Video Game Violence Blog


https://stopthevideogameviolence.wordpress.com/  





Violent Video Games


  "For this new research, a group of pediatricians analyzed more than a dozen studies and meta-analyses that focused on the effects virtual violence had on both children’s attitudes and behaviors. The data revealed a direct cause-and-effect between exposure to media violence and aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and angry feelings."  -  Medical Daily (July 2016)


"APA Review Confirms Link Between Playing Violent Video Games and Aggression" - APA (August 2015)


"Violent Video Games and Bad Behavior: The Evidence Mounts" - Pacific Standard (Feb 2014) 


"Results showed that for teens who played the violent video games, those who scored higher in moral disengagement were especially likely to cheat, eat more chocolate, and act more aggressively.  There were no such differences among those who played the nonviolent games." - Psychology Today (Jan 2014)


"Researchers found that teens who played violent video games ate more chocolate and were more likely to steal raffle tickets in a lab experiment than were teens who played nonviolent games." - Science Blog (Nov 2013)  and  Mind Hacks (Nov 2013)  and  Business Standard (Dec 2013)  and  Times of India (Nov 2013) 


"The key finding here was that participants who'd played the Joker were more likely to perceive hostility in neutral faces (a marker of an aggressive mindset), as compared with the participants who played Superman." - BPS Research Digest (Nov 2013) 


"Can Violent Video Games Play a Role in Violent Behavior?" - PBS (Feb 2013) 


"A new study found in the May issue of Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine suggests that teens exposed to violent video games experienced lower quality sleep due to increased heart rates and increased feelings of sadness." - Herber Valley Unplugged (May 2013)  and  Psychosomatic Medicine (May 2013)  and  US News (May 2013)  and  Psych Central (May 2013)


"Yes, Violent Video Games Do Cause Aggression" - Psychology Today (Dec 2012)


"Violent video games: More playing time equals more aggression" - Science Daily (Dec 2012)


"Violent Video Games Do Cause Some Violence, But Censorship Won’t Help" - Tech Crunch (Dec 2012)


"Teenagers who play violent video games over a number of years become more aggressive towards other people as a result, according to a new long-term study. Researchers said the study was the first to show a clear link between a sustained period of playing violent games and subsequent increases in hostile behaviour. Girls who play violent computer games during their school years were found to be affected just as much as boys. The research team at Brock University in Canada said their results were 'concerning' and wrote that violent games could 'reinforce the notion that aggression is an effective and appropriate way to deal with conflict and anger'."  - Daily Mail (Oct 2012)


"A longitudinal study of the association between violent video game play and aggression among adolescents." - PubMed (July 2012)


"If you're worried about a video game turning your son or daughter into a killer, don't worry about that," says psychologist Patrick Markey of Villanova (Pa.) University. "But is your kid moody, impulsive, or are they unfriendly? It's probably not the best idea to have that child play violent video games." - USA Today (Sept 2011)


"Do Video Games Influence Violent Behavior?" - Michigan Youth Violence Prevention Center (August 2011)


"Are Violent Video Games Corrupting Children? Supreme Court Says States Cannot Decide" - Scientific American (June 2011)


"Today it is anticipated that the Supreme Court will rule on the case known as Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association. In this case, game merchants say they should be able to sell the most extreme violent video games to minors. While it's illegal for children to purchase to so-called "adult" movies, if the merchants get their way, no violent video game content would be considered as going too far to be safe for children.

A dozen of my colleagues and I authored an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, substantiating our view that violent video games can cause harm. Known as the Gruel Brief, we submitted a statement on video game violence "authored by thirteen of the most recognized media violence experts in the United States, Germany, and Japan, and endorsed by 102 additional researchers." - Psychology Today (June 2011) 


"A new study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology provides more evidence that violent video games desensitize players to violence, and makes them more violent in real life. This is not the first study to report such an effect; the evidence has been steadily accumulating over the last decade. But this study is worth looking at because it accidentally reveals both the immediate and long-term consequences of play." - Psychology Today (May 2011)  and  Science Daily (May 2011)  and  Science Blog (May 2011)


"Violent video games often treats the victims of the violence abstractly.  In some games, the victims are aliens or nonhuman monsters.  In other games, the opponents are soldiers who are so heavily protected with body armor that they do not really look like people at all.  In still other games, the opponents are members of some group of outsiders like gang members. Dehumanization is also a factor that supports violence in the outside world.  Nick Haslam and his colleagues have explore the ways that treating others as less than human tends leads to a negative attitude toward the dehumanized group and increases aggressive behavior toward the dehumanized group." - Psychology Today (May 2011)


