Correlation vs. causation: Violent video games and real-Life violence in adolescents

One controversial issue often debated in the media today is the question of the appropriateness of violent video games for teens. Anecdotally, many people link aggressive behavior in adolescents, especially in young males, with playing violent games. Research correlating viewing violent video games and real-life violence in adolescents often makes headlines, such as the statistic, cited in the American Psychological Association (APA) media release of a study entitled "Violent video games can increase aggression." The study found that 227 college students who scored high on trait aggressiveness and actual aggressive behaviors had played more violent video games in junior and high school than those who completed the same questionnaire and had not played such games, with the same degree of frequency (Wilnenz 2009). "We also found that amount of time spent playing video games in the past was associated with lower academic grades in college" (Willenz 2009).

However, merely because the two behaviors (viewing virtual violence and participating in actual violence) are correlated does not mean that one causes the other -- adolescents who enjoy acting in violent ways may be more likely to consume violent media than, for example, playing the SIMs, reading Shakespeare, or viewing romantic comedies on television. The more violent teens might also be more apt to wear black rather than white t-shirts, but that does not mean that the act of wearing a black t-shirt makes a teen more predisposed to act violently.

The authors of another study did attempt an experiment that would suggest causation rather than mere correlation. In an experiment involving 210 college students, students who played a violent video game were more likely to 'punish' the opponent by inflicting a noise blast upon the opponent of greater intensity and for "a longer period of time" than did students who played a nonviolent video game (Willenz 2009). However, the idea that inflicting a loud noise upon an opponent after playing a loud, noisy video game is analogous to committing acts of physical violence in the real world also seems like a tenuous causal argument.

Works Cited

Willenz, Pam. (2009). Violent video games can increase aggression. American Psychological

Association (APA). Media Release. Retrieved August 8, 2009 at http://www.apa.org/releases/videogames.html