The Sess from X-Play got the chance to interview the authors of the new research book, Grand Theft Childhood. The authors, Doctors Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson, reveal to us a shocking truth: Videogames are not to blame for violent behavior in kids and teens. This research that took place in Grand Theft Childhood lasted several years and was financially backed by the U.S. Department of Justice with the help of over 1250 kids and 500 parents involved in the research.
The results show that there is NO evidence at all that videogames influence violent behavior. Violent crimes in the constantly targeted age range have gone down while videogame playing has risen significantly. The interview also reveals how opposing research that seems to always get mentioned by nut jobs is poorly conducted.
We’re also told of an interesting aspect of the Grand Theft Childhood research. Some research was conducted among two groups of boys and the group that DIDN’T play videogames got into more trouble than those who actually played violent videogames.
This video really is some fascinating stuff. There’s finally some well-done research and it’s BACKED by the U.S. Government. You must watch this video and check out the book if you can.