Description

Read "Analysis: Why It's Time to Stop Blaming Video Games for Real-world Violence" by Dr. Christopher Ferguson, professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida. Ferguson wrote this piece, which appears on thePBS NewsHoursite, after the initial response to the August 3, 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas that resulted in the deaths of twenty-two people and injuries to dozens more. The piece was published on August 5, 2019, and is available at https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/analysis-why-its-time-to-stop-blaming-video-games-for-real-world-violence (or you can access it using the search terms "Christopher Ferguson PBS NewsHour video games").

Once you've read Ferguson's piece, conduct an online search for "El Paso shooting and video games" and read three to five additional articles from about these events.

Question 

1. What does Ferguson have to say about violence in our society and the connection between digital games and violence?,

 

2. What does Ferguson write about the reactions of public figures to the El Paso tragedy? What does he write about the history of moral panics that blame certain kinds of media for certain outcomes? What does he write about the role of media researchers, professional organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA), and industry associations like the National Rifle Association (NRA) in how video games are studied and characterized?