"Children's exposure to violent video games over time can impact their ability to develop empathy and sympathy for others, according to a new study written by Simmons CollegeCommunications Professor Edward T. Vieira, Jr., Ph.D. and published in the 2011 spring/summer edition of the Journal of Children and Media.  - Simmons (April 2011)  and GameSpot (April 2011)  and  Washington Times (April 2011)  and  parentdish (April 2011) 


"HICKS: Video games and bullying"  - Washington Times (April 2011)


"Highly anticipated video game sequel glorifies violence toward women" - Raw Story (March 2011)


"Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression, Empathy, and Prosocial Behavior in Eastern and Western Countries: A Meta-Analytic Review" - Psychological Bulletin (2010)


"Playing a violent video game can increase aggression, and when a player keeps thinking about the game, the potential for aggression can last for as long as 24 hours, according to a study in the current Social Psychological and Personality Science (published by SAGE)." - Science Daily (Sept 2010)


"Playing violent video games can make some adolescents more hostile, particularly those who are less agreeable, less conscientious and easily angered."  -  American Psychological Association (June 2010)  and  Science Daily (June 2010)


"Playing a violent cop in a video game makes one more likely to identify with and feel sympathetic toward violent cops." - Miller McCune (May 2010)


"A study out of Iowa of 130 research reports on more than 130,000 subjects worldwide concludes that exposure to violent video games results in more aggressive, less empathetic youths." -  CNET (March 2010)   and Science Daily (March 2010)  and  PubMed (March 2010)


"Nailing the coffin shut on doubts that violent video games stimulate aggression: Comment on Anderson" - Psychological Bulletin (2010)  and  APA PsychNet (2010)


"Catharsis And Video Games" - Slideshare (Dec 2009)


"Effects of realism on extended violent and nonviolent video game play on aggressive thoughts, feelings, and physiological arousal." - PubMed (May 2009)


"Causal effects of violent sports video games on aggression: Is it competitiveness

or violent content?" - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (May 2009) 


"Violent video games and movies make people numb to the pain and suffering of others, according to a research report published in the March 2009 issue of Psychological Science." - Science Daily (Feb 2009)


Study Links Violent Video Games, Hostility: Research in U.S., Japan Shows Aggression Increased for Months After Play - Washington Post (Nov 2008)  and  Pediatrics (Nov 2008)  and  Science Daily (Nov 2008)  and  PubMed (Nov 2008) 


"How Are Other First-World Nations Suppressing the Adverse Consequences of Violence and Youth Sex in the Modern Media Environment?" -  Pediatrics: Letter to the Editor


The bloodier the game, the more hostile the gamer - Cognitive Daily (Sept 2008)


"Longer you play, the more hostile you feel: examination of first person shooter video games and aggression during video game play." - PubMed (Nov 2007) 


Video Games Normalize Killing, Doctors Say - KETV (Nov 2007)


"I wish I were a warrior: the role of wishful identification in the effects of violent video games on aggression in adolescent boys." - PubMed (July 2007)


"New research by Iowa State University psychologists provides more concrete evidence of the adverse effects of violent video game exposure on the behavior of children and adolescents." - ScienceDaily (April 2007)


"Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents: Theory, Research, and Public Policy" - Amazon (Jan 2007)


"Video Game Violence Can Make You Cold Blooded in Real-Life" - Softpedia (July 2006)


"...their study shows that young men are more likely to see others' attitudes toward them as hostile if they've just played a violent game." - News in Science (April 2006)


"This is your brain... on violent video games" - Cognitive Daily (April 2006)


"In Video Games, Not All Mayhem Is Created Equal" - ScienceDaily (December 2005)


Punishing video game violence: Does it reduce aggressive behavior? - Cognitive Daily (Nov 2005)


"Violent video games can increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents, both in the short- and long-term, according to an empirical review of the last 20 years of research." - American Psychological Association (August 2005)


"Game mocks real tragedy, gang experts say" - NBC News (Nov 2004)


Violent virtual video games and hostile thoughts - Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media (Sept 2004)


"Psychological research confirms that violent video games can increase children's aggression, but that parents moderate the negative effects." - American Psychological Association (June 2004)


