Do Violent Video Games Really Make Kids More Violent?
This paper examines the widely debated question of whether violent video games cause children and young adults to become violent. Drawing on sources including FBI and U.S. Secret Service reports, juvenile crime statistics, and the book Grand Theft Childhood, the paper argues that no empirical link exists between playing violent video games and youth violence. It addresses common pro-causation claims — such as increased aggression and modeling of violent behavior — and counters them with evidence that juvenile violent crime rates have fallen as video game sales have risen, that most attackers in school violence cases showed no interest in video games, and that gaming is largely a social activity. The paper concludes that blaming video games for youth violence is an oversimplification unsupported by available evidence.
- Introduction: Paper's thesis: violent games don't cause violence
- Pro and Con Arguments on Video Games and Violence: FBI data, bullying stats, and aggression claims examined
- Crime Statistics and the Causation Debate: Juvenile crime fell as video game sales rose
- Real-World Incidents and Misattribution: Virginia Tech shooting wrongly blamed on video games
- Industry and Legal Perspectives: Industry leaders and courts reject causation claims
- Conclusion: No empirical evidence links games to youth violence
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What makes this paper effective
- Engages both sides of the debate before firmly defending its thesis, lending the argument credibility and balance.
- Uses concrete statistics — such as the 71.9% decline in juvenile murder rates alongside rising video game sales — to ground abstract claims in measurable evidence.
- Draws on a variety of source types (government agencies, legal rulings, industry leaders, and academic research) to support a single coherent position.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of the rebuttal structure: it introduces opposing claims, grants them fair representation, and then systematically dismantles them with counter-evidence. This technique strengthens the writer's own position by showing awareness of the full argumentative landscape rather than ignoring contrary views.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a clear thesis statement, then moves through a structured pro-and-con review. It addresses statistical evidence, high-profile real-world incidents, industry data, and legal precedent in successive sections before closing with a summary conclusion. Each section builds on the previous one, reinforcing the central claim that no empirical link exists between violent video games and youth violence.
Introduction
Do violent video games cause young people to become violent? This has been a hotly debated topic in the United States for several years. There are valid opinions on both sides of the issue, but this paper takes the position that violent video games do not cause kids to be violent.
Pro and Con Arguments on Video Games and Violence
ProCon.org has assembled a list of arguments on both sides of the question of whether violent video games cause kids to be violent. This paper draws on several of those pro-versus-con arguments before presenting additional reasons why it is fair to conclude that violent video games do not cause kids to become violent.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, among the most influential law enforcement organizations in the world, rarely takes a position on social issues. In 2000, however, the FBI included playing violent video games on a list of behaviors "associated with school shootings" (ProCon.org). The rebuttal to that report is that "violent youth are being drawn to violent video games" — that is, youth who are already predisposed to violence seek out violent entertainment such as video games (ProCon.org). A 2004 report by the U.S. Secret Service reinforced this view: when reviewing attacks in schools, only "one-eighth of attackers exhibited an interest in violent video games" (ProCon.org). The Secret Service report found no linkage between playing violent video games and shootings in public schools.
Bullying is a serious issue in public schools. According to a 2008 report titled Grand Theft Childhood, roughly 60% of middle-school boys who had played at least one Mature-rated game had hit or beaten up someone at school (ProCon.org). By comparison, only 39% of boys who had not played a Mature-rated game had done the same (ProCon.org). However, the ProCon.org site also notes that violent juvenile crime rates have been declining at the same time that sales of violent video games have been rising. Specifically, the juvenile murder rate fell by 71.9% between 1995 and 2008, while sales of violent video games more than quadrupled during the same period (ProCon.org).
Another argument blaming violent video games claims that these games "teach youth that violence is an acceptable conflict-solving strategy" and that players develop a "lower belief in the use of nonviolent strategies" (ProCon.org). The counter-argument holds that playing violent video games actually reduces violence in adolescent boys by serving as a substitute for rough-and-tumble play (ProCon.org). The games allow boys to express aggression and establish status within their peer group without causing real harm to others (ProCon.org).
Crime Statistics and the Causation Debate
A closer look at juvenile crime statistics complicates the assumption that violent video games drive violent behavior. As noted above, the juvenile murder rate dropped by nearly 72% between 1995 and 2008 — a period during which the video game industry expanded dramatically and violent titles became widely available. If a direct causal relationship existed between violent gaming and youth violence, one would expect crime rates to have risen alongside game sales. The data show the opposite trend.
The research discussed in Grand Theft Childhood similarly found that children who played violent games "probably have somewhat violent inclinations to begin with" (Stevens, 2008). This suggests that pre-existing tendencies, rather than video game exposure, are the more plausible explanatory factor for aggressive behavior.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it seems people tend to jump to conclusions when there is a violent attack in a school or elsewhere, and blaming violent video games is an easy thing to do. But this paper asserts that there is no empirical evidence that violent video games cause youth to become violent. While the debate will no doubt continue, the informed sources examined in this paper consistently argue that violent video games do not cause children or young adults to be violent.
Works Cited
Gallagher, Michael D. "Video Games Don't Cause Children to be Violent." U.S. News. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://www.usnews.com. 2010.
ProCon.org. "Video Games: Do violent video games contribute to youth violence?" Retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://videogames.procon.org. 2012.
Stevens, Tim. "Violent Video Games Don't Cause Violence, Says New Book." Switched. Retrieved April 11, 2012, from http://www.switched.com. 2008.
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