Violent video games don’t correlate to gun violence

A blogger over on the The Washington Post online has produced some statistical analysis which suggests that violent video game consumption does not correlate with increased gun violence.

By drawing a comparison between video game spending per capita and the gun-related homicides in the world’s 10 largest video game markets, the conclusion is that the United States is somewhat of an anomaly in this regard.

Video Games consumption and gun murders – source: Washington Post

However, I think a flaw with this approach is that gun-ownership in the United States is far more common than in the other countries listed.

Still, it provides for an interesting talking point on the continuing debate of the influence of violent video games on behaviour.

Personally I don’t think violent video games generally have a negative effect on social behaviour, and there are simply nutjobs out there who will commit violent crimes no matter what.

Of course this is a complex debate – sound off in the comments with your opinion.