Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do

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Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth About Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 93 ratings · 23 reviews

Listening to pundits and politicians, you'd think that the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children is clear. Children who play violent video games are more likely to be socially isolated and have poor interpersonal skills. Violent games can trigger real-world violence. The best way to protect our kids is to keep them away from games suc...more Listening to pundits and politicians, you'd think that the relationship between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children is clear. Children who play violent video games are more likely to be socially isolated and have poor interpersonal skills. Violent games can trigger real-world violence. The best way to protect our kids is to keep them away from games such as Grand Theft Auto that are rated M for Mature. Right?Wrong. In fact, many parents are worried about the wrong things

In 2004, Lawrence Kutner, PhD, and Cheryl K. Olson, ScD, cofounders and directors of the Harvard Medical School Center for Mental Health and Media, began a $1.5 million federally funded study on the effects of video games. In contrast to previous research, their study focused on real children and families in real situations. What they found surprised, encouraged and sometimes disturbed them: their findings conform to the views of neither the alarmists nor the video game industry boosters. In "Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Video Games and What Parents Can Do," Kutner and Olson untangle the web of politics, marketing, advocacy and flawed or misconstrued studies that until now have shaped parents' concerns.

Instead of offering a one-size-fits-all prescription, "Grand Theft Childhood" gives the information you need to decide how you want to handle this sensitive issue in your own family. You'll learn when -- and what kinds of -- video games can be harmful, when they can serve as important social or learning tools and how to create and enforce game-playing rules in your household. You'll find out what's really in the games your children play and when to worry about your children playing with strangers on the Internet. You'll understand how games are rated, how to make best use of ratings and the potentially important information that ratings don't provide.

"Grand Theft Childhood" takes video games out of the political and media arenas, and puts parents back in control. It should be required reading for all families who use game consoles or computers.

Almost all children today play video or computer games. Half of twelve-year-olds regularly play violent, Mature-rated games. And parents are worried...""I don't know if it's an addiction, but my son is just glued to it. It's the same with my daughter with her computer...and I can't be watching both of them all the time, to see if they're talking to strangers or if someone is getting killed in the other room on the PlayStation. It's just nerve-racking ""I'm concerned that this game playing is just the kid and the TV screen...how is this going to affect his social skills?""I'm not concerned about the violence; I'm concerned about the way they portray the violence. It's not accidental; it's intentional. They're just out to kill people in some of these games." "

What should we as parents, teachers and public policy makers be concerned about? The real risks are subtle and aren't just about gore or sex. Video games don't affect all children in the same way; some children are at significantly greater risk. (You may be surprised to learn which ones ) "Grand Theft Childhood" gives parents practical, research-based advice on ways to limit many of those risks. It also shows how video games -- even violent games -- can benefit children and families in unexpected ways.

In this groundbreaking and timely book, Drs. Lawrence Kutner and Cheryl Olson cut through the myths and hysteria, and reveal the surprising truth about kids and violent games.(less)

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published April 15th 2008 by Simon & Schuster (first published 2008)

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Jul 16, 2010 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I came across Lawrence Kuthner and Cheryl Olson’s Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Games (And What Parents Can Do) while doing some research for an article on the psychology of video games. The book is the end result of a research program by the authors, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice weirdly enough, focusing on violent video games and kids. Kuthner and Olson claim to be impartial researchers who don’t have any particular axe to grind on the issue, unlike activ...more I came across Lawrence Kuthner and Cheryl Olson’s Grand Theft Childhood: The Surprising Truth about Violent Games (And What Parents Can Do) while doing some research for an article on the psychology of video games. The book is the end result of a research program by the authors, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice weirdly enough, focusing on violent video games and kids. Kuthner and Olson claim to be impartial researchers who don’t have any particular axe to grind on the issue, unlike activists, politicians, professionals working in the games industry, or gamers themselves. Their aim, they say, was to let their data do the talking.

