Do Violent Video Games Increase Aggression?

Do violent video games turn people violent? After forty years of research, dozens of meta-analyses, and even a Supreme Court case, the debate still won’t die. In this episode of Cracking the Shell on Psychological Science, Mike and Joey trace the controversy from Mortal Kombat and the birth of the ESRB to today’s competing meta-analyses. They unpack key critiques—how “aggression” is measured, publication bias, and confounds—and explain why many findings are small but consistent. Finally, they ask the real-world question: if effects exist, do they matter for policy? #VideoGames, #psychology, #mMentalHealth, #Aggression • Anderson, C.A., et al. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 151–173. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-136-2-151.pdf • Ferguson, C.J. (2015). Do angry birds make for angry children? Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691615592234 • Mathur, M.B., & VanderWeele, T.J. (2019). Finding common ground in meta-analysis "wars" on violent video games. Perspectives on Psychological Science. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1745691619850104 • Prescott, A.T., Sargent, J.D., & Hull, J.G. (2018). Meta-analysis of violent video game play and physical aggression over time. PNAS, 115(40). https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1611617114 • Miles-Novelo, A., & Anderson, C.A. (2025). The question of violent video games and aggression. Aggressive Behavior. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ab.70042