[UPDATE] US President directs Centers for Disease Control to conduct further studies on relationship between virtual violence and real-world violence; the ESA responds.
President Barack Obama today ordered more research be done to investigate the relationship between video games and real-world violence. As part of a $500 million, 23-point plan, Obama directed the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other research agencies to conduct further research into the matter in the wake of December's deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
The Obama administration is calling on Congress to allocate $10 million for the CDC to conduct its research. Vice President Joe Biden met with gaming leaders--including Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello and Entertainment Software Association president Michael Gallagher--last week to discuss gun violence.
Obama's plan to conduct more research into game violence is not the only such ongoing initiative. West Virginia Senator Jay Rockefeller's dead-but-not-defeated proposition would task the National Academy of Sciences to study the effects of violent video games and other programs on children. Rockefeller plans to re-introduce the bill to Congress this month.
"Most gun owners are responsible and law-abiding, and they use their guns safely," reads a statement from the White House. "The President strongly believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. But to better protect our children and our communities from tragic mass shootings like those in Newtown, Aurora, Oak Creek, and Tucson, there are four common-sense steps we can take right now."
In addition to tasking the CDC with conducting more research on video game violence, Obama's plan includes closing background check loopholes, banning military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, making schools safer, and increasing access to mental health services.
"While no law or set of laws will end gun violence, it is clear that the American people want action," the statement continues. "If even one child’s life can be saved, then we need to act. Now is the time to do the right thing for our children, our communities, and the country we love."
[UPDATE] Following the publication of this story, the Entertainment Software Association issued a statement on the news to Joystiq. It states that scientific research has proven entertainment does not cause real-world violent behavior and notes the organization will continue to work with Obama and Congress to find solutions.
"ESA appreciates President Obama's and Vice President Biden's leadership and the thoughtful, comprehensive process of the White House Gun Violence Commission. We concur with President Obama's call today for all Americans to do their part, and agree with the report's conclusion that the entertainment and video game industries have a responsibility to give parents tools and choices about the movies and programs their children watch and the games their children play.
"The same entertainment is enjoyed across all cultures and nations, but tragic levels of gun violence remain unique to our country. Scientific research and international and domestic crime data all point toward the same conclusion: entertainment does not cause violent behavior in the real world.
"We will embrace a constructive role in the important national dialogue around gun violence in the United States, and continue to collaborate with the Administration and Congress as they examine the facts that inform meaningful solutions."
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
If a child is driven to murderring ppl, his guardian or parents are to blame. Forget video games, kids see and hear about death and all sorts a sick shit in reality ( tv, school, books, radio). Should all these be banned as well. Cmon, parents need to start letting their kids play age appropriate video games especially if they assess that their kid is mentally confused or unstable. I feel like were taking one step towards creating a world, dipicted in the movie "equilibrium".
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@Jonny-Two-Delta Have two kids play Call of Duty, then put them both in the same room. Leave a gun on the table. Wait. If nothing happens, rinse & repeat with other kids until something happens, then blame it on video games.
There are new studies about games and aggression being published monthly. Idk why he doesn't start by reading those before deciding that more research needs to be done.
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Regardless of Obama's good intentions towards researching this issue as opposed to ignorantly pointing fingers like most idiots, its still 10 million dollars down the drain....
@Jagr_68 Thing is they had the reports from the last time these old fart advisers tried to pin a tragic event on gaming. So yeah, 10 mil well and truly down the pan
i don't get why china hates us yet still learn our language and make a lot of stuff for us why is that? and they let obama borrow a lot of money that made us in debt why don't we just spend even more money we don't even have
@DouglassIndust @Drebo okay i gotcha. you wanted to make the point that borrowing money (from china) for these studies is stupid and irresponsible, and you would be right
@DouglassIndust @Bane_09 neither of you are talking about what the Article that is being discussed is about. just saying =)
The illuminattie chief wishes this so much time ago, an excuse to controll more and more the population. Death to globalists and the cattle that does nothing to stop the NWO.
@Metronoid It's too late Metronoid. You cannot stop us!! Our rule and order will cover every continent on this world. It's best you give in to us. We are the future.
@DouglassIndust @msfan1289 might as well ban water guns too. hell lets ban nail guns, any thing that have a gun, or shoots stuff like.
Nothing wrong with research, if anything it will just show the people games aren't the real problem
@Bane_09 The research has already been done. When I took Psychology in college 13 years ago we talked about this same thing and my teacher filled us in on the studies that had been done. They already have the information. They are literally ignoring it.
@Wango_Tango @Bane_09 I'm not saying research hasn't already been done, but most of the comments here seem to think there's going to be a witch hunt for violent games which is not the case. More research doesn't hurt. At the very worst this could be argued as wasteful spending
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@Wango_Tango @Bane_09 Bu...bu...but the graphics are so lifelike now. Doesn't that change things? It's one thing to curb stomp goomba sprites. It's quite another to kill the hooker with a golf club to get your monies back.
I thought the problem was guns... not games. Way to avoid the issue and waste money politicians!
@NightPhoenix117 They said they'd conduct more research...they can suck donkey nuts because they're trying their best to look at this at every angle?
think of all the violent games I could buy with 10 million! That'd keep me busy a lot longer then it'll keep the researchers busy
@bgghgubcjhgknjk ya those kinds of games might not even exist anymore cuz of nra and obama
@DouglassIndust @bgghgubcjhgknjk please, research does not mean they are going to start burning games
How is banning video games going to stop people from killing each other i bet our fellow americans living in tent cities or hungry kids in africa and south america could use that money
@NightPhoenix117 @Pete5506 exactly obamas always got an exuse for something like what you just said but he says we as a country don't have that kind of money. REALLY!?!? and 10 million dollars ain't enough?
Obama is a terrible president. We all know that. He has no idea what he is doing and this is just a scape goat throw-away waste of our money. Lots of "Hope" and "Change" going on for the last few years huh? Good thing we got out of that recession. Oh......wait..........
wasting more money on the stupidest thing the govt wants to know what the rest of the world knows... video games don't kill people... smh we are all doomed!!!
@EmperorSupreme @Jake518 It wasn't hijaked. It was never "our" nation to begin with.
It was founded by slave owners preaching about "freedom". When America was first founded, only white, male, land-owners (wealthy) were even permitted to vote. Most wars are about harvesting resources from poorer, weaker nations and racketeering the material used for the war itself -not defending "us". Most laws about about extorting funds from citizens via court fees and fines and a profiteering prison system.
We were just tricked into THINKING it was "we the people". It never actually was.
We're just now becoming informed enough to acknowledge what it is. Platitudes are no substitute for critical thinking.
@nate1222 @EmperorSupreme @Jake518
You should review your history because in the eighteen hundreds many people that did not own land were granted the right to vote by Democrats and the newly formed Wig party that was replaced by the Republican Party which its purpose was to free blacks and give black males the right to vote. Dont forget womens sufferage.
The original point was No Taxation without Representation and virtual representation doesnt count. We elected Obama but alternative was worse.
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@nate1222 why are you deleting your post and then reposting them again a few min later? Every country at that time had slaves, so why nit pick our country specifically? While you are right that most early wars were about land and resources and such, They are viable reasons for fighting a war (not getting into a Iraq, Afghanistan argument here). As for your thinking we were tricked into thinking it was "we the people" how about doing something to make our country "about the people" then just bitch some not nice facts of our history, while ignoring the fact that American has done some wonderful thing as well. I am sure you've done somethings you regret, should you only be judged by that and ignore any good you have ever done?
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