Do Video Games Cause Mass Shootings? New Report Sheds Light On Issue

In the wake of the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Donald Trump and many other Republicans have pinned blame on an old target: violent video games. Seemingly more than in past cases, lawmakers like Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have pointed the finger at video games as opposed to advocating for stronger gun control laws.

But experts in the field of psychology are now pushing back against these long-disproven assertions.

“The research is not there to suggest that there is a link between violent video games and these horrific acts of violence,” said Patrick Markey, director of The Interpersonal Research Laboratory and professor of psychology at Villanova University. “When we look at when people play video games, we actually see a dip in violent crimes ... and we don’t see an uptick later on.”

Markey noted that the numbers don’t add up when it comes to school shooters playing violent games when compared to the wider populace. Over 70% of high schoolers have been found to play violent video games, while only 20% of school shooters were found to play them.

Furthermore, Markey pointed out, white perpetrators are eight times more likely to have their actions blamed on violent media when compared to other races and genders.

Video games, Markey claims, are a “red herring” for other issues.

CNBC recently touched on how Russell Shilling, chief scientific officer at the American Psychological Association, noted that while minor upticks in aggression have been found after playing violent video games, the amount of such cases is too small to mean anything for the wider population, and aggression doesn’t equate to violent actions.

There has also been blowback from the International Game Developers Association, the largest video game advocacy organization, particularly amid Walmart's decision to take displays of violent video games out of stores.

“Blaming video games distracts from the broader issues at hand,” said Renee Gittins, executive director of the International Game Developers Association. “There is an overwhelming amount of research that finds there is no evidence linking video games to violence. Video games do not cause violence.”