Do violent video games inspire violence in those who play them?

In 1992, widespread outrage surrounded a game called Mortal Kombat; the game came under severe scrutiny from US Congress, with officials and media outlets calling it “ultraviolent,” “sick” and “shameful” because of the graphic nature of its content, primarily in relation to “fatalities,” which depicted characters performing brutal finishing moves on one another, with very little left to the imagination.

However, a 1976 game called Death Race was pulled off shelves because characters’ deaths made an “argh” followed by a tiny gravestone that appeared on screen. Despite being described as a slightly advanced version of PONG, Death Race was considered too graphic for the public; was this example of censorship too extreme, or should its standards still stand today?

Let’s take a look at the stats

In the U.S alone over the last 40 years, violence rates among young people peaked in 1993 and have reached an all-time low in the past decade. At its peak in 1993, the number of serious violent crimes committed by young people was 1.5 million, but in 2017, only 210,000 were committed by the same demographic.

In terms of mass cases, from 1993, mass homicides in schools have never exceeded 34 per year, and in 2014, number fell to a record low of 12.

In spite of incident numbers having dropped, the number of fatalities caused by mass shootings in schools has increased, worsening the apparent impact of large-scale homicides and engorging the apparent risk they pose to society. With the risk becoming more prominent to society, authorities have become more prone to investigate its causes, almost always turning to the simplest medium to blame.

Is it really fair to blame video games?

While the short answer is no, video games do release endorphins and dopamine which cause brief bouts of aggressive thoughts, but these hormones are also released when playing many real-world sports.

The inspiration to incite serious criminal actions can be picked up from any entertainment source. Usually, the will to commit serious crimes is more likely to be taken on by individuals who are considered unstable in the first place, so don’t worry about what video games are doing to people; worry about what people are doing to other people!