"Violent Video Games: Myths, Facts, and Unanswered Questions" - American Psychological Association (Oct 2003)


"Violent Video Games FAQ" - YMA (2002)


"Two studies examined violent video game effects on aggression-related variables. Study 1 found that real-life violent video game play was positively related to aggressive behavior and delinquency. The relation was stronger for individuals who are characteristically aggressive and for men. Academic achievement was negatively related to overall amount of time spent playing video games. In Study 2, laboratory exposure to a graphically violent video game increased aggressive thoughts and behavior. In both studies, men had a more hostile view of the world than did women. The results from both studies are consistent with the General Affective Aggression Model, which predicts that exposure to violent video games will increase aggressive behavior in both the short term (e.g., laboratory aggression) and the long term (e.g., delinquency). " - M Jackson (April 2000)





How Violent Media Affects Aggression


"But now a review of almost a decade of studies has concluded that exposure to violent video games is a 'risk factor' for increased aggression."  -  The Daily Mail (Aug 2015)


"New research suggests that hours of exposure to violent media like video games can make kids react in more hostile ways compared to ones who don't spend lots of time controller-in-hand, reigniting the debate about children and gaming"  - Time (March 2014)


 "Intense acts of violence during video game play make daily life aggression appear innocuous: A new mechanism why violent video games increase aggression"  -  Science Direct (Jan 2014)


"The present research examined the effects of prosocial, neutral, and violent video games on state hostility and positive affect. Also examined were moderating effects of trait aggressiveness, trait altruistic helping, and trait egoistic helping. Prosocial games reduced state hostility and increased positive state affect. Violent video games had the opposite effects. These effects were moderated by trait physical aggression."  -  Wiley Library Online (May 2012)


"Do Violent Video Games Increase Aggression?"  - Psychology Today (Jan 2012)


"Playing violent video games can make you dehumanize others." - Psychology Today (May 2011)


"Children's exposure to violent video games over time can impact their ability to develop empathy and sympathy for others, according to a new study written by Simmons CollegeCommunications Professor Edward T. Vieira, Jr., Ph.D. and published in the 2011 spring/summer edition of the Journal of Children and Media.  - Simmons (April 2011)  and GameSpot (April 2011)  and  Washington Times (April 2011)  and  parentdish (April 2011) 


"The Academy of Pediatrics says “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier’ place than it is.”  If children begin to think that this type of violence is normal behavior these thoughts are often said to be difficult to change later on in life.  This is similar to the studies of domestic violence where children who are exposed to violence either become offenders or victims because they believe that what they are exposed to is the norm." - All Psych Online (Dec 2003)


"Video Games and Aggressive Thoughts, Feelings, and Behavior in the Laboratory and in Life"  - Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (April 2000) 





Video Games and Desensitization


"Teenage boys who play violent video games for hours on end may become desensitized to the brutality, a small new study finds." - US News (May 2013) 


"Burn victims aren’t the only ones receiving video-game therapy. Soon there may be a virtual world for every psychiatric disorder and neurological condition. A sample."  -  GQ (Feb 2012)


"Violent video games reduce brain response to violence and increase aggressive behavior" - Medical Xpress (May 2011)   and  Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (March 2011) 


"Video games often get a bad rap, but their ability to desensitise players to violence could help soldiers sleep better. According to an online survey of 98 military personnel, regularly playing games that involve war and combat - like Call of Duty - decreased the level of harm and aggression experienced when they dreamed about war." - New Scientist (March 2011) 


"Treating Cockroach Phobia With Augmented Reality describes, for the first time, a trial of augmented reality with a small group of people who all presented clinically significant levels of cockroach phobia." - Technology Review (July 2010)  and  PubMed (March 2010)


"Violent video games and desensitization" - Cognitive Daily (April 2008)


"Psychologists Produce First Study on Violence Desensitization From Video Games" - ScienceDaily (July 2006)  and  PsychCentral (July 2006)


"Patients can get relief from pain or overcome their phobias by immersing themselves in computer-generated worlds" - Scientific American (July 2004)





Video Games & Torture


"Grand Theft Auto V, one of the most expensive computer games ever made, has caused outrage among human rights groups for including a torture scene in which the player must pull teeth and electrocute an unarmed man... Players must complete the scene to finish the game and are offered a selection of torture implements, including sledgehammers and electric cables to use on the victim. If his heart stops, a shot of adrenaline restarts it." - The Guardian (Sept 2013)   and   Mail Online (Sept 2013)





Violent Video Games and Shooting Ability


"Just 20 minutes of playing a violent shooting video game made players more accurate when firing a realistic gun at a mannequin -- and more likely to aim for and hit the head, a new study found." - Science Daily (April 2012)  and  Psychology Today (Jan 2013)





Why are Violent Video Games So Appealing ?


