The El Paso Shooting and Video Games as a Partisan Issue - The Atlantic

The Shifting Narrative: Video Games and Mass Shootings

For decades, video games have been blamed for mass shootings, despite a lack of conclusive evidence supporting this claim. Initially, concerns were bipartisan, but recently, the issue has become highly politicized, with Republicans using it to deflect attention from gun control while Democrats counter by highlighting issues like white supremacy as the root cause.

Early Research and Moral Panics

Early research on video game violence was often flawed and yielded inconclusive results. Following events like the Columbine shooting, the research landscape shifted, with studies often finding a link between video games and aggression, even if not directly proving causation.

• Studies were often rudimentary, focusing on simple games and limited methodologies.
• The rise of more realistic and violent games in the 2000s increased concerns.
• Moral panics surrounded games like Doom and Mortal Kombat.

The Supreme Court and the Replication Crisis

The 2011 Supreme Court case, Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, questioned the validity of research linking video games to violence, highlighting methodological flaws. The replication crisis in behavioral science further weakened this research. Even so, following events like the Sandy Hook shooting, video games remained a scapegoat.

Partisan Weaponization

In recent years, the debate has become distinctly partisan. Republicans increasingly blame video games to avoid addressing gun control, while Democrats counter, focusing on broader societal issues.

• The NRA used video games as a distraction from gun control debates.
• Politicians often point fingers, using the issue for political gain.
• This partisan division overlooks the lack of evidence linking games directly to mass shootings.

The Current Landscape

The article concludes that the video game debate continues, serving as a political tool for both sides. While the lack of evidence connecting video games to mass violence is well-established, the political expediency of this scapegoat ensures the debate will likely persist.