Steven McCraw, the director of Texas’ department of public safety, appeared to suggest “cyber gaming” could be responsible for the Robb Elementary School mass shooting that left 19 kids and two teachers dead.
“We haven’t gotten into the why,” McCraw said during a press briefing. “We know the individual was also into cyber gaming in that regard, and group gaming.”
However, several studies refute the “video game” narrative. In 2019, a study by Oxford University concluded that “violent video game engagement is not associated with adolescents’ aggressive behavior,” and it was also noted that countries where more time is spent on video games than the US, such as Japan, don’t have increased violence.
However, the notion that games can be blamed for violence has increased calls for online censorship.
Some politicians have long blamed video games for violence in the real world.
Following the mass shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, in 2019 Rep. Kevin McCarthy blamed video games for dehumanizing humans.
McCarthy in 2019
Former President Donald Trump reiterated the same sentiments, saying video games had created “a culture that celebrates violence.”
