Gun Control Debate: Violent Video Games Actually Decrease Violence, Study Finds

President Obama and Wayne LaPierre have a problem regarding their ranting about videogames and  links to violence. It seems yet another study has come out that provides contrary evidence to the view that violent video games influence people to violence.

What might trouble all these do-gooders is a recent study that shows instead of causing a rise in violence sales of video games causes the opposite. The study is nothing obscure and has been reported by the New York Times.

“According to the Times, between 1994 and 2010 the number of violent crimes among youth offenders fell by more than half, to 224 crimes per population of 100,000. At the same time, sales of video games have more than doubled since 1996.”

And to further hurt the case for a link, an FBI profiler recently poo-pooed the idea that gaming causes violence, according to GamePolitics.

"It’s important that I point out that as a threat assessment and as a former FBI profiler, we don’t see these as the cause violence," she added."We see them as sources of fueling ideation that’s already there."

Lets us remind ourselves of the recent attacks on the industry by both the President and the head of the NRA. As I reported, LaPierre launched into a vicious attack on video games in his press conference in reaction to the Connecticut shootings.

Despite the fact there is zero evidence linking playing violent video games and mass shootings, he made that defamatory link. Furthermore, his "researchers" dug up some obscure game (if it actually exists) no one has ever heard of called "Kindergarden Killers" that is somewhere online so he could look emotional and caring. LePierre is probably too dense to realize he just advertised this game no one has ever heard of to millions of people, many of whom will download it out of spite.

The president has in fact instructed his administration to study the link that doesn’t exist according to many studies that have been conducted.

The specific order reads as follows: "Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

"Address our culture’s glorification of violence seen and heard though our movie screens, television shows, music and video games: Congress should fund scientific research on the relationship between popular culture and gun violence, while ensuring that parents have access to the information they need to make informed decisions about what their families watch, listen to, and play."

So despite the overwhelming and numerous studies providing evidence there is no link whatsoever between violence of any kind and video games, politicians insist on wasting money to produce more. Instead of addressing the real probablem of mental health care in the U.S., the scapegoat of videogames is wheeled out again. How much evidence and millions wasted will they need to finally give up and admit they are wrong about videogames and a link to violence?