There has been a long debate over whether or not video-games cause violence in children. Here’s my take.
The other day my four-year-old son came up to me and explained to me that “the evil sharks eat all the skin, and then the blood comes out, and then the bones fall down and break into pieces.” I asked him where he got this information. He replied that he learned it from his older brother and “Animal Crossing.”
Animal Crossing is one of the most innocuous games imaginable for the Wii. Apparently at some point in the game you can capture a shark and add it to your aquarium. It is a very non-threatening looking Hammerhead. But apparently my ten-year-old son was not content with this, and felt it necessary to embellish a bit when explaining what a shark is to his younger sibling.
My conclusion: Video-games do not cause violence in children; rather, children cause violence in video-games.