A new review suggests that playing violent video games may increase the player's risk of committing a crime.
A report released by the American Psychological Association task force suggests there is a consistent relation between violent video game use and increases in aggressive behavior, aggressive cognitions and aggressive affect, BBC News reported.
"Scientists have investigated the use of violent video games for more than two decades but to date, there is very limited research addressing whether violent video games cause people to commit acts of criminal violence," Mark Appelbaum, task force chair, said in a statement. "However, the link between violence in video games and increased aggression in players is one of the most studied and best established in the field."
Previous studies have linked violent video games to increased aggression in players, but insufficient evidence exists about whether the link extends to criminal violence.
For the study, the American Psychological Association task force conducted a comprehensive review of the research literature published between 2005 and 2013 focused on violent video game use. According to CBS News, this included four meta-analyses that reviewed more than 150 research reports published before 2009. Task force members then conducted both a systematic evidence review and a quantitative review of the literature published between 2009 and 2013.
"No single risk factor consistently leads a person to act aggressively or violently," the report states. "Rather, it is the accumulation of risk factors that tends to lead to aggressive or violent behavior. The research reviewed here demonstrates that violent video game use is one such risk factor."
The task force's review is the first in this field to examine the breadth of studies included and to undertake multiple approaches to reviewing the literature.