The data in question are those collected by the researchers from surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews with kids and their families. Right away any reader who has taken anything beyond a Research Methods 101 class could tell you that this is a limiting factor --self report data are subject to a range of biases and using only one or two methods of data collection represents a substantial flaw in any program. But that’s not to say that the data are worthless or that the conclusions the researchers (who readily cop to these limitations) draw from them can’t be used to inform continuing research or draw some conclusions with the right caveats.

And the claims that come out of all this make a certain amount of sense: kids are vulnerable to some of this stuff, but bullying and warped senses of gender or race roles are more likely outcomes than sociopathic killing sprees. Some kids are more vulnerable than other on account of good old fashioned individual differences. Actually, girls play and enjoy violent games, too. Kids think guns and weapons are cool, but what they really like are chances to develop skills, make choices, and interact with other people. Some games may only be single player, but kids build social relationships around them by talking about their common experiences. There is a ratings system in place (the ESRB) but it’s pretty flawed and kids are savvy about how to acquire restricted games. Anyone who has a reason to lie to you about the effects of violent games on kids and culture may very well be. That kind of stuff.

Overall, it’s not a bad read, and a pretty quick one. There are some chapters, like the one drawing parallels between the uproar over violent games to past uproars over every other media you can think of, were a little too long and turgid, and despite claims to be impartial the researchers occasionally pinned their political views onto their sleeves, it is a pretty impartial look at the topic that doesn’t toe any particular line. It’s not the last word on the subject, but I hope that other social scientists pick up on these research programs and build on them.(less)

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Apr 15, 2010 Glen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is about the truths about violent video games and their effects on the people who play them, mostly teens. In the book they have a study doen by the authors and their results show that people that do play violent vidoe games would have increses in aggresson but that is not a definate conclusion. In the book they talk about other factors they would contribute to increased aggression like if the person was exposed to violence growing up.

I read this for my exhibition on violent video gam...more

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Jul 11, 2009 Julie Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Julie by: NPR

Shelves: parenting, nonfiction-reading-to-learn

Reading this last summer helped convince me that video games are not going to kill my kid or turn him into a terrorist. It debunked almost all of my preconceptions, and I enjoyed learning much about the history of the public's overreaction to everything including the Great Train Robbery (for reals). It also provided needed insight into some of the stuff my students are doing, how it's really affecting or not affecting them, and how to look at the studies of the past 10 years (the ones mentioned...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Kressel Housman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: parenting, psychology, non-fiction, gaming

Video games are definitely a problem in my house. I think my teenage son plays way too much, and I detest the violence in the games that he and his brothers play. Why don’t I take them away? Because I want to avoid the inevitable fight. Is that weak of me? YES. I need help. So when I discovered a parenting book on this very subject, I took it out of the library the first chance I got.

As you see, the subtitle says “the surprising truth,” and the authors’ thesis was definitely a surprise to me. I...more Video games are definitely a problem in my house. I think my teenage son plays way too much, and I detest the violence in the games that he and his brothers play. Why don’t I take them away? Because I want to avoid the inevitable fight. Is that weak of me? YES. I need help. So when I discovered a parenting book on this very subject, I took it out of the library the first chance I got.

As you see, the subtitle says “the surprising truth,” and the authors’ thesis was definitely a surprise to me. I expected documented cases of how terribly damaging these games can be, as in the Columbine massacre. But the authors debunk the Columbine-video game link. They argue quite convincingly that the only children who become more violent as a result of video games are kids who are at risk for violence for other reasons, ie they live an abusive environment, whether at home or in school. Parents who are giving their kids a quality home life need not worry so much if they’re “shooting up” cartoon men on a screen now and then. In fact, the authors argue that a greater warning sign is when a kid doesn’t play video games at all because these games are actually a social activity. (“Hey, check out this new cheat code!” “Did you play the newest release?” etc.)

