Fact Check: Video Games Do *Not* Cause Violence
Claims that violent video games or violent movies are causally linked to school shootings and other acts of real-world violence are not supported by the scientific literature.

Claims that violent video games or violent movies are causally linked to school shootings and other acts of real-world violence are not supported by the scientific literature.

“[A] lot of bad things are happening to young kids and young minds, and their minds are being fooled,” Trump said, citing “violence” in video games that were “shaping young people’s thoughts.”

Despite shady details, as well as the overreach and abuse of mental health classifications seen in non-democratic countries, the World Health Organization will add Gaming Disorder to its International Classification of Diseases in 2018.

Apple has irrevocably altered mobile gaming with less than 30 words, forcing apps with loot boxes to disclose the odds of what players can expect to get out of them before purchasing.

Developer Sledgehammer Games’ Call of Duty: World War II packages a short-but-satisfying campaign with multiplayer that is fun and accessible for newcomers and returning fans of early titles.

Developer Gears for Breakfast’s A Hat in Time channels classic platformers like Banjo-Kazooie for a delightful romp that makes a great last-minute stocking stuffer.

Crytek has employed a legendary Wall Street law firm to pursue damages against the developers of perpetually-delayed space-sim Star Citizen.

Akili Interactive Labs reported that they have achieved “Primary Efficacy Endpoint” in what they describe as a “pivotal” trial for an ADHD treatment video game.

Ubisoft’s latest outing in their science-fiction alternate history franchise is a decent action RPG — but not a very good Assassin’s Creed game.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Hawaii State Representative Sean Quinlan advocated for self-regulation of loot boxes by the video game industry.

Amidst the ongoing debate as to the nature of loot boxes and gambling, “industry leaders and experts” as forming a non-partisan advocacy group called the National Committee on Games Policy.

In a working paper entitled “Death by Pokemon GO,” two Pursue University researchers claim the mobile game phenomenon is responsible for a massive spike in traffic accidents.

While recent controversies may have finally gotten the attention of legislators, consumers are still voting for the inclusion of predatory loot boxes with their wallets.

Chinese mega-corporation Tencent will import hit game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to China, but only once the game has been appropriately sanitized.

From the US to Belgium, the predatory pseudo-gambling video game “loot box” business model is coming under fire, and politicians are finally taking notice.

Despite “a lot of confusion and a lot of fear,” experts have yet to see any of many myths of video game being harmful for children materialize.

Star Wars Battlefront II publisher Electronic Arts has responded to the ongoing controversy behind the game’s aggressive monetization by disabling the purchase of in-game currency — for now.

The outcry over Star Wars Battlefront II’s monetization has reached a fever pitch despite token efforts from Electronic Arts, and now investors are growing concerned.

The follow-up to developer MachineGames’ masterful 2014 Wolfenstein franchise reboot is as beautiful and brutal as the first but feels noticeably thinner.

The Russian defense ministry claimed on Tuesday it had “irrefutable evidence” of the United States helping the Islamic State in Syria using footage revealed to be from a mobile phone game.

Despite attempts to salve the community’s rage against Star Wars Battlefront II’s aggressive monetization strategy, the forthcoming game’s progression system is still abusively exploitive.

Electronic Arts was hammered for their rebuttal to gamers’ complaints about the ludicrous advancement requirements and microtransactions in the upcoming Star Wars multiplayer shooter.

Carving up Orcs in Middle-earth: Shadow of War is as much fun as it was in 2014, but every decision made surrounding that central conceit seems to have been drawn up by a marketing department, rather than the creative minds that once hypnotized us with the innovative Nemesis System.

Activision has patented a “system and method for driving microtransactions in multiplayer video games” but denied it is being used in any game.

In what may very well be an industry first, Epic Games is suing alleged cheaters for the unauthorized alteration of their game Fortnite’s code.

Both American and European electronic entertainment rating boards are hesitant to classify video game loot box microtransactions as gambling.

OpenCritic, the review aggregator that made waves with its unweighted and inclusive approach, is looking into informing consumers if a game contains microtransaction loot boxes.

Developer Reikon Games’ Ruiner is a gruesome tour through a vivid cyberpunk dystopia, dripping with neon-soaked style, that will satisfy fans of old-school isometric shooters.

In a move to reduce the momentum of a snowballing series of PR blunders, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment has reversed course on their decision to monetize the memorial “Forthog” DLC.

Entertainment Software Association President and CEO Michael D. Gallagher on Monday released a statement in support of the Trump administration’s new STEM initiative.
Toys ‘R’ Us filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy comes after the toy retailer lost relevance proportionate to their video game market share.

For a brief moment, cooperative shooter Fortnite allowed Xbox and PlayStation owners the chance to play together, a first for console cross-platform play.

The U.S. Navy will save money and training time by giving young naval officers aboard submarines video game controllers to operate periscopes.

World of Warcraft players can purchase Shadow the Fox in order to contribute to disaster relief funds, both national and international.

After four years of litigation, on Thursday, a Dallas court ruled in favor of iLife Technologies to the tune of $10 million against Nintendo.

Ohio State University has revoked the Ph.D. of a co-author to a retracted study that claimed first-person shooter video games made people better shooters in the real world.

Volition’s Agents of Mayhem couches tired gameplay in bland world design and populates it with a cast of grating one-dimensional caricatures.

I came away from this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo excited about a precious few upcoming titles. Foremost among them was Middle-earth: Shadow of War. I described the elegance with which the developers introduced complexity to 2014’s Shadow of Mordor’s alchemy of procedural generation and visceral combat. I said that I would be “shocked if it doesn’t immediately become one of the year’s highlights” upon its release, and I meant it.

Half-Life’s final entry may end up being a blog post by one of its creators, written as a letter to those who have longed for a conclusion to the franchise which has lain dormant for nearly a decade.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice impresses with sight and sound, but there isn’t any meat on the game’s bones.
