Study: Majority of American Adults Believe Videogames Cause Violence

Posted 11/16/2010 at 11:11pm | by Nathan Grayson

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Science (and real life) may have provided ample evidence to the contrary, but that seemingly hasn't been enough to persuade the majority of American adults that videogames aren't diabolical tools of desensitization and bloodshed – the very weapons wielded by Satan's army. According to a survey uncovered by The Escapist that polled 1000 adults, 54 percent of American adults believe videogames to be a cause of increased real-world violence.

More troublingly, 69 percent expressed concern about the amount of violence in modern games, while 65 percent figured the government should have the right to pen a new chapter for its big ol' book of rules and regulations. Here's hoping -- for obvious reasons -- that the Supreme Court didn't contribute to this survey.

On the upside, only five percent thought the government should be the main decision-maker when it comes to “the amount of sex and violence children are exposed to in videogames,” with a whopping 71 percent putting that responsibility squarely on the shoulders of parents. Also of note: older adults were generally more up-in-arms about videogame violence than younger adults.       

So basically, it's a pretty bleak picture, but there are a few dabs of hope mixed in there too. And so long as the older, gray-bearded folks don't succeed at pulling a Gandalf-style “you shall not pass” on gamers and our rights, it'll only be a matter of time until games stop taking so much flack. And what a wonderful day that'll be.