Researchers from the Iowa State University Department of Psychology and the Institute for Social and Behavioral Research are joining with the Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF) today (Friday) for a national summit on video games. I-S-U psychology professor Craig Anderson says they’re focusing on violent video games.
Anderson says they’ll look at educational approaches to dealing with violent video games and a legislative panel that will look at possible legislative polices that might be useful. Anderson says they want to find a way to help kids. He says they hope to turn it into a problem-solving session where they look at potential solutions to exposing children and young adolescents to some of the “ultra-violent” video games that’re out there. Anderson says science has proven that violent video games are not good for kids.
Anderson says “the research evidence is now clear that there are harmful effects” from video games and they now need to talk about how to deal with it. Anderson says there needs to be a public policy discussion on the issue. Anderson says the ultimate goal is to educate the public. He says they hope to work with the video game industry and the software ratings board so people realize that there are some risks to letting children play violent video games.
Anderson says the video game companies were invited to the summit, but declined to participate. Anderson says the video game companies don’t agree that there’s a problem. Anderson says the video game industry denies there’s any negative effects from their games, and from their perspective there’s no need for the conference.
Anderson says the video companies believe the conference is stacked against them, and he says from the scientific perspective it is probably stacked against them if they deny there’s a problem. Anderson says he wishes the video game industry would work with the scientists to come to a positive solution to the problem.