During a segment focused on discussing Monday’s mass shooting at a Washington Navy Yard, Fox and Friends’ Elisabeth Hasselbeck, suggested perhaps some sort of national violent video game ownership registry should be created.
She also stated “the left” is trying to blame the mass shooting on “gun control” when really, “shooting video games” are to blame.
“You know, certainly, this topic has already taken a turn again, the left’s already making this about gun control,” said Hasselbeck.
The shows co-host Steve Doocy explained the accused shooter, Aaron Alexis, is thought to have taken a shotgun onto the Navy Yard and then could have used it to acquire a handgun and an AR-15 assault rifle from within the military facility.
“Is this about gun control or is this about a guy who has a history of drinking a lot, playing video games a lot and a few shooting incidents?” said co-host Brian Kilmeade.
The show also discussed the fact that the shooter, Alexis, has a friend who’s stated he’s obsessed with video games and that he needed to be fed while playing them, highlighting the severity of his addiction.
The best quote from the show is below though:
“Are more people susceptible to playing video games?” Hasselbeck wondered. “Is there a link between a certain age group or [demographic] in 20- to 34-year-old men, perhaps, that are playing these video games and their violent actions?”
“What about frequency testing? How often has this game been played? I’m not one to get in there and say, monitor everything, but if this, indeed, is a strong link, right, to mass killings then why aren’t we looking at frequency of purchases per person? And also, how often they’re playing and maybe they time out after a certain hour.”
Yes this really happened and yes, someone on television actually suggested the creation of some sort of national violent video game registry. This seems like a completely reasonable idea, right?
Since the late 1990s, a number of studies have been released that examine the link between violent video games and violent behaviour.
One study found that exposure to violent media, not specifically video games, decreased social interactions, decreased sensitivity to violence and increased aggressive behaviour. Another study found that players who identify with violent on-screen characters are more likely to be aggressive, too. But this ethics paper contradicts those theories, finding that condemning violent video games on a moral ground is unreasonable, even if playing them might be bad for one’s character.
The academic conclusion seems to be that video games have an effect on people as diverse as the people who play them. Just as some people use video games as a teaching tool, that may be an ineffective learning environment for others. It’s unreasonable, therefore, to apply the same risk factors to all gamers.
Since Columbine, violent video games have been a scapegoat for a broader problem of violent behaviour. A Canada.com analysis of global gun ownership found that it’s possible for a country to have high rates of gun ownership without using those guns against each other in mass shootings. America is not that country.
While discussing the potential link between violent media, particularly video games and real world violent behaviour is important, suggesting ludicrous ideas like this is laughable.
Follow me on Twitter: @Patrick_ORourke.