"The Psychological Appeal of Violent Shooters" - Games Industry (April 2013) 





Violent Video Games and Gun Manufacturers


"Video Game Companies Pressured To Drop Gun Manufacturer Product Placement" - Mediaite (June 2013) 


"In some cases, brand partnerships extend beyond a glimpse of a logo in a video game. Take the game Medal of Honor: Last year, its site featured links to gun manufacturers' websites. (Online sales are a big source of revenue for gun companies.) Electronic Arts also partnered with the gun company Magpul to produce a that features Medal of Honor's executive producer and a representative from Magpul showing off gun accessories together. Medal of Honor's "authentic action" is a selling point for Electronic Arts. (Electronic Arts and the other companies in this story did not agree to be interviewed on tape.) To get a military man's take on the authenticity of these games, NPR spoke with Navy veteran, gun owner and war gamer Nathan Zelk.

"Games today are very, very real," Zelk says. "It's the weapons; it's the story lines, you know, that people get caught up in — even the optics that are used on the guns, it says L-3 EOTech. It actually has the name of the brand on the side of it so you know which optic, you know, you could go out and buy."" - NPR (April 2013) 


"The Marketing Link Between Gun Manufacturers and Video Game Makers" - Slate (Dec 2012) 


"... the gun industry works in partnership with the makers of games like Medal of Honor Warfighter and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 to publicize their brands to potential customers." - The New York Times (Dec 2012) 


"Video Games As Product Placement for Guns" - Tech News Daily (Dec 2012) 





Video Games and Cooperation


Numerous studies have shown that playing violent video games alone increases subsequent aggression. However, social game play is becoming more popular than solo game play, and research suggests cooperative game play is beneficial for players. The current studies explore the effects of cooperative game play on player’s subsequent aggressive behaviors toward video game partners (Experiment 1) and non-video game partners (Experiment 2), while providing a discussion of possible theories applicable to social video game play. Cooperative games resulted in less aggression between video game partners (Experiment 1) and between non-video game partners (Experiment 2) than did competitive or stand-alone games. Interestingly, cooperative game play and no-game play produced similar levels of aggression (Experiment 1), whereas competitive and solo game play produced similar levels of aggression (Experiment 2). These findings are consistent with the theory of bounded generalized reciprocity. Playing violent games cooperatively can offset the aggression-increasing effects of violent video games.” - Sage Journals (Sept 2014) 


"In two studies, researchers found that college students who teamed up to play violent video games later showed more cooperative behavior, and sometimes less signs of aggression, than students who played the games competitively." - Science Daily (Sept 2013) 


"In two studies, researchers found that college students who teamed up to play violent video games later showed more cooperative behavior, and sometimes less signs of aggression, than students who played the games competitively." - Newswise (Sept 2012) 


"How to ameliorate negative effects of violent video games on cooperation: Play it cooperatively in a team" - Science Direct (July 2012) 


"Causal effects of violent sports video games on aggression: Is it competitiveness

or violent content?" - Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (May 2009) 





MMORPG Video Games


"After an average playtime of 56 hours over the course of a month with “Asheron’s Call 2,” a popular MMRPG, or “massively multi-layer online role-playing game,” researchers found “no strong effects associated with aggression caused by this violent game,” said Dmitri Williams, the lead author of the study."  -  PsysOrg (Aug 2005) 


Do MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) games increase aggression? - Cognitive Daily (August 2005)





Kids Playing Violent Video Games


"Hundreds of parents have bought their children a video game containing 'shocking' violence despite its 18 certificate. They queued overnight in hordes for the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, which is expected to break records for video game sales. But many others are outraged by the content, including a scene where the player can choose to take part in a massacre of civilians."  -  Daily Mail (Nov 2009)


"Most Middle-School Boys And Many Girls Play Violent Video Games" - ScienceDaily (July 2007)


