WEBVTT - Do violent video games lead to real violence?

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<v Speaker 1>Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera.

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<v Speaker 1>It's ready. Are you get in touch with technology? With

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<v Speaker 1>tech stuff from how stuff works dot com. Hi there, everyone,

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to the podcast. My name is Chris Polatt. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>an editor here at How Stuff Works, and as usual,

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<v Speaker 1>I have the always tough senior writer Jonathan Strickland. Hey,

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<v Speaker 1>I was trying to adopt a tough video game voice

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<v Speaker 1>like this big you know, super muscular world. Yeah, actually

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<v Speaker 1>we miss you Fontane. Anyway, we wanted to talk today

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<v Speaker 1>about violence and video games, violence in video games, and

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<v Speaker 1>violence outside of video games that may have been caused

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<v Speaker 1>by the violence that you find in video games. Now

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<v Speaker 1>I want to shoot you. Well, my work here is done.

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<v Speaker 1>So there's been a lot of talk of pretty much

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<v Speaker 1>since video games really started turning pretty violent in the

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<v Speaker 1>early nineties. I guess about whether or not the violence

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<v Speaker 1>you find in these games has any correlation or causation

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<v Speaker 1>for violence in in everyday life. And um, we wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to kind of address this and talk about it because

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<v Speaker 1>it's it's a it's you know, it's definitely one of

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<v Speaker 1>those hot button topics. And uh, I don't think it's

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<v Speaker 1>been resolved one way or the other. Um, despite numerous studies. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>I would say so. Actually I was doing research on

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<v Speaker 1>the on the podcast, and uh went to the library

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<v Speaker 1>online and there were literally, you know, at least a

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<v Speaker 1>hundred articles you know about both sides, you know, um,

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<v Speaker 1>scholarly journals even so, I mean they're people, people's opinions

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<v Speaker 1>are are mixed, even among the experts. It's um something

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<v Speaker 1>that yeah, it becomes a question of who do you

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<v Speaker 1>want to believe rather than you know, who has the

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<v Speaker 1>right answer, because as the jury, I guess is still out.

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<v Speaker 1>But before we get too far into this, we should

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<v Speaker 1>talk a little bit about, you know, kind of the

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<v Speaker 1>reasoning behind this. Um. You know, video games when they

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<v Speaker 1>first came out there, the biggest concern was they would

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<v Speaker 1>wrought your brain because you'd be sitting there for hours

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<v Speaker 1>playing them, uh instead of doing things like reading or

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<v Speaker 1>going outside, at least according to my parents outside. Yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>apparently there is something that exists with you know, outside

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<v Speaker 1>of the realm of your living room where you was. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So yeah, that was the big concern for a while.

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<v Speaker 1>But then once video games started reaching a certain level

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<v Speaker 1>of sophistication, and I mean that in a sense of

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<v Speaker 1>graphics and sound and and and user interface not necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>in content. Once it reached that sophistication, people began to think, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>this stuff might actually have an effect beyond just being

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<v Speaker 1>a time waster. So we're talking about games like Mortal Kombat.

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<v Speaker 1>That was one of the big ones that got a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of people upset because they had way over the violence. Uh.

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<v Speaker 1>I wouldn't call it realistic because I've never seen a

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<v Speaker 1>ninja shoot ice out of his hands for real. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>you haven't. You haven't lived until you had. I gotta

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<v Speaker 1>say I haven't lived then. Um, But yeah, Mortal Kombat

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<v Speaker 1>got a lot of people upset, and uh are a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of parents anyway, we're concerned about it because it

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<v Speaker 1>was over the top violence. And of course these are

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<v Speaker 1>kids who are engaging in these games off and especially

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<v Speaker 1>back in the arcade days, back when you could still

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<v Speaker 1>go to an arcade and play against all these other kids.

