Culture

Scott Shackford Argues in Defense of Violent Video Games in The American Spectator

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Nothing to fear here
GTA V

I've got a contribution in the November issue of The American Spectator, participating in their point/counterpoint feature, titled "Ten Paces."  This issue's debate asks, "Should we worry about violent video games?" I argue no, while author and columnist Peter Hitchens argues that we should. A small sample of my thrust on the matter:

At the same time that video games have grown into a mainstream form of recreation, violent crime in America has dropped to the lowest it has been in decades. We can throw psychological studies at each other, but statistically, actual crime figures do not suggest a massive uptick in violence correlated with the explosive growth of video game popularity.

I just realized that I missed the opportunity for an Angry Birds reference. Ah well.

While The American Spectator posts magazine content online, it's restricted to subscribers. The table of contents for the latest issue is here, and those who subscribe can log in and read. Otherwise, look for it on your local newsstands.