104 violent deaths per hour in M-rated games, says Harvard study
A group of Harvard brainiacs recently put together a study that attempted to quantify violence, blood, sex, profanity, drugs, and gambling in M-rated games. To do this, the grad students compiled a database of M-rated games, selected a random sample, played each game for at least one hour, and quantified the "mature" content. Among other observations, the study found that gamers witness roughly 104 violent deaths per hour while playing M-rated titles.
The report's conclusion: "Parents and physicians should recognize that popular M-rated video games contain a wide range of unlabeled content and may expose children and adolescents to messages that may negatively influence their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors."
[via GameBrink]
