Research has provided very little evidence that use of video games or other media is a useful predictor of any sort of violent crime, says Virginia Tech expert Jimmy Ivory.

"In a political environment where we are too often cutting funding for public resources that address known causes of violent crime, blaming video games for horrific violent crimes serves only to distract from feasible and effective crime prevention efforts," says Ivory, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. "The Supreme Court of the United States has established that it is unconstitutional to censor video games or restrict their sales. Other initiatives that have been proven to reduce violent crime would be a more productive use of available government resources."

About Ivory

Jimmy Ivory’s research focuses on the relationship between gender, video games, media and violence. Read his full bio here. His research is primarily conducted in the VT G.A.M.E.R. Lab.

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