While many people continue to try and point the crimes of our nation on the influence of video games, many studies are showing that even as the video games sales continue to soar every year, the annual violent crimes rates are actually on a steady decline. However, an interesting point has been made that there are many shootings in which the investigators find a correlation between video games and the shootings. For example, in the Columbine high school shooting, police discovered that those responsible were active players of a game called "Doom." Another shooting at Virginia Tech was believed to be an even worse massacre than the previous shooting and while the roommate of the shooter claimed he never saw him playing video games, many people suspected that the violence was possibly linked to just that.

Last year another terrible shooting occurred in Norway and the mass murderer named Ander Behring Breivik, claims that he used the game "Call of Duty" to train for his shooting; he was also an avid "World of Warcraft" player. However, despite all of this connection between mass killings and video games, it is very difficult to say in fact that video games are leading people to become violent. With millions of users all over the world, there are many individuals who use these games as a fun release who never intend on becoming violent like their gaming characters in real life.

If a person played these video games on a regular basis, it is still hard to prove that there is any real connection between violent crimes and violent video games. Now, there would be evidence if a person was an active participant in shooting ranges, however there is not much training that can actually be done for real life on a video game; no matter how hard you try. Paul Tassi with the Wall Street Journal discusses the very issue and states that "correlation is not causation." And this means in essence that just because a person who committed a crime played video games, do not mean that every person who plays video games is considered to be a violent criminal. In many cases, a person who is already inclined to violent acts as either a kid or an adult, may be more likely to play these games as it can act as an outlet for their desires to commit acts; however there is not specific link between games and physical violence.

In some situation, researches would say that in fact violent video games leads to less crime because people can let out their anger in the game and then deal with life a little more level headedly. One study done by Dr. Fergusson and Dr. Stephanie M. Rueda in 2010, showed this very idea. They did a study of 103 different young adults and split them into four groups. One group was given a non-violent video game, the other a violent video game as good guys, one group had no game, and another played a violent game as bad guys. After playing for a set amount of time, they were given a "frustration task" to work on and what they discovered after this test was shocking. Those who played the video games were actually found to deal with the task at hand more efficiently with less aggression and hostility than the group who didn't play games.

While video games may or may not show a correlation between violence in people, they are often a way of learning about a person's behavior patterns. For example, someone who is characterized as an avid video gamer may be more inclines to be less social. However, what researchers do notice is that looking at the home and environment of a person is a better indicator of their behaviors and tendencies as opposed to whether or not they play video games.

While there are many beliefs not his very issue on both sides of the spectrums, crimes do happen; and in the event you or someone you know has been arrested for a crime it is essential to have a criminal defense attorney on your side. Perhaps you or your child has been accused of a violent act, and whether or not video games played a role a criminal defense attorney can help you fight for your future and protect your rights. Don't wait before it is too late to take action, find one in your area today.