Do video games really make a person more aggressive?

President Donald Trump linked the recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio to video games. Most research indicates it’s not true or remains unproven.

What are parents to think? The big picture puts gaming behavior into perspective: More than 200 million Americans play video games, according to an online survey of 5,000 people released by Electronic Entertainment Design and Research. Most players do so without acting out violently as a result.

Even more problematic for Trump’s assertion, top video game–consuming countries — South Korea and Japan — have among the lowest rates of violent crime in the world, and mass casualty events are rare. Those countries also have strict laws limiting gun ownership.

Nancy Darling, professor of psychology at Oberlin College in Ohio, said with people like the Parkland shooter, the response to video games has to do with vulnerability toward violence. Violent people enjoy violent entertainment, and those games may make them more violent, she said.

“People who have those proclivities are more attracted to violent games because it makes them seem more normal,” Darling said. “These individuals often will get on discussion boards with other gamers like them and talk about how cool it is to do violent things.”

Even before the Texas and Ohio shootings, parents had worried about the shooting and questionable content in video games and how it could affect their children.

Erin Dernis, a Davie mother of 12-year-old twin boys, struggles with how to screen the level of aggression in the games played in her home.

“We used to go to GameStop and I could say ‘no, you are not getting this game.’ Now everything is online and I can’t monitor it as much,” she said.

Still, Dernis said she has not seen her sons become more aggressive after playing video games. “I think the way someone is brought up and their mental health issues have more to do with it than video games,” she said.

Chris Ferguson, a psychology professor at Stetson University in DeLand, agrees with Dernis. “Playing these games is not going to cause your kid to become a killer,” Ferguson said “There are worse things teens can do than gather around the television playing video games.”

What to watch for

When President Trump linked the mass shootings to video games, he based his blame on the El Paso shooter’s mention of “Call of Duty” in his manifesto that was released publicly online. It wasn’t the first time the public learned that a mass shooter played video games. Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was an avid video gamer who frequently played as much as 15 hours or more a day, his neighbors told investigators. He repeated lines in school like “die, die, die” from his Call of Duty game, a family counselor noted.

Ferguson at Stetson said while some shooters played video game, he has reviewed numerous studies and found no causation between violent games and violent behavior.

The popularity of games continues to rise, and new, more advanced games are coming to market. Industry revenue topped $43 billion in 2018. There are video game clubs, conventions, meetups and even play dates around gaming. University of Central Florida even offers a graduate game-development program.

Ferguson said while some games are extremely violent and contain graphic depictions of sex, they are aimed at people over 18 years old and labeled for mature adults. But others, rated for everyone or for teens can be a positive tool for building friendships. In multiplayer games like Call of Duty and Fortnite, players may form teams with friends or strangers.

This week, the Entertainment Software Association responded to Trump’s words tying violence to video games with this statement: “Video games positively contribute to society, from new medical therapies and advancements, educational tools, business innovation, and more. Video games help players connect with family and friends, relieve stress, and have fun.”

Dernis said she, too, believes video games have positive benefits. She said Fortnite helps her sons stay in touch with camp friends from all over the country.

Still, in homes across South Florida, some of the biggest arguments with children are over limits on game playing time and which games are appropriate. “I have taken away the controllers at times,” Dernis said.

Darling, the psychology professor, offers parents this advice: If you see your child playing violent video games, rather than trying to pull him away, suggest another game.

“If he is playing a firstperson shooter game, recommend another game he might like, one where he can be collaborative or cooperative and work in a team,” she said. “You are not forbidding, you are substituting.”

Signs of violence

While there is no proven finding that that violent me