Study proves conclusively that violent video game play makes more aggressive kids

Published: Monday, March 1, 2010 – 11:44
in Psychology & Sociology

Iowa State University Distinguished Professor of Psychology Craig Anderson has made much of his life’s work studying how violent video game play affects youth behavior. And he says a new study he led, analyzing 130 research reports on more than 130,000 subjects worldwide, proves conclusively that exposure to violent video games makes more aggressive, less caring kids — regardless of their age, sex or culture. The study was published today in the March 2010 issue of the Psychological Bulletin, an American Psychological Association journal. It reports that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behavior, and decreased empathy and prosocial behavior in youths.

I’m concerned about the claim that the study “conclusively” proves this connection. I’d like to see the published study to see how their variables were accounted for. However, the finding passes the sniff test in my opinion. It makes sense, but I wonder how confounding variables were accounted for in these studies: cartoons, movies, home life, community, and so forth.