Granted, as a teen-ager I can recall some fascination with violent images, but that may not be the major attraction of these games for most kids. He developed his theory after he a reviewed and studied all the research conducted on violent video games as a doctoral student in 1997. However, the effect does seem larger with the newer, more violent games. Of the 27 studies he found, the outcomes were mixed. In some instances there was no effect on aggressiveness, while other studies showed moderate effects.
Graphic violence can frighten children and lead to nightmares.
He also says parents should not find it surprising or alarming when children imitate the aggressive acts they see in games. Sherry says correcting bad behavior will bring it to an end. He adds that parents also must realize that television and video games are different media, and research findings about television do not carry over to the games. Sherry says that just as there are good and bad books and television shows, there are also plenty of good video games for children. You may have more to fear from home canning by novices than from Y2K computer crashes, says a Purdue University specialist.