If you know a teenager or gamer, you have probably heard about the latest video game:Fortnite. In the game, up to 100 players land into a small island with guns, and then kill or hide from other players in an attempt to be the lone survivor, The main goal is to kill other players, The popularity of these types of games raises clear questions about the effects of violent (暴力的) gaming. Do violent video games lead to real life violence?
The research on this question is mixed. Over the years, researchers have performed studies to find out whether violent video games lead to problems such as aggression (攻击性) and poor performance in school. Many studies have found that people who play violent video games are more likely to be involved in aggressive behavior. In fact, there was enough research leading to this conclusion (结论) that the American Psychological Association published a policy statement in 2015 concluding that playing violent video games leads to more aggressive behaviors.
But many other researchers disagree. Many studies about violent crime and the use of video violent games find no evidence that increased sales of violent video games leads to an obvious growth in violent crimes. Researchers state that if violent games directly led to violent behavior, the data (数据) would show increases in violent crime on a large-scale as more people played violent games. In fact, there is some evidence that as more youth play video games, rates of youth violence have decreased.
A recent analysis finds that much of the research on violence and video games is affected by publication bias, Studies which drew the conclusions that video games lead to aggression and violence are more likely to be published. However, studies which find violent video games don't have an effect on violence are seldom to be published. As a result, large reviews of the data conclude violent video games lead to aggression without considering research to the contrary.
So what's the take-home message here? There is not enough evidence that violent video games lead to aggressive behavior. That does not mean that every game is for every child. Certainly, many violent video games are scary and unfit for some kids. Understanding each child's needs and creating a plan that sets out rules for media use and monitors kids' activities on screens are proper solutions.
