Views Clash at Senate Game Hearing
“Yesterday, the United States Senate’s Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Property Rights
held a hearing designed to publicly discuss the issue of laws restricting game sales. The hearing saw two panels of
four testify on the impact violent video games have on children, including Dr. David Bickham
, Staff Scientist at CMCH.
“After citing several studies that linked violent media to aggressive behavior, Bickham declared, “There are reasons to believe that the influences of violent video games are stronger than those of other forms of screen violence.” He pointed out that games are interactive, reward the player for completing tasks,
and “require almost complete attention” from the player.
Bickham continued by saying that “video games are designed to be incredibly engaging and ‘fun,’ often leading children to slip deeply into a ‘flow state’ in which they may be at increased susceptibility to the messages of the game. Scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated that children learn what video games teach, and often that lesson is doing violence.”
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held a hearing designed to publicly discuss the issue of laws restricting game sales. The hearing saw two panels of
four testify on the impact violent video games have on children, including Dr. David Bickham
, Staff Scientist at CMCH.
“After citing several studies that linked violent media to aggressive behavior, Bickham declared, “There are reasons to believe that the influences of violent video games are stronger than those of other forms of screen violence.” He pointed out that games are interactive, reward the player for completing tasks,
and “require almost complete attention” from the player.
Bickham continued by saying that “video games are designed to be incredibly engaging and ‘fun,’ often leading children to slip deeply into a ‘flow state’ in which they may be at increased susceptibility to the messages of the game. Scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated that children learn what video games teach, and often that lesson is doing violence.”
» See Full Story