggressive outcomes, such as yelling and pushing.” Even if this behavior isn’t outright violent, it is still behavior that society should want to prevent and which kids and teens should avoid. [32]
Furthermore, kids and teens can be exposed to bullying, racism, homophobia, and misogyny in violent video games, as well as unscrupulous and predatory advertising. Teens who play video games report that they “have been harassed or bullied” (43 percent), “have been called an offensive name” (41 percent), “have been physically threatened” (12 percent), and “have been sent unwanted sexually explicit things,” according to a 2024 Pew Research poll. [21][26]
Our children’s games should not involve and reenforce the same harmful experiences kids are experiencing in real life and which parents and schools diligently try to protect them from.
Con 2: Video games are addictive and addiction can lead to mental health issues.
Video games may be an outlet for releasing, feeling, and regulating emotions, but they can be highly addictive, and youth can be highly susceptible to them. As science shows, the brains of kids and teens are still in development, especially the prefrontal cortex that enables them to make reasonable decisions. Many kids and teens are simply not mature enough, physically and socially, to curb and control their gaming habits, especially games that tantalize them with violence and sex. Even adults, who should know better, can have trouble resisting an addiction to gaming. [44]
In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has defined video game addiction as a disorder and included it in the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11). Called “gaming disorder,” the WHO says it is “characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.” [33]
According to recent reports, 1 in 10 gamers exhibit addictive behaviors and 8.5 percent of gamers aged 8 to 18 are outright addicted to video games. As a Stanford University study concludes, “video game addiction [is] a serious threat to the mental health, growth, and development of many adolescents afflicted by it.”[24][43]
“Playing a video game, much like many other addictive substances or behaviors, suppress our amygdala and our limbic system,” says Dr. Alok Kanojia, co-founder of Healthy Gamer. “These are the parts of our brain that experience negative emotions. What we see with unhealthy gaming is a cycle . . . let’s say I’m being bullied at school, let’s say I’m not doing great in my classes, so how do I manage those negative emotions? I’m going to shut them off through video gaming. And then this creates a vicious cycle.” So instead of regulating and dealing with emotions, video games can be used to suppress and ignore them.[34]
Another potentially vicious cycle: kids and teens who have social anxiety may be attracted to video games because the games do not require social interaction and, conversely, video games may cause social anxiety in players by virtually eliminating real-world social interaction: the lack of face-to-face interactions while playing video games can exacerbate social anxiety in both groups. Plus, playing video games can disrupt sleep patterns and cause depression. [35]
Con 3: Kids and teens need more outside play and in-person socializing than more solitary time in front of a digital screen.
Most kids who use screens (including computers, phones, tablets, and TVs) have similar social skills to kids with little to no screen exposure. However, there is one significant difference. According to a University of Chicago study, “social skills are lower for children who access online gaming and social networking many times a day” have lower social skills. [36]
The solution is simple: get kids and teens outside.
“Unlike sitting in front of the television, where there’s a lot of stimulation coming at you, nature has a different way of grabbing your attention. It’s not as overwhelming,” explains Merideth Gattis, professor at Cardiff University. [37]
“We’re nicer in nature,” explains Lisa Nisbet, an associate professor of psychology at Trent University. “Nature affects our well-being and our happiness. So, if we feel happier when we’re in nature, then we’re more likely to get along better with others. It makes sense that, because of those positive effects, spending time in nature would improve communication between people as well.” [37]
Furthermore, being outside allows kids and teens time to interact with their peers and other age groups. Kids and teens who don’t have these opportunities can suffer from delayed development in communication skills, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution. As a result, they may have difficulty in school because they are uncomfortable speaking to their peers and teachers in person. [38]
Con 4: No healthy society should purposefully expose its kids and teens to violence, real or virtual.
Just as we try to protect kids and teens from dangerous toys, unhealthy foods, and life-threatening situations, we should protect them from all forms of violence, including virtual.
“This isn’t about making our media free of violence. It’s about being aware of the effect that violence can have on our children and doing everything we can to make that effect as small as possible. Because nothing — no news update, no popular movie, or any video game — will ever be as important as our children,” explains pediatrician Claire McCarthy. [39]
However, contrary to that idea, American society introduces violence to its kids and teens on a nearly daily basis. “Television programs, video and computer games, Internet content, and movies frequently show graphic acts of violence. When children view this content, it can affect them just as much as if [it were] a ‘real life’ experience,” explains the American Academy of Pediatrics. “By the time children reach middle school, they may have watched as many as 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of virtual violence through the media.” [40]
Exposing kids and teens to games featuring acts of violence—from acts of bullying to outright murder and rape—is morally depraved in an obvious way. We don’t need an academic study to prove this.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children,” according to the late Nelson Mandela. Thus, by exposing kids and teens to violence in video games and other media, we are endangering our country’s future and the very fabric of our society. [41]
As the American Academy of Pediatrics concludes, “children’s exposure to violence is an issue that touches everyone—an American tragedy that scars children and threatens the safety of communities.” [40]
1-minute Survey
After reading this debate, take our quick survey to see how this information affected your opinion of this topic. We appreciate your feedback.
Discussion Questions
- Should kids and teens be allowed to play violent video games? Why or why not?
- Create your own ESRB rating system. Include game features and ages you think are appropriate. Explain your choices.
- Consider your own relationship with video games, violent or not. What do you gain by playing them? What do you lose? Do you play the violent games longer than the non-violent ones? And why do you play one type of game longer or less than another? If you don’t play video games, consider why you don’t.
Take Action
- Analyze the argument that links violent video games to aggressive behavior at PNAS.
- Consider the articles in the special issue of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking on the effects of violent video games.
- Explore the argument that there is no evidence that violent video games cause aggressive behavior at Royal Society Open Science.
- Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
- Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.
Sources
- Craig A. Anderson and Wayne A. Warburton, “The Impact of Violent Video Games: An Overview” (2012), Growing Up Fast and Furious
- Craig A. Anderson and Brad J. Bushman, “Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior, Aggressive Cognition, Aggressive Affect, Physiological Arousal, and Prosocial Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Scientific Literature” (September 2001), Psychological Science
- Douglas A. Gentile, “The Multiple Dimensions of Video Game Effects” (June 2011), Child Development Perspectives
- Mike Jaccarino, “‘Training Simulation:’ Mass Killers Often Share Obsession with Violent Video Games” (September 12, 2013), foxnews.com,
- Ronald Bailey, “Kill Pixels, Not People” (February 2015), reason.com
- Christopher Ferguson, et al., “Violent Video Games and Aggression: Causal Relationship or Byproduct of Family Violence and Intrinsic Violence Motivation?” (March 2008), Criminal Justice and Behavior
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- Pete Williams, “Police: ‘Mere Speculation’ That Adam Lanza Was Motivated by Obsession with Other Mass Killers” (February 19, 2013), nbcnews.com
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- Carly Kocurek, “Why We Scapegoat Video Games for Mass Violence and Why Its a Mistake” (August 9, 2019) washingtonpost.com
- Ask Lisa Podcast, “Should My Kid Play Violent Video Games?” (October 18, 2022), drlisadamour.com
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- Logan Seacrest, “The Hidden Trade-Offs of Japan’s Crime-Free Society” (November 26, 2024), rstreet.org
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- Tak Wing Chan and Matthew Clayton, “Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to Sixteen? Normative and Empirical Considerations,” Political Studies, Oct. 2006
