Violent video games dangerous for children

Kids exposed to violent video games are more likely to pull the trigger in reallife situations, as compared to those who do not indulge in such gaming habits, researchers have warned.

A study examined the effects of video games with weapons on children's behaviour when they found gun in reallife. The study was conducted on children aged between 8-12 years who were assigned to play three different versions of the game Minecraft.

The first version was violent and required players to kill monsters with guns while the second required players to kill monsters with swords. The third version was non-violent, with no weapons or monsters.

After 20 minutes of game-play, the kids played with other toys in another room that included a cabinet with two disabled handguns, said the researchers.

For the findings, the team of researcers, included 220 children who found a gun while playing.

Nearly 62 per cent of the 76 children who played the video game with gun touched a handgun.

About 57 per cent of the 74 children who played the game with sword violence touched a gun, and 44 per cent of the 70 kids who played the non-violent version touched a gun.