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<v Speaker 1>And you just watch a group playing around one of

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<v Speaker 1>these games, and yeah, it seems like they get kind

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<v Speaker 1>of not necessarily physically aggressive toward one another, but they

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<v Speaker 1>definitely adopt a much more you know, aggressive kind of personality.

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<v Speaker 1>And and there's a lot of smack talking and a

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<v Speaker 1>lot of that kind of piling around. And then the

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<v Speaker 1>game's continued to get more sophisticated and you got into

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<v Speaker 1>things like the first person shooters, which really started to

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<v Speaker 1>concern some people, especially when you had it tie into

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<v Speaker 1>other real, actual, real life horrible events like the Columbine shooting. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a connection between the people who who the

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<v Speaker 1>students who committed that act and and the first person

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<v Speaker 1>shooters that they enjoyed playing. UM. And then people began

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<v Speaker 1>to think, well, hey, could there possibly be something that is,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, something about these games that's inspiring these kids

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<v Speaker 1>to do these kind of things. And that's really where

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<v Speaker 1>this this avalanche began. Yeah. M. According to David Walsh,

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<v Speaker 1>who has a child psychologist and I still want of

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<v Speaker 1>yours UM, he said that the National Institutes of Health

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<v Speaker 1>had done some some research into it, and uh. He

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<v Speaker 1>co authored a study that connected the the playing of

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<v Speaker 1>violent video games to physical aggression UM. But he cited

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<v Speaker 1>that that information from the National Institutes of Health, and

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<v Speaker 1>it basically said the teenage brain is not fully developed,

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<v Speaker 1>so uh, you know, it's kids aren't ready for handling

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<v Speaker 1>violence like this that can actually form an impression on

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<v Speaker 1>them and you know, make a a normally docile kid

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<v Speaker 1>into a killing machine. And um, you know, there there

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<v Speaker 1>have been some incidents like in June seven, two thousand three,

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<v Speaker 1>Um Devon Moore in a town called Fayette, Alabama, killed

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<v Speaker 1>two police officers in a dispatcher. Um he had been

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<v Speaker 1>picked up for allegedly trying to steal a car, and uh,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, at the police station, he jumped up. According

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<v Speaker 1>according the information I read on CBS News, he uh

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<v Speaker 1>jumped up and grabbed the gun and shot the police

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<v Speaker 1>officer who had him in the head. Then when another

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<v Speaker 1>police officer come came to find what was going on, Uh,

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<v Speaker 1>he shot More shot him too and in the head.

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<v Speaker 1>And then a police dispatcher was at the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the hall and More shot him in the head and

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<v Speaker 1>grab the keys to a police cruiser and took off.

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<v Speaker 1>Now they caught him. He was tried and convicted and

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<v Speaker 1>sentenced to the death penalty. Um. But um, a very

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<v Speaker 1>famous attorney named Jack Thompson picked up this case and

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<v Speaker 1>uh he wanted to sue the publishers of the game,

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<v Speaker 1>which was Grand Theft Auto UM because apparently he uh

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<v Speaker 1>evidence suggested that More played a lot of grand theft

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<v Speaker 1>auto and which a lot of people. Basically, when the

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<v Speaker 1>deal is you steal cars and you shoot people, you

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<v Speaker 1>you commit mons and tons of crimes, yeah, among other things,

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<v Speaker 1>and can run people over and yeah. So uh so

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<v Speaker 1>Jack Thompson said, you know this was obviously because the

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<v Speaker 1>violent video game. Uh. And he sued Take two Interactive,

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<v Speaker 1>the publishers, and rock Star Studios, the studio that creates

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<v Speaker 1>the game. Um. And uh, you know, trying to bring

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<v Speaker 1>him down for the for the obvious effects. You know

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<v Speaker 1>that he claimed the game had on on Devin Moore. Sure, so, hey,

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<v Speaker 1>what's what's the up to these days? Uh, Jack Thompson,

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<v Speaker 1>he's cooling his heels. Um. Apparently. Well, for one thing,

