Great, Here We Go Again…
A study conducted by the Department of Psychology at Ohio State University has claimed there are possible links between violent video games and an interest in guns and aggression in children.
The study paired off 220 kids aged eight to twelve. The children were exposed to three different versions of Minecraft. All three versions had varying degrees of violence. One had no violence, the other had sword violence, and the last version had gun violence. Each child then played for 20 minutes, and subsequently walked into a room with toys as well as a cabinet with disabled, real, handguns.
Of the 76 children that played the version that featured a gun, 62% ended up playing with the guns in the cabinet. Of the 74 kids who played the version with the sword, 57% played with the guns. And finally, the children who played the version without violence only touched the guns 44% of the time.
The study found that the children who were exposed to the versions which featured violence were also more likely to point the gun at themselves, at their partner, and pull the trigger. The children who admitted to consuming violent media also showed similar behavior.
The researchers have acknowledged that the tests took place in a laboratory rather than a real-world setting. Which could have impacted the results. They also noted that Minecraft itself contains mild violence at best and does not contain any blood and gore. The reason they decided to use Minecraft was that they could not ethically expose children to anything more intense.
There have been many tests done on the effects of violent video games on children. Many studies similar to this have found results that have conflicted with one another. Thus making it hard to come to a consensus on the topic.
Time to Chime in
What do you think? Do these studies have a point? Is there evidence that is lacking? Are the studies pointing at nothing? We want to know your opinion on this controversial topic. Be sure to let us know in the comments as well as on Instagram and Twitter.