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player ready...Grand Theft Childhood
The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do
By Lawrence Kutner, PhD and Cheryl K. Olson (Simon & Schuster, $25)
The fourth generation of the “Grand Theft Auto” video game hit stores last month, ready to damage a new group of grade-school gamers, claim some pundits. Others say that violent video games help children work through anger. Here, the authors explore scientific studies on gaming and behavior.
1. Studies, even those performed by purported experts, can yield varied, even contradictory results.
2. Boys more frequently gravitate toward mature-rated games, relishing the competition. Girls gravitate toward more intellectually stimulating fare.
3. Thus far there is little evidence to link violent crime and violent game play, but that doesn’t mean there is no link.
4. As for the risk of violence, “some children are at significantly greater risk; others are likely to be unaffected.”
5. Parents should be aware that games will only grow more realistic as technology advances.