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<v Speaker 1>he was a Florida lawyer and he tried to to

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<v Speaker 1>get a waiver to basically a one time permit to

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<v Speaker 1>try this case in Alabama. Um. However, the he has

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<v Speaker 1>since been disbarred in Florida permanently because, according to the

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<v Speaker 1>report on the Florida bar dot org website, UM, he

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<v Speaker 1>engaged in a number of unprofessional behaviors in in this case,

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<v Speaker 1>he couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Well, he's

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<v Speaker 1>uh I'll let him suit you for saying. Um. But yeah,

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<v Speaker 1>he he is known to the video game industry. If

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<v Speaker 1>you search for his name on sites that are known

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<v Speaker 1>for gaming or technology, UM, you'll find his name popping

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<v Speaker 1>up a lot of places. And he does not It's

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<v Speaker 1>clear he does not like violent video games, right. And

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<v Speaker 1>he still holds that position even though he's no longer

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<v Speaker 1>able to practice law. Yeah, and there, but there are,

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<v Speaker 1>like we said, there are definitely uh, medical professional psychologists

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<v Speaker 1>who are who also believe in this um, in this

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<v Speaker 1>causality or at least correlation between violence and the violence

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<v Speaker 1>you find in video games. Craig A. Anderson did a

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<v Speaker 1>study and yes, Mr Anderson, actually Dr Anderson does study

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<v Speaker 1>and and uh I believe it was two thousand one. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>He looked at a lot of other studies. So he

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<v Speaker 1>did what is called in the science biz as a

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<v Speaker 1>meta analysis, where you take the results of various studies

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<v Speaker 1>and you combine those results to kind of get an

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<v Speaker 1>overall big picture of whether or not a whether or

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<v Speaker 1>not a certain theory holds any water. Um. Here's the

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<v Speaker 1>thing about a meta analysis, It's it's tricky to do correctly.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem with the meta analysis is that you take

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<v Speaker 1>all these different studies and you some of them may

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<v Speaker 1>not be very good studies. They may not have they

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<v Speaker 1>may have a bad methodology. Um, there may be a

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<v Speaker 1>very small sample size, so the the data is not

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<v Speaker 1>really reliable. UM. But you just lump it in with

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<v Speaker 1>everything else, so you get the good along with the bad.

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<v Speaker 1>And there's no real way of necessarily telling how much

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<v Speaker 1>of one you have versus the other. And uh So

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<v Speaker 1>he's received some criticism for his approach, uh to just

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<v Speaker 1>to take all these different different studies and combine them

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<v Speaker 1>and and try and draw conclusions from that. Now his conclusions,

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<v Speaker 1>he believes that there is a link between the violence

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<v Speaker 1>and video games and and real life violence. Um. He

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<v Speaker 1>cited several studies that suggested that after playing violent video games,

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<v Speaker 1>children showed more signs of aggression, um even if they

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<v Speaker 1>had only played twenty minutes of a violent video game,

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<v Speaker 1>whereas kids who played video games that didn't have violence

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<v Speaker 1>in them, like say just a simple like a race

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<v Speaker 1>card game or something Tetris tetris, anything like that did

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<v Speaker 1>not show this kind of level of aggression. UM. So

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<v Speaker 1>things like that he cited, and and he uh He's

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<v Speaker 1>written several Times about how he doesn't believe that the

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<v Speaker 1>many that most of the studies were done very well.

