Crime rates down in the US, linked to Video games.

Started by Wolfy, June 21, 2011, 10:52:50 PM

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Wolfy

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1804959

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111191-Less-Crime-in-U-S-Thanks-to-Videogames

Apparently, researchers have found that Violent (And Non Violent) Video games have lead to a decrease in crime rates in America.


Thoughts, oh Elli of Quiys?


Pumpkin Seeds

I have serious doubts that video games can be linked to an overall decrease in violent crime.  Despite media pressure, crime in the United States has had a downward trend for some time now.  Making a point of any specific cause would be near impossible.  Just as video game enthusiasts make the claim that video games cannot be linked to violent behavior, I doubt there is much information to link them to the opposite.  Simply too many variables.

Oniya

Mr. Oniya tells me that rookie football (American) players are often told to get the latest gaming system and some games to play instead of going out and partying. *shrug*  Getting bored young people busy doing something legal is very likely to keep them away from doing things that are illegal.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Malefique

I'm always wary of statistics.  Crime was supposed to have dropped in my own home town last quarter, but I saw just as much going on as before; the reason for the drop was the police had decided to reclassify some things as anti-social behaviour instead of crime, so on paper they had a success - in practice they had a failure.  Lies, damn lies and statistics...
Everything is true.  God's an astronaut.  Oz is over the rainbow, and Midian is where the monsters live.

Jeramiahh

One of my favorite examples of 'how statistics can be misleading' came from one of my Psych classes, a few years ago: Telephones are related to homicide rates. You see, as the number of telephone poles in an area increases, so does the homicide rate, therefore, they must clearly be linked, right? Well, yeah... by a third variable, the increasing population density, not some sort of strange murder-waves coming from the telephone poles. =P
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There are two things that are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not quite sure about the first one.

Oniya

Quote from: Jeramiahh on June 22, 2011, 10:24:43 PM
One of my favorite examples of 'how statistics can be misleading' came from one of my Psych classes, a few years ago: Telephones are related to homicide rates. You see, as the number of telephone poles in an area increases, so does the homicide rate, therefore, they must clearly be linked, right? Well, yeah... by a third variable, the increasing population density, not some sort of strange murder-waves coming from the telephone poles. =P

So, if we switch to buried telephone cables, crime rates will go down?  ;D
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
Robin Williams-Dead Poets Society ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think your world's gonna fall apart
I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
O/O's Updated 5/11/21 - A/A's - Current Status! - Writing a novel - all draws for Fool of Fire up!
Requests updated March 17