New study links violent games to aggression

Video games have been linked to aggression in the young in a new comparative studies from the US and Japan.

According to The Telegraph (in a story also reported in worldwide news outlets such as CNN and Fox News) the results, which were published in this month’s journal Pediatrics, showed that despite cultural differences and disparities in crime rates, children across the spectrum were affected equally by playing games.

The research looked at the behaviour of more than 1,2000 Japanese youths aged between 12 and 18 as well as 364 children aged nine to 12 in the US – over a three to six month period.

Craig A Anderson, a psychology professor at Iowa State University who lead the research, said: "We now have conclusive evidence that playing violent video games has harmful effects on children and adolescents."

He added: "The [Japanese] culture is so different and their overall violence rate is so much lower than in the US.

"By gathering data from Japan, we can test that hypothesis directly and ask, ‘Is it the case that Japanese kids are totally unaffected by playing violent video games?’

"And of course, they aren’t. They’re affected pretty much the same way American kids are."

The Telegraph adds: ‘Recommendations on media violence are currently being revised by the American Academy of Pediatrics as a result of the study’s findings.’