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<v Speaker 1>They he doesn't think that they were poorly designed or

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<v Speaker 1>poorly executed. Um. So he's defended his position. But other

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<v Speaker 1>people like Benjamin Radford, who's one of the managing editors

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<v Speaker 1>of The Skeptical Enquirer, which is a journal about critical

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<v Speaker 1>thinking and skepticism. Really yeah, you wouldn't imagine it from

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<v Speaker 1>that title. Huh see it? Yeah, sure you. Well, it's

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<v Speaker 1>actually an excellent journal, but it's he He writes that

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<v Speaker 1>the meta analysis alone is kind of questionable, and that

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<v Speaker 1>the link between violence and video games is not at

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<v Speaker 1>all apparent. It may exist, but it's not hasn't been proven. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>And that also correlation and causation are two different things,

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<v Speaker 1>which is a very important point. So here's here's the question,

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<v Speaker 1>video games make kids violent? Or do violent kids like

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<v Speaker 1>violent video games? I am not an adequate judge to

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<v Speaker 1>answer that question. Yeah, I would from from a common

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<v Speaker 1>sense kind of perspective, which of course means that it's

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<v Speaker 1>not at all scientific scientific, Yeah exactly. This is this

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<v Speaker 1>is just based on my own sort of gut instinct,

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<v Speaker 1>and I have nothing to back this up other than

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<v Speaker 1>just my own personal experiences, and uh so it really

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't hold any way. It's just my own personal opinion.

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<v Speaker 1>I think that violent kids do tend to enjoy violent

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<v Speaker 1>video games. It's it's a way of acting out kind

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<v Speaker 1>of a power fantasy, right. You're able to exert power

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<v Speaker 1>over other individuals. Now granted these individuals may be completely virtual,

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<v Speaker 1>they're just characters on the screen, but you're able to to,

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<v Speaker 1>uh to, like I said, exert power over them. And

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<v Speaker 1>so you're drawn to that because I mean, that's the

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<v Speaker 1>kind of personality you have. Then you know you're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>want to play those sort of games. And you may

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<v Speaker 1>also be violent in real life as well. But that's

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<v Speaker 1>not because the video game. It's because of your the way,

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<v Speaker 1>the way you are. UM, I don't necessarily think that

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<v Speaker 1>a violent video game makes a person violent. And I

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<v Speaker 1>this is anecdotal, so again not scientific. UM I play

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<v Speaker 1>a lot of video games. You play some violent video

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<v Speaker 1>I play some seriously violent video games. I have the

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<v Speaker 1>Grand Theft Auto series. I've played the heck out of them.

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<v Speaker 1>I play first person shooters. I UM, I enjoy playing

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<v Speaker 1>these violent video games, and I am not a violent person.

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<v Speaker 1>It has been literally days since I punched someone. Um. No, seriously,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm I haven't been a fight since I was thirteen

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<v Speaker 1>years old, al decades, twenty years to it. And there

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<v Speaker 1>you go. We know, Christopher Ferguson and wrote a report

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<v Speaker 1>in Psychiatric Quarterly. UM, and he said that he actually

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<v Speaker 1>did a study on on peer of view journals and

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<v Speaker 1>just to see the other literature that was out there. Um,

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<v Speaker 1>he found you know, once he was he had stripped

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<v Speaker 1>the bias away. According to what he said, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>stripped the bias way. He didn't find any support for

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<v Speaker 1>the idea that video games cause violence. And he actually

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<v Speaker 1>believes that there are some positive benefits. Um. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>visio spatial cognition. Um. Basically you know, getting your bearings

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<v Speaker 1>in the virtual world. UM. So you know there may

0:14:02.240 --> 0:14:04.560
<v Speaker 1>be there may be some benefits to it, I suppose.

0:14:04.960 --> 0:14:08.400
<v Speaker 1>But you know this, this really isn't a new concept,

0:14:08.520 --> 0:14:10.960
<v Speaker 1>you know, talking about the violence and video games that

0:14:11.000 --> 0:14:14.439
<v Speaker 1>are corrupting influences. I'm sure you may have heard of

0:14:14.559 --> 0:14:19.880
<v Speaker 1>Dr Frederick Wortham or maybe the title Seduction of the Innocence. Yes,

0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.400
<v Speaker 1>this was a book written many decades ago, almost a

0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.200
<v Speaker 1>hundred years ago now I'm getting there anyway, I guess

0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:29.920
<v Speaker 1>seven years ago, and um, it was about how violent

0:14:30.040 --> 0:14:35.360
<v Speaker 1>comic books were causing kids to commit crimes. And then

0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:39.560
<v Speaker 1>there's the whole heavy metal music causes kids to commit suicide.

