Editor's Note: I know Brian Shirk is more known for the staggering volume of reviews he puts out and his analysis of RPG titles, but I'm really digging his debunking of game myths. We could use a few more calm and intelligent responses to these hot-button issues, and I sincerely hope that he continues this series. – Jay
Last year, I was surrounded by 60,000 adults and teenagers at a public video-game convention called PAX. Many of these young adults were playing games that involved shooting zombies or decapitating mythological creatures. Some attendees were introverts and others were extroverts, but both were ecstatic to be around so many people that shared their passion for video games.
With dozens of M-rated games on the show floor, I remained alert, patiently awaiting a violent outburst. Anti-video-game crusader Jack Thompson previously informed me, via the ever-respectable Fox News, that video games are a menace to society — potentially leading to mass murder. But, to my surprise, I saw no guns, no sticky grenades, and not even a single teabagging.
Obviously, zero murders at a video-game convention doesn't mean all gamers wouldn't commit an atrocity, but it doesn't exactly forward the cause of anti-video-game pundits, either. Perhaps then it's worth examining government documents to determine whether or not video games are the culprit behind school shootings.
A number of multidisciplinary studies performed during the past two decades identified potential traits of school shooters and possible reasons behind their actions. Still, much is unknown, and it's impossible to build a single psychological profile that will predict future murderers.
Society has many misperceptions about school shooters and the reasoning behind their actions, as news outlets often report incomplete or inaccurate data. An FBI document identifies this failure:
Though school shootings are extensively covered in the news media, the information available in news reports is not necessarily complete, accurate, or balanced. News coverage is inherently hasty and often relies on sources who themselves have incomplete or inaccurate information (FBI, 3).
This hasty approach leads to popular misconceptions about school shooters such as "they're all loners" or "they have unusual interests" (FBI, 4). In reality, single traits do not define school shooters. Instead, several identified behaviors, circumstances, and personality traits may aid in determining if a person who's made a threat will commit a violent act (FBI, 15).
Of these 46 potential traits, only one involves video games. According to the FBI, this trait isn't merely an interest in video games — it's a fascination with violence and hatred that pervades the student's life.
The student demonstrates an unusual fascination with movies, TV shows, computer games, music videos or printed material that focus intensively on themes of violence, hatred, control, power, death, and destruction. He may incessantly watch one movie or reread one book with violent content, perhaps involving school violence. Themes of hatred, violence, weapons, and mass destruction recur in virtually all his activities, hobbies, and pastimes (FBI, 20).
Assuming this is accurate, a student could potentially gravitate towards a first-person shooter such as Counter-Strike to satisfy his craving for violence, but his urges would also likely be fulfilled elsewhere.
A study by the United States Department of Education and the United States Secret Service also indicates that the majority of school shooters aren't any more attracted to violent video games than macabre content of other entertainment mediums. In fact, only one-eighth of attackers found violent video games appealing. The majority of students revealed an interest in violence through their writings (UDE, 22).
Motivations behind school shootings are as complicated as they are controversial, but they're worth exploring to prevent future tragedies. When identifying causes, we must address inaccurate or biased studies, so energy can be directed towards research that can save lives.
Both multidisciplinary governmental studies identify the fallacy of blaming a single behavioral trait or entertainment medium, so news organizations should begin revealing the various potential causes of school shootings instead of using video games as a scapegoat. Perhaps a greater awareness of the motivations behind such horrible events will lead to fewer tragedies in the future.