In the wake of the Parkland, Fla., shooting, many -- including President Trump -- are pointing the finger at violent video games for potentially shaping player behaviors. But the industry is just “a very convenient scapegoat for a lot of politicians,” according to Ashley Jenkins, Host of Rooster Teeth’s “The Know.”
There have been several studies looking into the impact of video games, and none have found any causal links with behavioral issues, Jenkins told Cheddar.
She pointed out that the games in question are often played around the world, and those countries “don’t have the same level of gun violence, so it’s unlikely that the correlation there has anything to do with actual video games.”
President Trump has said he’ll meet with video game executives at some point this week to discuss the violent content in their products.
But it seems like the industry, including companies such as Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft, is unaware of this meeting.
“At this point no one in the industry has any idea who Trump plans on meeting with,” said Jenkins.
This debate around the impact of video games isn’t new and tends to resurface after every violent tragedy.
For example, there were similar calls for restraints after the Columbine shooting in 1999. But that movement didn’t really go anywhere.
Instead, the video game industry set up the Entertainment Software Association, which functions as “an independent regulatory body to avoid government interference,” much like the Motion Picture Association of America self-regulates for movies, said Jenkins.
Trump, though, doesn’t seem aware that the body exists, suggesting at a meeting with shooting survivors last month that video games should be subject to a “ratings system.”
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/trump-planning-to-meet-with-video-game-makers).
Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.
Canada has removed 41 of its diplomats from India as tensions rise between the two nations.
Mitt Romney said he believes right-wing media is the reason for the radicalization of the GOP party.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Thursday that inflation remains too high and that bringing it down to the Fed's target level will likely require a slower-growing economy and job market.
Despite deepening opposition, Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to try a third vote to become House speaker, even as his Republican colleagues are explicitly warning the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no more threats or promises can win over their support.