0:14:39.760 --> 0:14:44.200
<v Speaker 1>You want to go even further back, talk about Victorian England,

0:14:44.720 --> 0:14:48.440
<v Speaker 1>where there were some people who believed that the that

0:14:48.520 --> 0:14:51.760
<v Speaker 1>a performance of the incredible case of Dr Jackal and

0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:56.880
<v Speaker 1>Mr Hyde somehow managed to inspire Jack the Ripper. Yeah,

0:14:56.920 --> 0:14:59.040
<v Speaker 1>So I mean this is something that goes way back,

0:14:59.080 --> 0:15:03.560
<v Speaker 1>talking about fan to see somehow impacting reality. Yeah. And

0:15:03.560 --> 0:15:06.280
<v Speaker 1>and the reason why video games I think gets more

0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:10.320
<v Speaker 1>attention than say I mean, obviously you've got parent counsels

0:15:10.320 --> 0:15:12.640
<v Speaker 1>that are concerned about violence in all forms of media,

0:15:12.720 --> 0:15:15.240
<v Speaker 1>not just video games. But the reason why video games

0:15:15.240 --> 0:15:17.640
<v Speaker 1>I think get a lot of attention is because you

0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:21.120
<v Speaker 1>take an active role. You're not just passively watching or

0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:25.400
<v Speaker 1>reading your you are your actions are being translated into

0:15:25.480 --> 0:15:28.800
<v Speaker 1>this video game world. So I think it's that extra

0:15:28.880 --> 0:15:32.560
<v Speaker 1>step that concerns some people. And I think to part

0:15:32.560 --> 0:15:35.880
<v Speaker 1>of it is that some of the populace is just

0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:38.840
<v Speaker 1>not into video games. They've never played them. Um, it's

0:15:38.840 --> 0:15:41.960
<v Speaker 1>new for a lot of people. Um, you know, for example,

0:15:42.040 --> 0:15:46.000
<v Speaker 1>ballroom dancing, uh, you know to to Uh. I won't

0:15:46.000 --> 0:15:48.640
<v Speaker 1>admit to watching Dancing with the Stars, but I, you know,

0:15:48.800 --> 0:15:51.320
<v Speaker 1>possibly may have been an earshot of a TV when

0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:53.440
<v Speaker 1>they said that. I think it was. The waltz was

0:15:53.520 --> 0:15:56.720
<v Speaker 1>considered risk. Ay at one time. Now we've all been alive.

0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:00.280
<v Speaker 1>Everyone you know on the planet now was alive. Sense

0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.520
<v Speaker 1>the walls was a normal thing. So to think about

0:16:03.520 --> 0:16:06.600
<v Speaker 1>it in that context, you think, what are you kidding? Well, yeah,

0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.360
<v Speaker 1>we have violent video games. Now that's so much more corrupting.

0:16:10.440 --> 0:16:12.400
<v Speaker 1>But you know, in a hundred years it may not

0:16:12.440 --> 0:16:14.600
<v Speaker 1>be such a big deal. They'll find something else to

0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:16.760
<v Speaker 1>be outraged about. You can hear the same thing about

0:16:16.960 --> 0:16:21.320
<v Speaker 1>certain composers when some of their like Beethoven's, several Beethoven's

0:16:21.320 --> 0:16:24.000
<v Speaker 1>pieces got the same sort of attention. UM. Getting back

0:16:24.000 --> 0:16:26.440
<v Speaker 1>to to the video games, I wanted to mention one

0:16:26.480 --> 0:16:32.200
<v Speaker 1>other study UM, which was conducted by Patrick Kirkgard UH

