By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed interest in investigating a potential link between video games and mass shootings in America, highlighting the disparity in mass shootings between the United States and Switzerland, despite similar gun ownership rates. He pointed to potential factors like psychiatric drugs, video games, and social media as contributors to this violence. These claims are being met with mixed responses as experts have refuted this claim in the past. The NIH is now initiating studies to explore these correlations further.
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RFK Jr. Comes Up With New Possible Cause for Mass Shootings: Video Games. Yes, here we go again. It seems we’re revisiting a very familiar argument, one that has been trotted out countless times before: video games are to blame for mass shootings. It feels like a throwback to the 90s, doesn’t it? Like a time machine, we’ve landed back in an era where violent entertainment was the scapegoat for societal ills.
It’s not exactly a novel idea. The link between violent video games and real-world violence has been a topic of debate for decades, but the evidence just isn’t there to support a direct causal relationship. We’ve seen it all before. It’s a familiar tune, a worn-out record. The problem is, other countries play video games, often the same ones, and they don’t have the same epidemic of mass shootings that the United States does. This fact alone should make anyone question the supposed connection.
The timing also feels a little off. It’s almost as if we’re meant to forget about all the other, more plausible contributing factors, like easy access to firearms, mental health crises, income inequality, and the dissemination of hate. Those issues seem a lot more relevant, don’t they? Instead, we’re offered a recycled argument that’s been debunked time and again. It’s like we’re back in the Columbine era, fixated on Marilyn Manson and pixelated violence.
It raises the question: where does this line of reasoning come from? Is it a desperate attempt to find an easy answer, a way to sidestep the complex issues that truly drive gun violence? Or is it a strategy to avoid the elephant in the room, the proliferation of guns themselves? Perhaps the answer is a bit of both. Blaming video games allows a certain segment of the population to deflect from the real problem.
The argument is old news. What’s next, are we going to blame rock music, or maybe Dungeons and Dragons and the satanic influences? There’s a predictable quality to it all, as if someone is consciously trying to stir up old controversies. One can’t help but wonder if this is an attempt to distract from more pressing issues. If it’s about health and well-being, why aren’t they also going after things like junk food? The whole thing just feels a bit… off.
It’s a real shame, because the focus should be on real-world solutions, like comprehensive mental health care, responsible gun control measures, and tackling the root causes of violence, such as poverty and hate. Focusing on video games misses the mark entirely. It’s like a comedian repeating the same tired jokes, hoping they’ll somehow be funny this time around.
It’s also worth pointing out that the United States is not even the biggest consumer of video games per capita. South Korea is. So if video games were the cause of mass shootings, surely South Korea would also have a lot of them, no? The reality is, the issue is complex, and a simplistic answer isn’t just wrong, it’s dangerous. It distracts from the real conversations we need to have.
This is not a new argument and has been proven untrue. It’s the guns. And the easy access to them. It’s also the societal issues that allow violence to thrive. Let’s stop trying to distract from the problem and, instead, address the real causes of this tragedy. Blaming video games is an overused trope, an attempt to deflect blame. There is no real science to support this claim. This is an old, overused, and frankly, lazy argument. It is a dangerous distraction from the real issues.