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CDC group to research impact of violent games on real gun violence
Following an executive order from President Barack Obama, the Centers for Disease Control tasked the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council to create a plan to research the causes of – and potential deterrents to – gun violence in the United States. The committee created a plan that should produce results in three to five years and focuses on, in part, the impact of video games and other media on real-life gun violence. "While the vast majority of research on the effects of violence in media has focused on violence portrayed in television and movies, more recent research has expanded to include music, video games, social media, and the Internet – outlets that consume more and more of young people's days," the Institute of Medicine writes. "However, in more than 50 years of research, no study has focused on firearm violence as a specific outcome of violence in media. As a result, a direct relationship between violence in media and real-life firearm violence has not been established and will require additional research." In January, Obama signed 23 executive orders with the purpose of researching and curtailing gun violence, based on data collected by Vice President Joe Biden during a round of meetings with players in potentially related industries, including gaming.
