U.S. Senator Seeks New Study of Violent Videogames

[Fractured Silhouette]

U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller is calling for a National Academy of Sciences study on the effect of violent media on children.

In the wake of last week's devastating attack on Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller has introduced a bill calling for new research into the impact of violent videogames and other media on children.

"At times like this, we need to take a comprehensive look at all the ways we can keep our kids safe. I have long expressed concern about the impact of the violent content our kids see and interact with every day," Rockefeller said in a statement. "As Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, I have introduced legislation to direct the National Academy of Sciences to investigate the impact of violent videogames and other content on children's well-being."

Rockefeller's bill would see the National Academy of Sciences conduct a comprehensive study into the harmful effects of violent games and videos on children, specifically whether they "cause kids to act aggressively or otherwise hurt their wellbeing, and whether that effect is distinguishable from other types of media." The NAS would have 18 months to complete its investigation and submit its report to Congress, the FTC and the FCC.

"Recent court decisions demonstrate that some people still do not get it. They believe that violent videogames are no more dangerous to young minds than classic literature or Saturday morning cartoons," Rockefeller said, presumably reference the United States Supreme Court decision confirming that videogames deserves the same First Amendment protections as other media. "Parents, pediatricians, and psychologists know better. These court decisions show we need to do more and explore ways Congress can lay additional groundwork on this issue."

In a "Minute With Jay" video posted today on YouTube, the senator also called for a ban on "military-grade assault weapons" and a renewed "national dialog on improving mental health services."

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/121196-U-S-Senator-Seeks-New-Study-of-Violent-Videogames

Another massacre, another idiotic senator trying to pin the blame on videogames. Just leave them alone, they don't turn people (or kids for that matter) into violent sociopaths. I've been playing violent videogames since I was 4 years old and they have nothing to do with my desire to tear the heads off of pregnant women or burn every nursery I come across, and yes, I have killed a man, but I got away with it, so it doesn't count and videogames had nothing to do with that either. No, I did it because I needed the "Exterminate Innocent" achievement, jeez.

*Ahem*. I Agree with the Senator's words on the final line of this article.

[TigerBoy]

Typical conservative knee jerk reaction. For every study bankrolled by the same conservative groups that have leaped to headline grabbing conclusions, there are others that show that they can act as stress relief and actually reduce violence. If you are going to do this you should apply the same criteria to ALL media and real world activities: violent cage fighting, action films, watching a cock fight, paintballing / airsoft, boxing, wrestling, football. Ban snowball fights, while you are at it.

Video games have been shown to have causal links to improvements in IQ via reaction time training in shooters, not even by the more obvious problem solving contexts or the wider educational context (eg games steeped in history and diverse cultures such as Assassin's creed).

These idiots don't understand games, they are totally out of touch and their ignorance and lack of interest leads them to conclude no one else should enjoy them.

This is a deflection tactic to take our minds off the gun control issue, and one that will see shelves stocked with disney-esque crap, while those that want a bit of stress relief can go grab a gun and shoot some real people instead.

[Lost in the Echo]

Damn, they're fucking idiots.
Video games, don't do that. Anyone with common sense knows there is significant difference between real life and video games.
I started playing the "grand theft auto" video games when I was 7, and I never once thought that I should do anything in real life, that I did in that game.

All it takes is common sense to know not to do in real life, what you do in video games.
I think this is very ignorant to want to put a ban on violent video games, just about everyone knows there is a difference between video games and reality.

[Stronger]

I wouldn't call them "fucking idiots" but its pretty understandable why they would, if you look, back at a lot of the shooters played a lot of video games in there time, the only one I can think of was the Columbine boys who played a lot of Doom, again I'm not saying blame video games, but its easy for people to put the blame on violent video games.

[TigerBoy]

I wouldn't call them "fucking idiots" but its pretty understandable why they would, if you look, back at a lot of the shooters played a lot of video games in there time, the only one I can think of was the Columbine boys who played a lot of Doom, again I'm not saying blame video games, but its easy for people to put the blame on violent video games.

Correlation is not causation. Hitler and Stalin both had moustaches. This is correlation. To say that moustaches make the wearer a genocidal maniac (i.e. to claim causation) is a bit of a stretch, wouldn't you say?

As I said above, if you do this, look at ALL potential influences of violence in the media and wider culture.

[nfs4394]

Look, I play my share of violent video games and have never had such a screwed up thought run through my head. If anything, it's just an outlet for me to let my stress out. People are just looking for a scapegoat, and violent games and media are the first place they usually turn