According to Polygon, over 155 million Americans regularly play video games. That just shows how video games have become a staple of life in America as well as many other countries. Especially with more advanced video games being released, more people are drawn to them, but there is major controversy surrounding their content. One of the biggest topics about video games is if kids or young adults should be allowed to play M-rated games. M-rated games are made for people who are 17 and older, but many people who play these games are usually younger, having received the games by way of their parents or older friends.

Many people blame these M-rated games for causing violent tendencies in a myriad of players, ranging from children to adults. A lot of games these days are M-rated and are some of the most popular games. Some of these games include “Grand Theft Auto V,” “Mortal Kombat X,” and “Resident Evil 7: Biohazard.” An old study conducted by the American Psychological Association said that there was a link between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior. The study also said that these games also caused decreased prosocial behavior, empathy, and moral engagement.

With new studies coming out, though, this is turning into outdated information. A study done by Whitney DeCamp, an associate professor of sociology at Western Michigan University, states that there is an insignificant link between the two things.This study was done by looking at data from another study in 2008, which was related to the new one, and added in a bunch of factors.  He then discovered that no matter how bloody a video game is, it doesn’t predict violent behavior. Another associate professor at Stetson University, named Christopher Ferguson, supports DeCamp’s claim. He even thinks that playing these violent video games helps decrease societal violence instead of increasing it. So tell your parents that they have nothing to worry about.