0:16:32.240 --> 0:16:34.880
<v Speaker 1>and it was published in the International Journal of Liability

0:16:34.880 --> 0:16:40.160
<v Speaker 1>and Scientific Inquiry. Kirkgard also decided that from his from

0:16:40.240 --> 0:16:43.640
<v Speaker 1>his research, he decided that many of the claims that

0:16:43.840 --> 0:16:48.160
<v Speaker 1>violence comes like people kids were becoming violent because of

0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:50.960
<v Speaker 1>the violence of video games. Uh, he thought that those

0:16:50.960 --> 0:16:54.360
<v Speaker 1>conclusions were faulty. He didn't necessarily he didn't go so

0:16:54.360 --> 0:16:57.000
<v Speaker 1>far as to say that they were completely wrong. He

0:16:57.120 --> 0:17:00.280
<v Speaker 1>just said that you couldn't support that from the teas

0:17:00.360 --> 0:17:03.640
<v Speaker 1>that were conducted. Um. So again, it's one of those

0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:06.800
<v Speaker 1>the question is still up in the air. UM. I

0:17:06.840 --> 0:17:09.240
<v Speaker 1>bring that one up because it was fairly recent. I

0:17:09.600 --> 0:17:12.040
<v Speaker 1>had first heard about it. I think it was this

0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:16.439
<v Speaker 1>past spring. So again, studies are still ongoing. I'm not

0:17:16.440 --> 0:17:18.040
<v Speaker 1>sure that we're going to get to the bottom of

0:17:18.080 --> 0:17:19.879
<v Speaker 1>this anytime soon. For one thing, I think there are

0:17:19.920 --> 0:17:22.600
<v Speaker 1>way too many variables and too many factors to take

0:17:22.600 --> 0:17:25.840
<v Speaker 1>into consideration. It's hard to boil it down to hey,

0:17:26.280 --> 0:17:28.560
<v Speaker 1>you know, a little billy just played Mortal Kombat and

0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.400
<v Speaker 1>then he's gonna go and punch his sister and and

0:17:31.480 --> 0:17:34.360
<v Speaker 1>I mean, it's there are too many things to take

0:17:34.359 --> 0:17:37.000
<v Speaker 1>into consideration to just blame it on one factor. And

0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:41.320
<v Speaker 1>I don't think that video games are completely innocent, to

0:17:41.359 --> 0:17:44.600
<v Speaker 1>be honest. Somebody who is going to commit a violent

0:17:44.600 --> 0:17:48.000
<v Speaker 1>act like that may find inspiration, yeah, but they can

0:17:48.000 --> 0:17:51.840
<v Speaker 1>find inspiration from anything. Though. Well, you know, it doesn't

0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:56.080
<v Speaker 1>help when you hear things say. According to CBS News, UM,

0:17:56.280 --> 0:18:00.760
<v Speaker 1>when the police brought in Devin Moore, he said the

0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:03.720
<v Speaker 1>quote was life is like a video game. Everybody's got

0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:07.520
<v Speaker 1>to die sometime. So but that just adds fuel to

0:18:07.560 --> 0:18:10.280
<v Speaker 1>the fire when people say that this is a result

0:18:10.280 --> 0:18:12.680
<v Speaker 1>and then you see, you know, an act like I

0:18:12.720 --> 0:18:15.880
<v Speaker 1>remember a report of a school shooting, um some time

0:18:15.920 --> 0:18:19.159
<v Speaker 1>ago now where the kid shot out the mirrors in

0:18:19.200 --> 0:18:22.280
<v Speaker 1>the bathroom, in the school bathroom. And at this point

0:18:22.280 --> 0:18:24.760
<v Speaker 1>it's apocryphal because I had difficulty finding it in the

0:18:24.800 --> 0:18:28.480
<v Speaker 1>short amount of time I allotted to find that particular article. Um,

