Professor claims violent video games make us aggressive
Two studies explore if there is a connection between violent video games and violent behaviorAn Iowa State psychology professor is claiming -- not for the first time -- that his latest published study offers irrefutable evidence that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior. And a Texas A&M psychology professor has responded -- in the same publication -- claiming that the Iowa State study is methodologically flawed.
Published in the March 2010 issue of APA journal Psychological Bulletin, the study by Iowa State professor Craig Anderson, director of Iowa State's Center for the Study of Violence, concludes that exposure to violent video games leads to an increase in aggressive thoughts and behavior, as well as decreased empathy and favorable social behavior in children.
"We can now say with utmost confidence that regardless of research method -- that is experimental, correlational, or longitudinal -- and regardless of the cultures tested in this study [East and West], you get the same effects," said Anderson. "And the effects are that exposure to violent video games increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in both short-term and long-term contexts. Such exposure also increases aggressive thinking and aggressive affect, and decreases prosocial [sic] behavior."
Also published in the March 2010 issue of Psychological Bulletin was a response by Texas A&M professors Christopher Ferguson and John Kilburn entitled "Much Ado About Nothing: The Misestimation and Overinterpretation of Violent Video Game Effects in Eastern and Western Nations". Their paper stipulates that Ferguson's study has serious flaws. Ferguson and Kilburn allege that Anderson's meta-analysis included several studies that don't relate well to "serious aggression," several "apparently biased" unpublished studies, and a "best practices" analysis they say "appears unreliable."
"Despite a number of methodological flaws that all appear likely to inflate effect size estimates, the final estimate... is still indicative of only weak effects," conclude Ferguson and Kilburn, "effects" referring to the strength of the causal relationship between stimuli (violent video games) and response (increased aggressive behavior).
More on this shortly, once I've had a chance to read through both publications in full myself. I'll admit, based on the perceived scientific merit of prior studies out of the Iowa State aggression research department, that I'm not sure much of anything's actually changed in terms of actionable evidence in this latest study. As any statistician has to admit, you can find relationships between all kinds of things... it's the strength of the relationship that matters.
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And of course, the News grabs these things and uses them for their own enjoyment.
Sunrise, on Channel 7 in Australia 'quoted" the study was reportedly used and the reporting team stating that it supports evidence that games cause violence and aggressive behavour, and that violent games affect younger and early teen kids (making them more violent and less social).
Australia is one of only a very few countries that allows it's younger teens to legally buy, rent and play games made specifically for 18+ (adults). As it's highest rating (for games) is set at MA15+ (as games are for kids and therefore do not require stronger ratings).
Games currently sold in the US, UK and Eu that have an 18+ rating (or its equivalent) are affixed with the poor MA15+ Rating, which clearly shows the complete lack of knowledge by the ratings board of any of the games -
Australia is pushing for the use of a current rating to be affixed to games that would normally have the 18 rating, as well as future games that will be made that will have the 18 rating anywhere else in the world. Here it is called the R187+ rating, but sadly, most people associate the "R" in that rating with porn or other less sociable things, which helps the politicians push the need to leave it as it is.
Yet 98% of the Australian public WANT the R18+ rating, as do retailers who are running huge public awareness campaigns, but ONE State Attorney General, under the claim he is protecting the children, refuses to heed both professional, public and industry opinion, and will rule against it.
As all 7 States must vote for the Rating to be used, if one does not, it can not be used, and he is unlikely to change his mind during his stay in politics - sadly.
So the parents, retailers and the like will continue to be uninformed, and not have their voice heard of taken seriously, all because of one small politician.
Even the program mentioned above's own "Gadget Man (tech savvy reporter) advised that we need to take the rating up . . .
So will things change for the better? - - highly unlikely . . . .