While video games, television, reactionary talk radio, sugar, caffeine, or reruns of Space 1999 might act as stressors to an already unstable person, I have seen absolutely no credible study that has shown these things to be the cause of irrational or dangerous behavior in an otherwise healthy person. Heck, I play violent video games. They're silly fun.
The difference is this: when I shoot an imaginary character on a television set (especially with a gun that lights them on fire while they scream "I smell delicious"), I'm not practicing to do that to another human being. I know the difference between entertainment and reality, and I've no desire to do such things in real life.
Some folks aren't as healthy. They've got serious underlying issues, and video games might exacerbate that. So might many other factors. If we start going after every one of them, we'll be burning books in no time.
I seem to remember calls for a national conversation on mental health and our shamefully inadequate way of dealing with it. Anyone know when that'll be taking place?
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Sometimes it’s nice not to destroy the world for a change.
--Randall Munroe
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