0:18:28.520 --> 0:18:32.080
<v Speaker 1>but that actually is directly from what Duke nucam I believe,

0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:35.920
<v Speaker 1>where their actual power ups behind the mirrors there may

0:18:35.960 --> 0:18:39.840
<v Speaker 1>have been so this and this argument to me doesn't

0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:43.080
<v Speaker 1>hold any water because you're talking about disturbed individuals who

0:18:43.119 --> 0:18:47.479
<v Speaker 1>will take anything, latch onto anything, and that could fuel

0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:49.960
<v Speaker 1>their their power fantasies. I mean, we see the same

0:18:50.000 --> 0:18:53.760
<v Speaker 1>thing with the arguments against role playing games, where parents

0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:56.760
<v Speaker 1>were saying, hey, this role playing game is corrupting children.

0:18:56.800 --> 0:19:00.320
<v Speaker 1>It's gonna convince them to become Satanists. They're gonna kill

0:19:00.359 --> 0:19:06.160
<v Speaker 1>each other. And you're talking about saying that kids should

0:19:06.200 --> 0:19:09.159
<v Speaker 1>not indulge in any kind of fantasy play at all

0:19:09.760 --> 0:19:12.000
<v Speaker 1>because there's the danger that they're going to believe the

0:19:12.040 --> 0:19:15.960
<v Speaker 1>fantasy is reality. I think that's just ridiculous. I think

0:19:16.000 --> 0:19:18.720
<v Speaker 1>really that you have certain individuals who are predisposed to

0:19:18.760 --> 0:19:21.760
<v Speaker 1>that kind of psychosis. But you can't sit there and

0:19:21.800 --> 0:19:24.520
<v Speaker 1>say that the fantasy was the cause of it. It's

0:19:24.560 --> 0:19:27.399
<v Speaker 1>the cause. The cause is internal, it's not external. No.

0:19:27.520 --> 0:19:30.920
<v Speaker 1>I actually I actually agree with you. What I meant was, um,

0:19:30.960 --> 0:19:33.159
<v Speaker 1>for somebody who is already predisposed to that kind of

0:19:33.160 --> 0:19:36.119
<v Speaker 1>an action, they can latch onto something they see in

0:19:36.119 --> 0:19:37.919
<v Speaker 1>a comic book or in a movie, but then they

0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:40.200
<v Speaker 1>are on the street. A solution to that would then

0:19:40.240 --> 0:19:44.520
<v Speaker 1>be eliminate all interesting stuff everywhere for fear that it

0:19:44.560 --> 0:19:47.240
<v Speaker 1>could cause someone to go off the deep end, right,

0:19:47.280 --> 0:19:50.040
<v Speaker 1>And I'm not advocating doing that, just saying that I

0:19:50.119 --> 0:19:54.400
<v Speaker 1>was totally gonna punch you. Oh no, I've fallen into

0:19:54.440 --> 0:19:58.960
<v Speaker 1>your Trapolette. I see what you did there. So no,

0:19:59.240 --> 0:20:03.040
<v Speaker 1>I'm just saying it that, you know, it's just impossible

0:20:03.080 --> 0:20:06.760
<v Speaker 1>to blame that one thing, but and you know, an

0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:10.720
<v Speaker 1>event like that, it can definitely that's what that Yeah,

0:20:10.760 --> 0:20:15.040
<v Speaker 1>that's what link that people are looking for. UM. So

0:20:15.640 --> 0:20:17.960
<v Speaker 1>you know, that's all I'm saying. Okay, that's all I'm saying.

0:20:17.960 --> 0:20:24.280
<v Speaker 1>All Right, I'm calm now, all right, sure you are. Wow.

0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:27.040
<v Speaker 1>Well this was a good conversation. We got we got

0:20:27.160 --> 0:20:30.360
<v Speaker 1>heated in that argument a little bit. I'm just good

0:20:30.359 --> 0:20:32.960
<v Speaker 1>because it's cold in here and it's a little chilly anyway.

