No Link Between Violent Video Games and Increased Aggression in Teens, Study Finds

A new study from the Oxford Internet Institute claims to have found no link between time spent playing violent video games, and increased aggressive behavior teen teenagers. From a report: Published in Royal Society Open Science, the study is 'one of the most definitive to date' according to the University of Oxford. While many studies have previously made similar and contrary claims, lead researcher professor Andrew Przybylski said the 'idea that violent video games drive real-world aggression is a popular one, but it hasn't tested very well over time'. According to the university, this study is set apart from previous work by preregistration, where researchers publish their hypothesis, methods and analysis technique before beginning research.

'Part of the problem in technology research is that there are many ways to analyze the same data, which will produce different results,' said Przybylski. 'A cherry-picked result can add undue weight to the moral panic surrounding video games. The registered study approach is a safeguard against this.' This was supported by co-author Dr Netta Weinstein from Cardiff University who said: 'Our findings suggest that researcher biases might have influenced previous studies on this topic, and have distorted our understanding of the effects of video games.'

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