Moral panics may emerge from ‘culture wars’ occurring in a society… politicians, news media and social scientists, arguably [have] motives for promoting hysterical beliefs about media violence, and video games specifically. Actual causes of violent crime, such as family environment, genetics, poverty, and inequality, are oftentimes difficult, controversial, and intractable problems. By contrast, video games present something of a ‘straw man’ by which politicians can create an appearance of taking action against crime… As for the news media, it has long been recognised that negative news… ‘sell’ better than do positive news… As for social scientists, it has been observed that a small group of researchers have been most vocal in promoting the anti-game message… oftentimes ignoring research from other researchers, or failing to disclose problems with their own research… – Texas A&M International UniversityProf. Christopher Ferguson

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