The author’s conclusion to parents is, “Relax,” and I very much appreciated it, but for me, the best part of the book was my son’s interest in it. He actually read parts of it himself and was open to my discussions about it. For example, when I told him about a game called “Kaboom” which terrorists use as a recruitment tool or a game put out by a Neo-Nazi party actually set in Auschwitz, he said, “Disgusting.” This gave me an opening to say, “To me, they’re all disgusting.” And I think he understood it. But the most relevant quote for us is one that I actually copied out for him: “It may be that temporary or intermittent immersion in a game is therapeutic, while playing games alone for hours most days after school makes matters worse.” In other words, I don’t have to make him quit cold turkey, but we really do have to work on filling his time with other activities. May Hashem help us.
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Apr 25, 2013 Margaret rated it 4 of 5 stars

My son played video games from the time he could hold a controller in his hand. He played a variety of games - from GTA and Ninja Turtles to Tony Hawk. They helped his hand-eye coordination which likely helped him become a great drummer. He learned to create games. Over the years I've had several conversations with people who believe video games are the root of all evil. I was glad to see the authors of this book debunk those theories. Politicians and journalists would like us to believe that pl...more

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Aug 13, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-interests

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For some time now I’ve been in the uncomfortable position of possessing strong opinions without strong evidence to back them up. Unlike so many in the media, I don’t believe violent video games are corrupting our youth. I don’t think violent games are responsible for school shootings, and I don’t think laws ought to be passed to prevent children from buying them. I had heard that the authors of Grand Theft Childhood espoused opinions similar to mine and I jumped at the opportunity to sure up the...more For some time now I’ve been in the uncomfortable position of possessing strong opinions without strong evidence to back them up. Unlike so many in the media, I don’t believe violent video games are corrupting our youth. I don’t think violent games are responsible for school shootings, and I don’t think laws ought to be passed to prevent children from buying them. I had heard that the authors of Grand Theft Childhood espoused opinions similar to mine and I jumped at the opportunity to sure up the foundations of my conviction.

The authors of G.T.C. examine the issue from a number of angles. They look at some of the strangely divergent views of ‘experts’ on the subject, and quote some of the media hysterics. They look at the long history of the idea that new media types (films, television, comic books, radio, etc) are corrupting young people and driving society towards some type of social apocalypse. The merits and problems with a number of studies, including the authors’ own are examined. The video game content rating system is also discussed.

In the end the authors reach the conclusion I had hoped they would: “Perhaps the biggest lesson learned from our research is that most parents should not worry about violent or other M-rated video games having a profound effect on their children’s behavior or values.” They go on to add that although some patterns of gaming do seem to be markers of increased risk for certain behavioral problems, there is no evidence to suggest that gaming causes these problems.

Given the inconclusive nature of many of the studies, I suspect that Grand Theft Childhood might have difficulties altering opinions of those who already have entrenched anti-violent game sentiments. But for those suspicious of the hysteria, as I was, it’s refreshing to hear some calm, level headed analysis on the subject. I’m all for challenging my own opinions, but once and I while it’s nice to just sit back and listen to someone agreeing with them.
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Nov 14, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Violent, sexually explicit video games are corrupting today's youth! Our children are becoming desensitized, isolated, warmongering zombies and we need look no further than the game box for inciting influences behind such incidents as Columbine, Paducah, and Virginia Tech. Today's children are more aggressive, sexually active at younger ages, and even more foul-mouthed than ever before thanks to the rampant societal disintegration promoted in games like Grand...more

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Aug 31, 2009 catherine james rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-reads, 2008, non-fiction, arcs-galleys-review

Violent, sexually explicit video games are corrupting today's youth! Our children are becoming desensitized, isolated, warmongering zombies and we need look no further than the game box for inciting influences behind such incidents as Columbine, Paducah, and Virginia Tech. Today's children are more aggressive, sexually active at younger ages, and foul-mouthed than ever before thanks to the rampant societal disintegration promoted in games like Grand Theft Auto, Vice City, and S.W.A.T.

Well...not...more

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Dec 09, 2008 Andrew rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: one-book-per-week-08-09, non-fiction-books-that-i-love

Every now and then you read a book that makes you want to run out into the street, grab random people, and tell them all about it. This is one of those books. Straightforward, well written, insightful and practical, “Grand Theft Childhood” should be mandatory reading for every parent with electronics in their house.

