Letter: From videos to violence
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.YOUR ARTICLE about violent video games ("New computer game makes money by glorifying murder", 13 September) raises interesting questions about the effects of video game violence on social behaviour. For instance, do video games have the same effect regardless of age?
There has been little systematic research, but one consistent finding is that most studies on very young children tend to show that they become more aggressive after playing or watching a violent video game.
There is also the social context. Does playing in groups or individually, with or against each other make a difference? Recent research suggests that competitiveness increases aggression. There are also problems defining "violent" or "aggressive", as television cartoons such as Tom and Jerry may not be seen as violent within definitions used in media research. Therefore, research into the effects of long-term exposure remains speculative.
DR MARK GRIFFITHS
Nottingham Trent University
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments