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ESA: 'Other societies where games are played as avidly do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the US'

ESA: 'Other societies where games are played as avidly do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the US'

United States video games trade body The Entertainment Software Association has responded to President Donald Trump's insinuation that violent video games are a contributing factor to the country's numerous mass shootings.

In a statement provided to PCGamesInsider.biz, the organisation pointed out that there is no proven link between video games and violent behaviour, as well as the fact that other countries where video games are played do not compare to the levels of gun crime seen in the United States of America.

The ESA previous met with the Trump administration in March 2018 after the US president previously laid the blame for mass shootings at the games industry's door though nothing happened at this meeting, seemingly

“As we shared at the White House video game meeting in March 2018, numerous scientific studies have established that there is no causal connection between video games and violence," the ESA wrote.

"More than 165 million Americans enjoy video games, and billions of people play video games worldwide. Yet other societies, where video games are played as avidly, do not contend with the tragic levels of violence that occur in the U.S.

“Video games positively contribute to society, from new medical therapies and advancements, educational tools, business innovation, and more. Video games help players connect with family and friends, relieve stress, and have fun. We encourage parents who have concerns about age-appropriate video game content to visit ParentalTools.org to learn more how to control what games are played in their homes.”

The ESA joins both the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and the International Game Developers Association Foundation (IGDAF) in refuting Trump's claims that games are a factor in these acts of violence.


PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.