Ten-country comparison suggests there’s little or no link between video games and gun murders - The Washington Post

See original article

Key Finding: No Correlation Between Video Games and Gun Murders

A study examining ten of the world's largest video game markets found no correlation between video game consumption and gun-related homicides. This contradicts the common assumption that violent video games contribute to real-world gun violence.

Data Analysis

The analysis compared per capita video game spending and gun-related homicide rates in these ten countries. The United States, while having a high rate of both video game spending and gun violence, was highlighted as an outlier. Other countries with high video game consumption demonstrated significantly lower gun violence rates.

Counter-Intuitive Findings

The data suggests a possible inverse relationship, with countries spending more on video games having lower gun violence rates. This is possibly due to the fact that wealthier countries, capable of supporting a thriving video game market, also tend to have lower overall crime rates.

Conclusion

The study concludes that, based on available international data, there is little to no evidence supporting the claim that video game consumption leads to increased gun violence.

Ultimately, the high rate of gun-related homicides in the United States remains a significant and separate issue that requires further investigation.

Sign up for a free account and get the following:
  • Save articles and sync them across your devices
  • Get a digest of the latest premium articles in your inbox twice a week, personalized to you (Coming soon).
  • Get access to our AI features