Sales of violent video games directly tied to a decrease in lower crime rates.
In the video games and violence debate, the steadily declining crime rate in the United States has often been cited by gamers as evidence gaming does not, as some would lead you to believe, turn youths into violent killers. Now a group of professors has added a level of validity to the correlation, publishing the results of their research in which they conclusively state, "violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime."
A BBC article entitled "U.S. Crime Figures: Why the Drop?" cites 10 possible reasons why, over the past 20 years, FBI figures show a consistent drop in murder and robbery rates. Among those reasons is the study by University of Texas at Arlington and Baylor University professors and the Centre for European Economic Research, "Understanding the Effects of Violent Video Games on Violent Crime."
A BBC article entitled "U.S. Crime Figures: Why the Drop?" cites 10 possible reasons why, over the past 20 years, FBI figures show a consistent drop in murder and robbery rates. Among those reasons is the study by University of Texas at Arlington and Baylor University professors and the Centre for European Economic Research, "Understanding the Effects of Violent Video Games on Violent Crime."
"Regulation of the video game industry is usually predicated on the notion that the industry has large and negative social costs through games' effect on aggression," the study states. "Many researchers have argued that these games may also have caused extreme violence, such as school shootings, because laboratory evidence has found an abundance of evidence linking gameplay to aggression. Yet few studies before this one had examined the impact of these games on crime."
By looking at the sales volume of violent video games on a weekly basis and comparing those sales to weekly aggregate violent crime incidents from the National Incident Based Reporting System, the researchers found that the number of criminal incidents recorded by law enforcement actually decreased in conjunction with violent video game sales.
The researchers concede that playing violent video games may increase levels of aggression, but because of the "voluntary incapacitation" of gamers playing these violent titles, they are not outside engaging in activities that could lead to violent crimes.
"Our results are consistent with two opposing effects. First, they support the behavioral effects as in the psychological studies. Second, they suggest a larger voluntary incapacitation effect in which playing either violent or non-violent games decrease crimes. Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime."
The full research report by Scott Cunningham, Benjamin Engelstatter, and Michael Ward is available in PDF form.
The researchers concede that playing violent video games may increase levels of aggression, but because of the "voluntary incapacitation" of gamers playing these violent titles, they are not outside engaging in activities that could lead to violent crimes.
"Our results are consistent with two opposing effects. First, they support the behavioral effects as in the psychological studies. Second, they suggest a larger voluntary incapacitation effect in which playing either violent or non-violent games decrease crimes. Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime."
The full research report by Scott Cunningham, Benjamin Engelstatter, and Michael Ward is available in PDF form.
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