Do Video Games Make You Violent? Not According To Professor Michael Ward

It's a lazy and sadly common approach to blame video games for violent behavior. Sure some nutjobs have obviously played video games, and some have even claimed they target practised using them, but to pinpoint them as the root of violent actions is something else entirely.

And, according to Professor Michael Ward in this video, it's a completely misguided assumption.

Ward, a professor of economics, video game player, and parent did some research into the link between real-life violence and video games by conducting some studies.

And his conclusions were that actually the more someone played video games, the less likely they were to be violent in the real world. He pulls out the below stat.

He notes that it's not a huge decrease, but it's a decrease nonetheless and goes on to ponder why. The reasons range from the cathartic act of playing out violent actions in a virtual sphere to the idea that the longer you play a video game, the less time you have to actually go out and get into mischief.

Obviously more studies need to be done, but it's a refreshing antidote to the usual media hysteria that surrounds the discussion and something that gamers will feel was long-overdue..

So next time someone starts with the tired same-same argument of violence in gaming equals violence in the real-world, just point them in the direction of this video and tell them to STFU.