India Today Gaming

These games caused such an uproar that the U.S. government held two congressional hearings, eventually leading to the creation of the ESRB rating system.

But even after three decades, politicians and media outlets still bring up the question: do violent video games make people violent?

The Same Debate, Over and Over Again

It’s not just the usual critics from the ’90s still pushing this argument. Even modern leaders have blamed video games for real-world violence:

• In 2019, Donald Trump suggested that video games contributed to mass shootings.
• In 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that video games and social media were fueling riots—though he later apologized.
• In 2009, after the Winnenden school shooter was found to have played Counter-Strike and Far Cry 2, Germany considered an outright ban on violent video games.

And let’s not forget the infamous “No Russian” mission from Call of Duty, which also sparked intense backlash.

Now, with GTA 6 on the horizon—featuring a Bonnie & Clyde-style crime spree—people are once again asking whether video games encourage violence.

Take-Two CEO Shuts Down the Argument

Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive (the company behind GTA), isn’t too concerned about the moral panic. In a recent interview with CNBC, he set the record straight:

    “Entertainment doesn’t create behavior, entertainment reflects behavior.”

He emphasized that:

• Entertainment helps people engage with emotions and experience stories.
• The idea that games cause violence has been tested and disproven multiple times.

GTA: A Long History of Controversy

The Grand Theft Auto series has been a prime target in the video game violence debate for years.

• GTA 3 made waves in 2001 for its open-world crime sandbox, where players could steal cars, shoot cops, and run over pedestrians.
• Critics argued that it allowed players to “advance by getting more proficient at crime.”
• In 2018, Zelnick even met with President Trump to discuss concerns over video game violence.

Despite the outrage, GTA remains one of the best-selling franchises of all time, proving that controversy hasn’t slowed it down one bit.

Science Says Otherwise

If video games really caused violence, we’d expect to see a strong connection between gaming habits and aggression. But research just doesn’t support that idea.

For example, a study by the University of Oxford found no link between teenage aggression and violent video games. This is just one of many studies debunking the claim.

Still, the debate keeps resurfacing every few years, especially when a high-profile game like GTA 6 is on the way.

Final Thoughts

So, do video games really make people violent? The overwhelming answer from science, research, and industry leaders is no.

But as long as video games keep pushing boundaries, expect this debate to keep coming back—even when the evidence says otherwise.