New Oxford University study finds no link between gory games and violence

Far Cry 5
Far Cry 5 (Image credit: Ubisoft)

Over the past few years, there has been a fierce debate about whether certain video games cause violent behavior among children and young adults. In recent months, some lawmakers in the United States have proposed bans and taxes to discourage their development. While there are a lot of arguments floating around which could be used to support opposing view points, a new Oxford University study suggests that there is no link between violent games and teenage aggression.

As reported by TrueAchievements, "It joins a long list of studies that have struggled to find a connection, but this is the most definitive study to date and addresses some of the issues of previous studies."

The Oxford Internet Institute examined 2,000 British teenagers between the ages of 14 and 15. The researchers concluded that while games can trigger "some angry feelings or reactions," like if you lose a match or keep on dying on a certain level, there is no connection between it and "conditioning" a person to become violent. The Oxford Internet Institute wrote, "These results did not support our prediction that there are statistically significant links relating violent gaming to adolescents' aggressive behavior."

You can read the complete study on the The Royal Society Publishing's website. This is one of the most rigorous studies I've seen to date, and employs unique methods to eliminate bias and other issues. What do you think of the results? Let us know.

Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.