Studying Studies: Violent Video Games Linked to Hostility Again

Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a story with the headline "Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility", with the subtitle "Research in U.S., Japan Shows Aggression Increased for Months After Play". The only problem is, the news story is really weak on the details of how the study came to that finding. They mention in the body of the text that it was a group of three longitudinal studies over time, using kids from Japan and the United States. The study showed "an increased likelihood of getting into a fight at school or being identified by a teacher or peer as being physically agressive five to six months later in the same school year". The American children were from 9 to 12 and they lived in Minnesota.

First of all, 9 to 12 seems a bit young for what we should be looking for. Most of the concern about violent video games centers on real world violent crime, not little fights at school. Also, Mature-rated games aren't entirely prevalent at that age range, though they are likely more prevalent than we think.

Secondly, did all kinds of video games increase chances of aggressive behavior? Or just "violent" ones, which are defined by the study as "when one character harmed of killed another". This definition of violent obviously includes things considered very tame, like Kirby and Madden. Anyway, the rest of the article just says "we have conclusive evidence..." then goes on to say that certain important people now consider media violence a public health concern. They just pulled out their list of public health concerns, crossed out comic books and rock 'n' roll, then wrote video games right under there with no sense of irony at all.

So, we need more details. From what I've heard, that isn't conclusive evidence. Even if their study factored in previous aggression, kids who are more aggressive are more likely to play "violent" games. Also, violent crime in the United States has consistently gone down ever since video games became readily available for children. I'm not suggesting that video games cause less violence, but rather that there is little to no effect.