The recent Iowa State University study, which linked videogames with aggressive behaviour, has received a backlash of criticism from both industry and academia.
Yesterday Edge reported the findings of the report, which compares two separate studies in videogame violence from both the US and Japan. The study's co-author, professor Craig Anderson, explained that Japanese children are as affected by violent videogame content as much as US children are.
However, professor Anderson has already been subjected to extensive criticism. In an open letter to Pediatrics, Texas A&M International University assistant professor of psychology Christopher Ferguson suggests that "there are numerous flaws in the literature review, methodology and conclusions that greatly reduce my enthusiasm for [the study], and call into question the meaningfulness of it."
"In the literature review the authors suggest that research on video game violence is consistent when this is hardly the case," he continues. "The authors here simply ignore a wide body of research which conflicts with their views ... the authors link their results to youth violence in ways that are misleading and irresponsible ... if anything it is remarkable how little effect that violent games had on trait aggression [in the study], considering that other relevant variables were not controlled."
Ferguson concluded that "given the weak effect sizes, the lack of control of relevant variables, and the failure of the authors to acknowledge data and research which contradicts their hypothesis, I am left with little confidence that the results of the current study provides much meaningful information on the impact of violent games."
As well as academic adversary, the Entertainment Consumers Association has condemned the study in a carefully-worded statement: "For the better part of the past decade we - game consumers, makers, sellers and creators - have been waiting for the results of an unbiased, longitudinal and comprehensive study to be done which will inform us about the potential harmful effects of entertainment products on our children. Unfortunately, with the report published in the latest issue of Pediatrics, we remain wanting."
Edge has approached professor Anderson for a response.
Right on. Its about time they looked at the situation as a whole. I blame the social underclass for violence in young kids, but parents also have to take responsibility for what their kids get their mits on.
Having spent 3 years as a researcher at university both writing and reviewing such research, it is amazing how many articles such as this managed to get published.
Of course the most sensationlist ones get picked up by the media. And if the research itself isn't flawed, the results are often taken out of context.
I'm glad someone has challenged this otherwise we'd have a slew of daily mail readers saying "Look, we have proof, video games are evil".
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
Totally agree, but also another problem is that unlike the film industry which is viewed almost as a passive form of entertainment by many of these so called academics, the video game industry is somehow seen as a major cause of "youth" crime and bad behaviour because of the interaction required to play the games.
And yes you're also right, Sinclair do have a lot to answer for, not to mention a certain company called Kempston and their joystick interface that when even slightly nudged had a wonderful way of resetting that beloved system!
Why would anyone got for real violence after video games? the graphics are awful, the guns are hard to handle and too scarce for proper game balance, the AI just runs away screaming, and the plot is totally unrealistic!
Why would anyone got for real violence after video games? the graphics are awful, the guns are hard to handle and too scarce for proper game balance, the AI just runs away screaming, and the plot is totally unrealistic!
Yes and the ending is crap, 20 - 30 years of the same four walls interspersed with the odd anal intrusion.
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
Totally agree, but also another problem is that unlike the film industry which is viewed almost as a passive form of entertainment by many of these so called academics, the video game industry is somehow seen as a major cause of "youth" crime and bad behaviour because of the interaction required to play the games.
And yes you're also right, Sinclair do have a lot to answer for, not to mention a certain company called Kempston and their joystick interface that when even slightly nudged had a wonderful way of resetting that beloved system!
Load "" <ENTER>
BeeeeBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
..and you get to the end of a loading sequence and the screen goes black with a coloured border, then back to the prompt. Grrrrr!
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
Totally agree, but also another problem is that unlike the film industry which is viewed almost as a passive form of entertainment by many of these so called academics, the video game industry is somehow seen as a major cause of "youth" crime and bad behaviour because of the interaction required to play the games.
And yes you're also right, Sinclair do have a lot to answer for, not to mention a certain company called Kempston and their joystick interface that when even slightly nudged had a wonderful way of resetting that beloved system!
Load "" <ENTER>
BeeeeBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
..and you get to the end of a loading sequence and the screen goes black with a coloured border, then back to the prompt. Grrrrr!
KEMPSTONE I forgot all about that thing as well. Ahhhhhhhhh the old loading screens. i remember a game on the c64 that loaded the ground (tanks) and then when you went above the clouds it loadd in all the aircraft. now that was enough to send a man out killing people
Is it the violence in video games that makes people agressive, or is it the challenge? Have they compared the results of playing a very challenging and violent game against a challenging but none violent game?
