The Video Game Industry Should Limit Violence In 1998, the US software industry sold $6.3 billion worth of video games (see Unknown) . Not bad for a sector that didn't exist 25 years ago! Yet despite its continued growth, all is not well in the video game industry. School shooting in Littleton, Colorado; Pearl, Mississippi; Paducah, Kentucky; Conyers, Georgia and many other cities shocked the nation (see Malcolm). Understandably, grieving parents and sympathetic citizens are searching for a cause for this “outbreak” of youth violence. It is natural to assume that "when children, the symbol of innocence, commit the gravest of crimes, then something must go wrong in society." (see Maker) The problem is that no one is exactly sure what's wrong with society. There is no shortage of potential candidates, however. Maybe the "40,000 murders kids will see on television and in movies when they turn 18" have something to do with this (see Gordon)? Maybe weak or uninformed gun laws are to blame? How about irresponsible parents or the loss of family values? Are the critical factors overcrowded classrooms or a lack of school counselors? Perhaps the Internet has corrupted our youth? Did hyperviolent video games cause this “rash” of student violence? Or is it a combination of all these factors? The problem in determining one or more causes is further compounded by conflicting experimental results. Scott (1995) did not find a positive relationship between video game violence and aggressive feelings among youth. In fact, there seemed to be a decrease in aggressive attitudes after playing violent games. These findings appear to be at odds with related studies regarding re...... middle of article ......gressive Behavior, September 1992 v18 n5 p349-356.Maker, J., Brittain, J. , Piraino, G., & Somtow, S. Children who kill. World press review. June 1993 v40 n6 p21-23.Malcolm, T. Adolescent Violence: Does Violent Media Make Children Violent? National Catholic reporter. May 28, 1999 v35 i30 p14.Scott, D. The effect of video games on feelings of aggression. The journal of psychology. March 1995 v129 n2 p121-132.Unknown. NPD reports that the US video game industry reached an all-time high in annual sales in 1998. NPD Group. See http://www.npd.com/corp/press/press_990125.htm, January 1999. Walker, J. Bringing Art to the Court. Reason. August-September 1999 v31 i4 p5-6.Zillman, D. & Weaver, J. Effects of prolonged exposure to gratuitous media violence on provoked and unprovoked hostile behavior.Journal of Applied Social Psychology. January 1999 v29 pag145-146.