"Content analysis suggests a significant amount of violence in some E-rated video games. The content descriptors provide some information to parents and should be used along with the rating, but the game's genre also appears to play a role in the amount of violent play. Physicians and parents should understand that popular E-rated video games may be a source of exposure to violence and other unexpected content for children and that games may reward the players for violent actions." - PubMed (August 2001) 





Violent Video Games Versus Violent TV


"We also have empirical data showing this (Polman et al., 2008). In this study, children were randomly assigned to play a violent video game or watch someone else play it. There was also a nonviolent video game control condition. The results showed that boys who played a violent video game were more aggressive afterwards than were boys who merely watched." - ITHP (Feb 2013)  and  PubMed (May 2008)






Violent Video Games & Brain Scans


"“For the first time, we have found that a sample of randomly assigned young adults showed less activation in certain frontal brain regions following a week of playing violent video games at home,” said Yang Wang, M.D. “These brain regions are important for controlling emotion and aggressive behavior.”" - Psych Central (Dec 2011)


"Violent Video Games Alter Brain Function in Young Men" - Science Daily (Dec 2011)  and  MedicineNet (Nov 2011)  and  Mail Online (Nov 2011)


"Scientists have known for years that playing violent video games causes players to become more aggressive. The findings of a new University of Missouri (MU) study provide one explanation for why this occurs: the brains of violent video game players become less responsive to violence, and this diminished brain response predicts an increase in aggression." - Science Daily (May 2011)


"Young, healthy men who play a lot of violent video games over a long period of time show distinct changes in brain activity that correlate with aggressive behavior, preliminary research suggests." - WebMD (May 2010) 


"Video Games Affect the Brain—for Better and Worse" - The Dana Foundation (July 2009)


"Can video games make kids more violent? A new study employing state-of-the-art brain-scanning technology says that the answer may be yes." - MSNBC (December 2006)


"Adolescents who had played violent video games exhibited more brain activity in a region thought to be important for emotional arousal and less activity in a brain region associated with executive functions. Executive functions are the ability to plan, shift, control and direct one’s thoughts and behavior." - Indiana University News Room (Nov 2006)


"A brain mechanism that may link violent computer games with aggression has been discovered by researchers in the US. The work goes some way towards demonstrating a causal link between the two - rather than a simple association." - New Scientist (December 2005)


"Violent Video Games Lead To Brain Activity Characteristic Of Aggression" - ScienceDaily (October 2005)


"Do games prime brain for violence?" - New Scientist (June 2005)


"Computer games stunt teen brains" - The Observer (August 2001)








Ratings and Descriptions


Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB)


What They Play - The Parents Guide to Video Games


""On the other hand, the Millet Brief filed on behalf of the entertainment industry (Brown v. Entertainment

Merchants Association, 2011b) was signed primarily by scholars from fields other than media studies (such as criminology) and argued that “the big fears bandied about in the press — that violent video games make children significantly more violent in the real world ... — are not supported by the current research.”"" - Common Sense Media (Feb 2013)


"Sex Is Too Obscene for Kids, but Violence Isn't? Brown v. Entertainment Merchants" - Psychology Today (June 2011)






Examples of Violent Video Games


"Ultimately, though, it's in a mission called "By the Book" that developer Rockstar North truly pushes the boundaries in "GTA V"—and for which it's feeling the most heat from critics. The mandatory game segment has players interrogate a suspected terrorist using torture, with instruments such as sledgehammers, electric cables and pliers. This is done via a series of mini-games, including one where you yank a tooth from the victim's mouth. Should the suspect's heart stop, players give him an adrenaline shot and continue with the torture." - CNBC (Sept 2013)  and  Mirror (Sept 2013)


"BioShock Infinite wants to be deep and philosophical, but it’s just one big hail of bullets." - Slate (April 2013)


"Microsoft's Splinter Cell: Blacklist trailer was a mano-a mano murder fest (you need to enter your age just to watch it online), featuring multiple headshots that were helpfully slowed down, Matrix-style, so you could really see the brains go flying. Plus, carotid-slashing, garroting, and skull bashing, all in amazing new pseudo-realistic style. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 was roughly as you might expect, horrors of war-wise; and the protracted "Tomb Raider" trailer, while admittedly mesmerizing, bashed around a vulnerable, prequel-era Lara Croft to such a degree that you kind of wanted to cry. " - CNET (June 2012)


"The 15 Most Controversial Video Games" - The Huffington Post (March 2010)


