Since children have begun playing video games, many concerned parents and researchers have asked the question: do violent video games make children violent?

In my opinion, quite frankly, the answer is no. And it’s not just my opinion; a research study undertaken by the Oxford Internet Institute concluded that there is no link between playing violent video games and increased aggression in kids. Furthermore, in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, the United States Supreme Court ruled that there cannot be a state restriction on selling violent video games. Why? Because the court noted that there aren’t connections between violent video games and violent kids and teenagers.

Of the studies that do show a slight connection between violent video games and aggressive behaviors, there is no more of a connection between those who used video games and those who used other forms of media. This makes the statistics arbitrary.

I argue that playing violent video games can even make the players less violent. Seeing the violence in the games and the effects it has can send the message that doing violent actions in real life is a bad and the wrong thing to do. As well, video games can be used as a vent to exert some anger or frustration the player has. And obviously, violence in video games is better than violence in the real world.

From personal experience, I’ve played many violent video games, from Grand Theft Auto 5 to Overwatch to Call of Duty, and I’m not a violent person. I have many friends who also play these games and there’s no difference in their behavior based off of them playing these games.

On top of this, all of the games that are rated over “age appropriate” have to be bought with an adult. So parents have a say in what their kids play as well. If there was a difference in behavior that parents noticed in their children after playing these games, they wouldn’t allow their kids to play the games. But parents let kids play because there is no correlation between violence in video games and violence in the players.

Study after study has concluded that there is no correlation between violence in video games and violence in kids and teens. As well the fact that these games are so widely played by kids shows there is no correlation. At this point it’s fair to say, playing violent video games doesn’t cause violence in kids.