Volient videogames decrease crime

So why not take a look at the science? So far, no study has conclusively linked violent video games to violent crime or youth violence, and a number have pointed to just the opposite.

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In August of 2007, Dr. Christopher J. Ferguson of Texas A&M published a study showing that many studies of violence in video games have ‘publication bias’ baked into the reports, and even then, of the 25 studies he surveyed, none show any causal link between violence in video games and violence in real life.
In 2010, Dr. Fergusson and Dr. Stephanie M. Rueda published another study in which they took a sample of 103 young adults and had them solve a “frustration task.” Separating the participants into four groups, the researches had one group play no video game, one play a non-violent video game, one play as good guys in a violent game, and one play as bad guys in a violent game.
They found that the games had no impact on aggressive behavior whatsoever, and that the group which played no game at all was the most aggressive after the task, whereas the group that played the violent games were the least hostile and depressed.
There are many other studies which come to the same conclusions – or lack of conclusions – about the risk of violent video games affecting behavior in real life.
Many social and behavioral researchers point out that violence in the home and poverty are better indicators of anti-social or violent behavior.
Add to this the fact that the gaming industry is now measured in the tens of billions of dollars every year, with global revenue well over $60 billion annually.
At the very same time as video games started going mainstream, violent crime began to fall.
Indeed, the correlation between the growth in the gaming industry and the fall in violent crime is startling even if it is only a correlation.
Violent crime is at an all-time low in America. Here’s a look at falling violent crime numbers, courtesy of the FBI.

Meanwhile, games sales are on the rise in the US (in billions US$):

It’s not hard to combine the two graphs in your mind’s eye and see the two lines cross.
As The Economist put it several years ago: “The opposition to gaming springs largely from the neophobia that has pitted the old against the entertainments of the young for centuries. Most gamers are under 40, and most critics are non-games-playing over-40s.”
Why the media keeps spinning this same tale is not particularly perplexing. The news plays to our fears, whether substantiated or no, and since video games first rolled on to the scene, parents have been fearful of the effects violent video games might have on their kids. Find some correlation and you’ve got yourself a clickable headline. The Norway shooter played a violent video game? Send it to print!
Why are violent crimes down? It may not have anything to do with video games. Still, it’s also possible that relatively cheap, accessible, and time-consuming electronic diversions keep people occupied who might otherwise be out getting into trouble. Maybe the more time people spend playing games, the less time and motivation they’ll have to go out and commit crimes. Or maybe there’s no link at all.
But on a purely intuitive level, I can’t help but think that the more people we have playing games the better. The more people who can gain access to the internet and to other relatively cheap and engaging diversions, like games and social media, the better off our society will become.