0:20:33.160 --> 0:20:35.399
<v Speaker 1>So I guess we can probably wrap this up. Did

0:20:35.440 --> 0:20:37.840
<v Speaker 1>you have any any other interesting studies or anything you

0:20:37.880 --> 0:20:41.600
<v Speaker 1>want to bring up? No, no additional studies that the

0:20:41.640 --> 0:20:45.119
<v Speaker 1>difference with you. You know, Yeah, the the question is

0:20:45.119 --> 0:20:48.880
<v Speaker 1>still up in the air. I think it'll probably will

0:20:48.920 --> 0:20:52.560
<v Speaker 1>be for quite some time. They'll they'll definitely be more studies. Um.

0:20:52.880 --> 0:20:55.080
<v Speaker 1>Another thing to keep in mind I should have pointed

0:20:55.080 --> 0:20:57.800
<v Speaker 1>this out earlier is if you're reading a study, find

0:20:57.840 --> 0:21:02.719
<v Speaker 1>out who commissioned it, but because there may be bias. Uh.

0:21:03.920 --> 0:21:06.679
<v Speaker 1>If it's a completely independent study, then you can you

0:21:06.720 --> 0:21:09.159
<v Speaker 1>can feel a little more comfortable that there is no bias.

0:21:09.240 --> 0:21:12.760
<v Speaker 1>But if it's something where a parent teacher association has

0:21:12.840 --> 0:21:17.520
<v Speaker 1>funded a specific study that brings into question the findings,

0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:20.399
<v Speaker 1>I mean, you know, even if the scientists were trying

0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:25.000
<v Speaker 1>to go straightforward and not not will make the results

0:21:25.040 --> 0:21:27.639
<v Speaker 1>lean one way or the other. When you're receiving money

0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:30.720
<v Speaker 1>from a specific interested party. I think it's a little

0:21:30.720 --> 0:21:33.879
<v Speaker 1>complicated to keep that in mind. But if you want

0:21:33.920 --> 0:21:35.639
<v Speaker 1>to learn more about this, we have a great article

0:21:35.640 --> 0:21:38.840
<v Speaker 1>on the side. Actually, it's called do Violent Video Games

0:21:38.920 --> 0:21:41.280
<v Speaker 1>Lead to Real Violence? And that was written by Julia

0:21:41.359 --> 0:21:44.320
<v Speaker 1>Layton and that was updated as as late as the spring,

0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:47.120
<v Speaker 1>so it's it's up to date too, so I would

0:21:47.200 --> 0:21:50.600
<v Speaker 1>recommend checking that out if you want to learn more. Also,

0:21:50.640 --> 0:21:53.680
<v Speaker 1>I would play this podcast backwards for our secret message. Yeah,

0:21:53.920 --> 0:21:55.760
<v Speaker 1>I hope. I hope you guys find it. If you do,

0:21:56.000 --> 0:21:58.440
<v Speaker 1>write in and tell us what it was, and then

0:21:58.520 --> 0:22:01.360
<v Speaker 1>we'll probably send somebody out and they won't run you over.

0:22:02.000 --> 0:22:03.320
<v Speaker 1>I don't know where I'm going with that. I'm done,

0:22:03.520 --> 0:22:07.360
<v Speaker 1>guys in the white coat is shown anyway, make sure

0:22:07.400 --> 0:22:09.919
<v Speaker 1>you visit how stuff works dot com so read this

0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:12.399
<v Speaker 1>article in others and we will talk to you again

0:22:12.480 --> 0:22:16.840
<v Speaker 1>soon for more on this and thousands of other topics.

0:22:16.880 --> 0:22:19.959
<v Speaker 1>Because at how stuff works dot com. Let us know

0:22:20.000 --> 0:22:22.920
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0:22:22.960 --> 0:22:29.159
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