Game over?

Game over?

A psychiatrist weighs in on the effects of gaming and whether it can lead to violent behaviour

Late one night, Toh* decided to steal a motorcycle and then a van. He was swiftly caught by police. According to reports, the 20-something was a video game addict and claimed to have been inspired by the infamous game Grand Theft Auto (GTA), in which players can perpetrate criminal acts. Toh also claimed he had a record of mental illness.

Toh is far from the first suspect to pin the blame on video games for his criminality. Last year, a group of five teenagers from Udon Thani mugged a tourist. When they were arrested and interrogated, they too claimed that they were imitating characters from GTA.

In the US, a society grappling with an epidemic of gun violence, some influential figures are pointing the finger of blame at video games. Following mass shootings earlier this month in Texas and Ohio, in which a total of 32 people were murdered and 51 injured, President Trump declared: "We must stop the glorification of violence in our society... this includes the gruesome and grisly video games that are now commonplace."

Trump's insinuation was met with a swift and firm rebuttal from the Entertainment Software Association, who released a statement citing "the numerous scientific studies establishing that there is no connection between video games and violence". However, Melissa Henson, programme director for the Parents Television Council in the US, insists that there is evidence showing video games can "contribute to violent attitudes".

So who to believe? Certainly, the ESA is backed up by the latest data from statista.com. According to statistics from 2018, China was the country with the highest gaming revenue, at US$34.4 billion, followed by the US at $31.5 billion, Japan at $17.7 billion and South Korea at around $5 billion. However, China, Japan and South Korea don't see anything like the number of gun-related deaths as the US does. Data from the US Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows that the number of gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in the US in 2017 was 4.43. China and Japan only saw 0.04 deaths per 100,000 people.

According to gamedesigning.org, which ranks video games from around the world, the five most popular video games of all times are Minecraft, Counter Strike, World Of Warcraft, GTA and Skyrim. Of these, three of them -- Counter Strike, GTA and Skyrim -- are rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board as Mature [17+], which means they contain content that is not suitable for players under 17 years of age.

Assoc Prof Dr Sirichai Hongsanguansri, child and adolescent psychiatrist from the Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine under Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, accepts that the ESA is correct. At least in part. There are many factors, he says, that contribute to a person being aggressive. Nonetheless, there is some research that suggests a connection between video games and aggressive behaviour.

"Meta-analyses from research in the US and Europe indicated that playing violent video games could lead to aggressive behaviour and lessen emotional control and empathy," said Dr Sirichai, also Chairman of Academic Affairs, the Royal College of Psychiatrists of Thailand.

Violent behaviour can develop due to a myriad of factors. People with more violent tendencies are often found to have low IQ, poor judgement, poor ethical development, poor self-regulation and poor empathy. Family background plays an important role here. Children short of family attention or those who are raised in a violent atmosphere are more likely to have problems relating to aggression.

"Children raised in a loving family environment are more likely to be gentle and kind. There are social factors too. Those who consume a lot of violent media content or live in a violent society can become violent persons themselves," Dr Sirichai said.

One of the reasons that video games get so much of the blame for violent crimes is because many suspects claim to that they were inspired by elements from games they played. Dr Sirichai believes there is something in this.

"We do what others do," he said. "We see how others solve problems. In some games, violence is used as a means to solve conflicts. When gamers receive such messages repeatedly, they can become emotionally desensitised. They may have less empathy and see violence as normal."

In Thailand, no official research has been conducted into the supposed links between video games and violence. But in 2013, the Department of Mental Health and the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Rajanagarindra Institute (CMHR) conducted a study of 20,000 people from across the country to explore the issue of video game addiction. The findings indicated that 15% of respondents were addicted to online gaming. If we take the sample as an accurate reflection of the population as a whole, then, of 18 million youths in Thailand, around 2.7 million were video game addicts.

"We can assume that the number of video game addicts has increased. Almost all gaming addicts who sought medical treatment displayed some violent behaviour," Dr Sirichai said. "They behaved aggressively towards their friends and families. In extreme cases, they assaulted their parents, injuring them badly."

Despite the high number of gamers in the country, Thailand still doesn't have a video game content rating system. Currently, there is only the Film and Video Act 2008 which controls video game arcades. The law states that games at arcades must be screened and that obscene games are prohibited. The law does not cover online games or personal video games. The content ratings for games available online such as through the Apple Store or Google Play are from the game creators.

"Most parents don't know what kind of games their children play. And children will usually lie about their age online in order to play certain games. The current system can't control game content or the gamers themselves," he added.

There may be little in the way of definitive evidence linking video games to violence. However, Dr Sirichai is of the opinion that it is better to err on the side of caution. And to prevent young gamers from turning aggressive, parental understanding is key.

"Nowadays, parents don't know what kind of activities their children engage in on their mobile phones," he said. "Many don't spend much time with their children. The younger a child is when playing violent games, the higher the risk of them becoming aggressive and desensitised. Love, warmth and intimacy from their family will allow the child to build self-control. If the child feels neglected, their ability to self-regulate will decrease."

Dr Sirichai also recommended that parents limit screen time for children, as recommended both by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Society of Thailand.

"Children under two years old shouldn't spend any time watching the screen. Children aged two to five should be limited to between one and two hours of screen time per day. For young gamers, parents must try to monitor game content. Parents should try to choose games that are beneficial to child development. And parents should encourage children to participate in activities other than video games, such as exercise," he said.


* Not his real name

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