Does being in control of video games make kids more easily frustrated in the real world?
Q: Many of the kids I know have been playing video games from a very young age. For the most part, as these children have grown up, they have become anti-social and easily frustrated. Are there any studies showing that these games, where the player is always in control, affect behavior and the ability to live in the real world? –Kids in Control? in Santa Monica, CA A: Dear Kids in Control, If the kids you are talking about are now teenagers, then their anti-social qualities may just be part of their current stage of life! However, it may be that they seem more withdrawn than other kids their age, or that they are past adolescence and still seem anti-social. Looking at the scientific research, there are a number of studies about the effects of violent video games on behavior. One author actually compared all of these studies to each other and concluded: The evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for…decreased empathy and prosocial beha
