Study - Violent Video Games Makes Kids More Aggressive

[wraggster]

It's been a while since we've had a really good "video games make our children violent" study, and I was beginning to fear we've given up on the idea, but then the story "Violent video games linked to child aggression" showed up on CNN.com this morning and my fears were completely assuaged. The story is about a study conducted by Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D., of Iowa State University, who studied three groups of children in both the United States and Japan to gage their violence levels three to six months after playing violent video games, versus children who did not play violent video games. The results may not surprise you at all.

The study found that children who played violent video games were more aggressive than those that did not, even taking into account children who were aggressive in the first place. The odd thing is the results were determined not so much through observation, though comments from parents and teachers were taken into account, but rather by asking the children about their own aggression levels.

http://kotaku.com/5074949/study-+-violent-video-games-makes-kids-more-aggressive

[irishwhip]

In other news, a scientific study has determined that fire can burn things, and water is somewhat moist.

[luminouslight]

Studies like this can't be counted as fact for certain; maybe they have a natural aggressive behavior and they desire to play violent video games. Also, if one were to conduct a scientific experiment that is valid, one should actually monitor the effect video games has on a child (where you only have one factor), not to see relations based upon surveys that are vulnerable to so many other outside factors.

[goshogun1]

I am imagining that the study was like Clockwork Orange, where the kids eyelids are forced open and they must play Manhunt 2 for hours, locked in a dark room.

[theotherfreakyguy]

If there's one thing I learned in middle school science, it was this: To have a good experiment you need to have a control, and change no variables other than those being tested (AKA the Independent and Dependent Variables). CNN apparently doesn't grasp that concept.

The only real way to do this and test it correctly is to get a child, raise them away from society, TV, and all of that, and make them the most perfect child ever, then expose them to violent video games, and write down non-biased, legit results.

Of course, even this is impossible, as that child would have to shun violence to be so good, and, therefore, they would be biased against the games themselves.

Therefore, I can conclude that the general idea of testing this is overall invalid, even though it often produces strong results.
It is like trying to guess what the electoral vote balance will be between the two presidents tomorrow. Though it is possible, and with enough studying, someone may be able to do it, but the human mind is rarely consistent across all of us.

[gutbub]

Last time I checked, just about everything in a child's life has some sort of effect on that child.

[davidcrew]

Study - These studies are horribly biased and anything can influence a child, not just video games. Going to take a kid to go see 300 will have a similar effect, 'cept he may end up kicking some Persian's ass. =]

[pibs]

Violent parents make Violent kids ;)

[R4mbo]

bla.... incompetent parents make violent and stupid kids.
And ofcourse they blame everything but not themselfes.

[171]

Without the parents guide and / or responsables, sure this child is more prone to become violent.It's the same thing about animes and movies.
Yeah, fire burns :)

[ICE]

Its a good thing violent games arent for kids huh?