Within 24 hours, two mass shootings occurred in Texas and Ohio, killing 29 people. This
What is known
US President Donald Trump was the first to make a statement, calling on society not to romanticize violence and to be stricter against “horrible video games.”
“We must stop romanticizing violence inour society. This applies to the disgusting and terrible video games that have become commonplace. Today, it is all too easy for troubled teens to become immersed in a culture that glorifies violence. We must stop or significantly reduce this,” Trump said.
The president also pointed his finger at the Internet, which he said serves as a source of radicalization for unbalanced people.
I went on Fox News with @DanaPerino to talk abouthow video games don’t cause real life violence, why this only happens here in America despite gaming and esports played worldwide, and why mainstream media needs to get it right #VideogamesAreNotToBlame pic.twitter.com/FFKxEGK90P
- Rod Breslau (@Slasher) August 5, 2019
The words of the US President have already influenced the gamingindustry. According to MarketWatch, after Trump’s speech, Activision Blizzard shares fell by -5.96%, Take-Two Interactive fell by -5.19%, and Electronic Arts lost -4.63% of the value of securities.
In turn, the American Association of Software and Computer Games Manufacturers ESA has already issued a refutation of Trump’s words:
“As we already said at the meeting regardingvideo games at the White House in March 2018, numerous scientific studies have shown that there is no causal link between video games and violence... Video games make positive contributions to society through new treatments and medical advances, educational tools, business innovations and more to another. Video games help players connect with family and friends, relieve stress and have fun."