Christopher Ferguson: Video Games Don't Make Kids Violent | TIME Ideas | TIME.com

Christopher Ferguson: Video Games Don't Make Kids Violent | TIME Ideas | TIME.com: It’s the holiday season and that means that kids by the millions are asking Santa for the opportunity to blow away enemy soldiers and aliens on the Xbox or PlayStation. Should parents be worried about buying such gifts? Violent video games (VVG) are now an established part of our culture; recent releases of games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Skyrim have been setting sales records for media releases (topping even blockbuster movies) and garnishing lavish reviews for their artistic merits. Ten years ago, scholars and politicians raised the possibility that such games might contribute to school shootings or other youth violence. What happened to these concerns?