Does Fictional Violence Lead to Violence in Real Life?

This report shows that the data on the claimed harms of violent video games are highly controvertible, and even those that can be found are negligible and short lived.

Key findings include:

-       Crime statistics do not support the theory that new media causes violence.

-       Research into the effects of video games on aggression is contested and inconclusive. Much of it suffers from methodological deficiencies and provides insufficient data to prove a causal relationship.

-       Censorship is barred by the First Amendment, but industry self-regulation works.

Conclusion: A majority of Americans may believe that fictional violence leads to violence in real life. But common sense and objective research does not show it.

Media Coalition (2014). Only a game: Why censoring new media won’t stop gun violence. Belgium: Media Coalition. http://mediacoalition.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Only-A-Game-Why-Censoring-New-Media-Wont-Stop-Gun-Violence.pdf