Interview: Dr Guy Porter on violence and addiction in games

We talk about good science, bad science and the basis of Jack Thompson's claims.

Since Jack Thompson's disappointing and predictable appearance in the wake of the NIU shooting, we've been talking to Dr Guy Porter. We sighted his research earlier, but wanted to know more about his research and findings into video game violence and addiction.


Atomic: What motivated you to do your research into violence in games?

Dr Guy Porter: Curiosity. Plus the numerous claims by Jack Thompson and others that high school shootings are caused by violent video game use. As a mental health clinician I was interested to find out if such games really can alter someone psychologically in such a drastic manner.

Atomic: What did your research entail?

Dr Porter: A review of previous research studies.

Atomic: What findings has your research uncovered?

Dr Porter: Previous studies have suggested an association between use of violent video games and aggression with a possible bi-directional effect. In other words, while certain games may make some individuals more aggressive, it is equally likely that these individuals will choose to play violent games in the first place. Therefore it is difficult to separate cause from effect. This finding appears to be more significant for young children than adults. Existing studies tend to be of a poor quality and are by no means conclusive. There is a need for better designed, longer-term studies.

Atomic: Can we say that there is a link between violent video games and violence in the real world?

Dr Porter: It is very difficult to establish a link between the use of violent video games and real world acts of violence. This is because there are so many other variables which have not been controlled for in previous research – these include social factors such as drugs, alcohol, mental illness, access to guns, and so on.

Atomic: How many of these studies look at other factors, such as upbringing, parental oversight, and so on?

Dr Porter: There are decades of research into TV and film violence – including studies which have controlled for these and other factors. However I am not aware of any studies into violent video game use that have looked at these factors. Video games (particularly the current generation of games with realistic graphics) have simply not been around long enough to study properly.

Atomic: Where studies have found correlations between violence and players of violent games, how do the results stack up against other violent media (television, news broadcasts etc)?

Dr Porter: Large and well-designed studies have shown that childhood exposure to TV / film violence predicts subsequent aggressive behaviour in adulthood. These studies have involved following groups of children for 15-17 years (ie, from childhood into adulthood) and have controlled for other potentially confounding factors such as parenting style, socio-economic status, and mental illness. These studies are widely regarded as the most convincing form of evidence for establishing a link between media violence and aggression. However, such studies do not yet exist for video games.