Study shows that killer games do not make killer kids.

University of Southern California sociologist Karen Sternheimer, has been researching the possibility of the missing link between video game violence and kids since 1999. She said blaming video games for youth violence fails to take into account other major factors.

"A symphony of events controls violence," said Sternheimer, who began her research after experts blamed the video game "Doom" for the gun rampage at Columbine High School in Colorado in which two students killed 13 people and then themselves.

"It was a tragic and, very fortunately, rare event and it was discouraging to see that the conversation often started and stopped at video games."

Sternheimer's article, "Do Video Games Kill?," will appear in the American Sociological Association's Contexts magazine as the European Union weighs outlawing certain violent games and harmonizing national penalties for retailers caught such products to under-age children.

Her research, involved studying media coverage and FBI statistics detailing trends on youth crime, found that in the 10 years after the release of "Doom" -- and other violence targeted titles -- juvenile homicide arrest rates in the United States fell 77 percent.

In addition, Sternheimer found that students have less than a 7 in 10 million chance of being killed at school. “If we want to understand why young become homicidal, we need to look beyond the games they play or we miss some of the biggest pieces of the puzzle," she said. Karen Sternheimer lists other factors such as community and family violence and less parental involvement as other possible factors.

Sternheimer said violent video games have come to carry the baggage of social angst over youth violence as the industry has grown into a $10 billion-plus giant that towers over Hollywood box office sales. Blaming video games is a quick fix for when the public demands an explanation for why children become murderers.

In the US, the video game industry is self-regulated and retailers have the deciding factor whether or not to sell a video game. Due to demands from concerned consumers, the industry has given combat video games an age appropriate grade. An M-rated game is intended for mature audiences. These games contain content judged appropriate for people aged 17 and older. However, if is up to the buyer / parent on whether or not to buy the game for a child.

Putting the blame on video games gives a false impression that society should forgive the environment in which the child was raised and removes the responsibility of the criminal. However, youth criminal activity is more complicated than any video game and there is no one simple solution to answering why do kids kill?

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