"Top 10: Violent Video Games" - Askmen.com






Military Recruitment


"Army Experience Center spokesman Capt. John Kirchgessner says the center has proved more effective than traditional recruiting methods. Using technology to create a relationship with the public..."  -  NPR (July 2010)


Army Recruits Video Gamers, Latest Recruiting Tool Winning Over Hearts, Minds Of Teens - CBS News (March 2004)


The U.S. Army and video game producers are increasingly collaborating on war simulation games designed to attract a new generation of potential soldiers. - WireTap Magazine (May 2006)


"America's Army (also known as AA or Army Game Project) is a series of video games and other media developed by the United States Army and released as a global public relations initiative to help with recruitment." - Wikipedia






Military PR


"Gen. Petraeus with a Video Game Cameo Appearance? War Games Are Almost Indistinguishable from America's Imperial Wars How war games and other forms of "militainment" anesthetically normalize war in American society."  -  Alternet (May 2013)





Violent Video Games Teaching Hate


"Should the United States ban a Japanese "rape simulator" game?" - Slate (March 2009) and  Huffington Post (March 2010)


"Racist Groups Using Computer Gaming to Promote Violence Against Blacks, Latinos and Jews."  -  Anti-Defamation League (February 2002)


Muslim groups condemn 'Muslim Massacre' video game - The Raw Story (Sept 2008)


"Islamic resistance group Hezbollah has sold over 100,000 copies of a computer game where players become anti-Israeli terrorists, prompting calls for it to be banned in Australia." - The Age (May 2003)


"The new game is called Underash, and its hero is a young Palestinian stone- thrower, Ahmed, fighting Israeli soldiers and settlers." - Underash (February 2002)


"A new video game, designed in-part by a former Guantanamo detainee, takes place in 2011 and has the player kill what would be understood to be American and British troops as the player attempts to escape." - Cage Prisoners (June 2009)


"Some popular video games promote racist, negative stereotypes of Asians that would be unacceptable in other forms of media, says a Canadian researcher." - News in Science (July 2006)


"Grand Theft Christianity" - The New York Times (Dec 2006)


"Grand Theft Auto" - Wikipedia - The player gets extra points for killing cops. If the player kills a prostitute after using her services, he gets back any money paid to her, plus any other money found on her person.






Mass Killings - Examples


“Adam Lanza had notched up more than 83,000 'kills' on his beloved video games including 22,000 'head shots' as he trained himself for the horrific Sandy Hook massacre, it has emerged.” - Daily Mail (Dec 2013) 


“The veil-wearing former wife of terrorist Mohammed Merah says the couple played violent video games including Call of Duty together before he gunned down seven people in cold blood.” - Daily Mail (June 2012)


“Anders Breivik 'trained' for shooting attacks by playing Call of Duty” - The Guardian (April 2012) 


“Lee Malvo learned to shoot, his lawyers say, by playing ''very realistic and gory'' video games given him by John A. Muhammad. ''If you get hit,'' Craig S. Cooley, one of Mr. Malvo's lawyers, said in his opening statement at Mr. Malvo's capital murder trial here for his role in the Washington-area sniper shootings, ''you bleed and you die, unless you hit a particular code, and most of these games have a code where you become invincible, where you become immortal.''

''Game players call it the God mode,'' he continued. ''When you punch that in on some of those games, it says, 'I am God.' '' The snipers, as it happened, used code words to communicate with the authorities in October 2002, the lead prosecutor in the case, Robert F. Horan Jr., told the same jury. ''For you, Mr. Police,'' the notes and phone messages all said. ''Call me God.''” - The New York Times (Nov 2003) 






Uncivil Violent Video Game Players


"A senior game writer at the video game development company BioWare has quit her job over death threats against her family, including her children. According to Metro U.K., Jennifer Hepler was blamed for unpopular changes to the game Dragon Age that were implemented for its sequel, Dragon Age II." - Raw Story (August 2013) 


"Inside League of Legends developer Riot Games is a team of more than 30 staffers trying to make the experience of playing their game kinder, gentler, more honorable and less "toxic.""  -  Polygon (Oct 2012)   and  Psychology Today (Jan 2013) 






Examples of Non-Violent Video Games


"5 video games for people who don’t play video games" - Salon (Oct 2013) 


"10 Nonviolent Video Games That Kick (Metaphorical) Butt" - Mother Jones (Sept 2013) 


"Osmos" - Wikipedia