A new study claims that video games can actually reduce crime rates by playing more games instead of committing crimes.

According to research conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research in Mannheim, in collaboration with the University of Texas at Arlington, discovered that video games can keep people who would most likely commit crimes preoccupied in their homes, which in turn would reduce the crime rate in the US. On the other hand, the study also shows that video games lead to an increase in aggression as well.

The study is as follows: “Due to these findings political decision-makers regard playing violent video games as a contributing factor to aggressive behaviour of teenagers and young adults. Therefore, regulating and even prohibiting violent content in video games is frequently considered a possibility. The findings linking gameplay to an increase in aggression are mainly based on psychological laboratory experiments. However, these experiments do neither consider the intense usage of these games by relatively violence-prone people nor the resulting time use effect. This incapacitation effect prevents gamers from engaging in other violent activities during the time spent playing video games.” In other words, the study suggests that criminals would rather increase their aggression through games than actually commit a crime.

What do you think about the new study? Personally, I think it’s a bit contradicting. 

Source: GamePolitics

By: Kyle Lampar