So, social psychologist Albert Bandura performed a couple of experiments in the 1960s, and he proposed that aggressive behaviour can be learnt. Basically, in experimental group he had kids watch an adult physically and verbally assault a Bobo doll. Kids in control group watched an adult play with other toys while the Bobo doll was left untouched. Then, kids from both groups played with some toys from a different room, until they were no longer allowed (this was done to build up frustration). Instead they were offered to play with toys in a room, where the Bobo doll and some other toys were. The results concluded that kids in experimental group showed more aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll. In a different experiment he also concluded that aggressive behaviour can be learnt trough cartoons or movies. [Here’s](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobo_doll_experiment) a link to a more detailed explanation.
So my question is, how is it possible that there are apparently no newer and stronger links between violent games/movies and violent behaviour, especially since games/movies are getting more realistic?
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Bandura’s experiment suggests that aggressive play will be mimicked. A better analog would be that children who watch an adult play a violent video game will be more inclined to play that video game.
The Bobo experiment suggests that children will mimic violent behavior which they see others perform. When a child plays a violent video game, they are not seeing violent behavior enacted; they are seeing a video game be played. If the child were watching a video of actual violence, that would fit more neatly with the Bobo experiment.
The Bobo experiment also has more to do with seeing how violent (or other) behavior is responded to; namely, if someone is punished for violent behavior, a child watching that will be less inclined to show violent behavior. There is not this kind of context provided when playing video games.
Long story short – it is an apples and oranges scenario. The Bobo experiment has little to do with violent video games.
The experiment establishes that the kids who watch an adult be violent against a doll, are also more likely to be violent against the doll when they play with it.
This is not the same as establishing that kids who watch an adult be violent against a doll will commit violence against each other.
The experiment shows that kid learn by imitation, but an important part of that is that they also learn boundaries by watching grown up behaviour.
A young child being shown that they can act out against an inanimate object with no repercussions and then doing so is a pretty specific set of conditions, and should not surprise anyone.
If you look at the ratings system for movies and games, and the shows that are being broadcast “for kids” in the morning, you’ll see that they don’t include the type of violence used in this study. So, basically, as a society, we try to not show that stuff to kids, and block access to violence until they’re older and more capable of understanding all the ramifications, and the difference between games and reality.
Also, for adults, the whole idea behind sports and games is to discharge “violence” and stress in settings that are not real and/or have rules behind them. You have a bit of anger, adrenaline, stress, whatever, play a game or a sport to discharge it instead of looking for real fights with other people.
So, TLDR, the experiment shows that aggressive behavior can be learned from observation, but we don’t present children with games/movies at an age when they’re *learning*, we present them much later, AFTER they’ve learned from parents and through school that violence is NOT ok. So sports and games become a way to “discharge” adrenaline / stress without having to perform actual violence.
Of course there is a connection, but is it important? All Bandura showed was that it was possible. Hardly anybody expected something else. Children are often seen play acting things their parents do.
However, when thousands of people play a violent video game almost all of them do not become violent in real life. Something is “different” in the people who become violent, and it’s not the game.
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