"Exposure to violent electronic media has a larger effect than all but one other well-known threat to public health. The only effect slightly larger than the effect of media violence on aggression is that of cigarette smoking on lung cancer," said L. Rowell Huesmann, author of a new study in a special edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health looking at over 50 years of research.
While smokers can remain excited that they're still living on the edge as by far the most badass people in the world, people have been ragging on violent media for, obviously, over 50 years (actual date closer to 2000 years.) But it looks like this study was promoted by the government. At the very bottom of the press release is this tidbit: "The supplement was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
"As with many other public health threats, not every child who is exposed to this threat will acquire the affliction of violent behavior," Huesmann concluded in a much milder tone. "But that does not diminish the need to address the threat—as a society and as parents by trying to control children's exposure to violent media to the extent that we can."
The press release, which has been picked up by the major wire services, presents some well-worn statistics about the pervasiveness of violence in society and spends an ample amount of time hyping the idea that violence in media is basically a tumor on our culture, but it only briefly mentions that Huesmann and his colleague Brad Bushman conducted research that showed "media violence significantly increases the risk that both children and adults will behave aggressively."
The follow-up question wasn't "What sort of research?" but "How significantly?"
Granted, Huesmann and Bushman probably didn't have much to do with writing their press release and the study probably goes much more in depth than trotting out some hyped up old arguments. Likewise it's not news, I suppose, that the media over-hypes most studies, but it'd be nice if we could at least start out with a nice, low-key playing field that wasn't funded by the CDC.
I'm going home to chain smoke, play Manhunt 2, listen to metal, and watch videos of taserings on YouTube.
Comments
DiEZeL says:
Ah the good old "FPS(first person shooters) games are the Satan himself OMG!" nonsense! I hope true gamers see through this BS and ignore this propaganda driven research! This research must be taken as a further encouragement to follow age ratings than to avoid games altogether. Maybe the occasional 18+ game but you would do better to stick to your own age group. Now more soccer moms are going to go up in arms against the gaming industry. When will the US government stick its ugly nose out of issues like these?
On a side note it has been proven that gamers have higher visual search patterns (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/06/050609234142.htm). W/e this study is not going to make me throw my high end PC off the balcony and stop me from having some occasional fun blowing people's heads off! Its not like I'd like to do it in real life anyway!
January 22, 2008 6:33 PM
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