For decades, it has been widely debated what kind of impact violent video games and movies have on people, especially children and those with mental health issues. This debate has led to games being censored, the introduction of the industry regulated ESRB (Electronic Software Ratings Board), and much more.
Games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto have taken a lot of fire for their intense content which involves brutal murder, limbs being blown off, and much more, this has made it easy for politicians to point to games as a problem when a national tragedy occurs such as a mass shooting. While there have been people fighting against this claim for years, a psychologist has some strong evidence that most mass shooters have no interest in these violent games.
Following the shooting at a high school in Florida last month which saw 17 people killed by a gunman and an astronomical amount of other shootings since the start of 2018, many are looking to find a solution to the issue plaguing our country. On March 8th, President Donald Trump met with a bunch of video game experts such as Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick (parent company of Grand Theft Auto developer, Rockstar Games), Robert Altman, chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media, and Mike Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association amongst other high profile industry executives.
The meeting began with Trump showcasing a montage of context-less clips from violent video games such as the controversial No Russian mission from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, clips from Dead By Daylight, Wolfenstein: The New Order, The Evil Within, and the Sniper Elite series. The meeting was meant to tackle the issue of violence in video games and how it affects those that play them but ultimately, the meeting was labeled as “unproductive” and “hastily assembled” with people criticizing it as a distraction from the debate of gun control in America.
“The president encouraged [game developers] to explore things they can do on their own to make things healthier in society,” said Media Research Center president Brent Bozell, “and that’s where it was left.”
The ESA noted that they discussed how games are protected by the First Amendment so they can’t be outright banned (although it seems no one suggested this in the meeting) and that they have a rating system in place that has worked for years.
“We welcomed the opportunity today to meet with the President and other elected officials at the White House,” the Entertainment Software Association said in a statement. “We discussed the numerous scientific studies establishing that there is no connection between video games and violence, First Amendment protection of video games, and how our industry’s rating system effectively helps parents make informed entertainment choices.”
Psychologist Patrick Markey noted that in his research, 80% of mass shooters showed no interest in violent video games.
“It seems like something that should make us safer so it’s a totally understandable reaction,” Markey said. “The problem is just the science, the data, does not back up that they actually have an effect.”
Markey also noted that when a violent video game releases, crime rates drop. As of right now, there are no additional meetings scheduled at The White House on this topic but if anything happens, we’ll be sure to keep you up to date.