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
Totally agree, but also another problem is that unlike the film industry which is viewed almost as a passive form of entertainment by many of these so called academics, the video game industry is somehow seen as a major cause of "youth" crime and bad behaviour because of the interaction required to play the games.
And yes you're also right, Sinclair do have a lot to answer for, not to mention a certain company called Kempston and their joystick interface that when even slightly nudged had a wonderful way of resetting that beloved system!
Load "" <ENTER>
BeeeeBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
..and you get to the end of a loading sequence and the screen goes black with a coloured border, then back to the prompt. Grrrrr!
KEMPSTONE I forgot all about that thing as well. Ahhhhhhhhh the old loading screens. i remember a game on the c64 that loaded the ground (tanks) and then when you went above the clouds it loadd in all the aircraft. now that was enough to send a man out killing people
To this day, I still have my Sinclair Spectrum. I would never get rid of it. Every so often, I get the machine out and fire up some games on it... (Target Renegade is usually the first game I load )Usually accompanied by lots of alcohol and my mates popping over. Emulated is all cool, (http://www.worldofspectrum.org/ for anybody that has not actually seen this site) but hooking up to a nice flatscreen is best... although it is rather pixellated
i have to say being an older gamer and been addicted since space invaders hit the local pub and trying to keep still my 16k ram pak (all old enough will know what i'm talking about), i think this is all tosh. i had more influence being aggressive after watching a bruce lee film! games have always been games on a games machine. these are games after all and still require an amount of imagination to get the most out of them. i would much rather my kids play games than get up to half the stuff i used to at their age. films must be subjected to this scrutiny as much as books and any other media that portrays violence. only my view of course but because this media has grown so much and taken over profits from films and books etc people are not happy and want something to complain about.
Totally agree, but also another problem is that unlike the film industry which is viewed almost as a passive form of entertainment by many of these so called academics, the video game industry is somehow seen as a major cause of "youth" crime and bad behaviour because of the interaction required to play the games.
And yes you're also right, Sinclair do have a lot to answer for, not to mention a certain company called Kempston and their joystick interface that when even slightly nudged had a wonderful way of resetting that beloved system!
Load "" <ENTER>
BeeeeBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!!
..and you get to the end of a loading sequence and the screen goes black with a coloured border, then back to the prompt. Grrrrr!
KEMPSTONE I forgot all about that thing as well. Ahhhhhhhhh the old loading screens. i remember a game on the c64 that loaded the ground (tanks) and then when you went above the clouds it loadd in all the aircraft. now that was enough to send a man out killing people
To this day, I still have my Sinclair Spectrum. I would never get rid of it. Every so often, I get the machine out and fire up some games on it... (Target Renegade is usually the first game I load )Usually accompanied by lots of alcohol and my mates popping over. Emulated is all cool, (http://www.worldofspectrum.org/ for anybody that has not actually seen this site) but hooking up to a nice flatscreen is best... although it is rather pixellated
Bloody hell Kimoak, you've still got Sir Clive's original baby in-tow, nice one!
I presume it's the much superior 48K version, although when I do play the emu'd games, it's always "3D Deathchase" and "Jetset Willy" that brings the nostalgic tears back after a few bevvies, and not forgetting the classic that was "Horace Goes Skiing" of course!
It's always so annoying, almost frightening, how quickly the media loves to jump on the latest study, regardless of whether any other study backs it's findings or whether any peers have reviewed it. My mother is constantly upset at the new types of everyday food that apparently cause cancer according to the latest study (my uni tutor always told us to read news articles from the end to the front, backwards so to speak, as it is only at the end where professionals are spoken to and figures quoted).
Most violence from kids, that I have encountered personally, is because the children have parents who don't give a damn about what the kids do - not having boundaries is terrifying to a child - they like to feel safe, protected and watched, so they lash out to try to get a reaction. When they don't get anything, they lash out further and more violently, in desperation to get a reaction from their parent[s].
This isn't the case with all delinquents, but it's what happens a LOT in my part of town - there is a four year old out past midnight vandalising cars and buildings - that's really frightening...
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)Usually accompanied by lots of alcohol and my mates popping over. Emulated is all cool, (http://www.worldofspectrum.org/ for anybody that has not actually seen this site) but hooking up to a nice flatscreen is best... although it is rather pixellated 