“Grand Theft Childhood” is not a book that argues for or against video games. It sets out to present information from one of the most extensive descriptive studies of video game use...more Every now and then you read a book that makes you want to run out into the street, grab random people, and tell them all about it. This is one of those books. Straightforward, well written, insightful and practical, “Grand Theft Childhood” should be mandatory reading for every parent with electronics in their house.

“Grand Theft Childhood” is not a book that argues for or against video games. It sets out to present information from one of the most extensive descriptive studies of video game use by children and teens. Past research has employed mainly young adult undergraduates as experimental subjects in situations with very dubious external validity (in other words, experiments where the results in the lab do not translate to any predictable behaviour in the real world). Kutner and Olson did something novel; they asked talked to kids themselves. Through questionnaires, interviews, and focus groups, the authors sought to get a better understanding (among other questions) of what motivates kids to play the games they do, and what differentiates those who play violent games from those who don't. The results are somewhat unexpected, and I imagine they would be especially surprising to parents who are unfamiliar with games themselves and who buy into the fear-mongering and hype in the media.

In the final pages of the book, Kutner and Olson summarize their research, saying: “The bottom-line results of our research can be summed up in a single word: relax”. The research clearly shows that the vast majority of kids who play violent video games do not become violent themselves. Virtually all of the “evidence” presented by politicians and anti-game special interest groups is either hyperbole, poorly designed research, or even outright made up.

Kutner and Olson do not present their results in a vacuum. They describe the similarities between past censorship of comic books, novels, and television and the current drive to ban violent video games. They also explain the difficulties and challenges in doing research into the effects of violent video games on children (why can't experts agree on the fairly straightforward question: “does playing violent video games make kids violent themselves?”). By the end of the book the reader gets a pretty good idea of the controversies surrounding video games, and hopefully will have a more skeptical attitude about the claims thrown around by politicians and other censors. Best of all, the reader is encouraged to be skeptical of the author's research and the claims made in this book.

Towards the end of the book, after the authors have described what they found in the their study, they give plenty of practical advice for parents. More than anything else, “Grand Theft Childhood” feels like a worthwhile and informative read. Anyone who plays video games, in concerned about media censorship and politics, or has children should read this book.(less)

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Feb 20, 2010 Ernest rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must-read for gamers, parents, and especially journalists who plan to write about violence in games. It is an especially well written and sensible look at the overblown concerns of violence in games and the way this issue has been used for the purpose of politicians. Just wish that this book is more widely available.

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Feb 11, 2013 Robert rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book up when writing a paper about video games and the politics and censorship entailed. I was delighted that someone took the time to clarify these views on the issues. This is a must read for anyone who wants to know the real correlation between violence and video games.

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Jun 28, 2008 A'Llyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

A quick read, and a good, level-headed look at the question of whether violent media, particularly video games, is bad for children.

I liked the review of how other media has raised similar alarms about potentially warping children's minds in the past, including comic books, dime store novels, and radio. It really does seem that much of this alarm is often politically motivated (at worst), and, if sincere, arises from a recurring generational theme: we didn't have this stuff when I was a kid, so...more

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Feb 08, 2009 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-read

Violent games aren't necessarily bad. Might be bad for certain kids.

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Jan 01, 2009 Jodi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Interesting study on the influence of violent video games on youngsters. Actually not what I expected at all! Made me exhale and realize its not the end of the world if my guy plays a few rounds of Star Wars Battlefront with his buddies.

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Oct 30, 2008 Benjamin rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Parents, or anybody else who cares about video games

Recommended to Benjamin by: My brother.

The authors have done the best job I've seen so far of actually researching the effect of video games on youth. While they have authored numerous papers for academic journals, this book is for the lay parent or other interested party. It is well written and very accessible. The only reason it didn't get five stars is that they needed a concluding chapter. The book ended somewhat abruptly I thought.

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Jun 19, 2010 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book offers both a history lesson on how fears of new media have been exploited for political gain over the decades and gives some context on the limitations and capabilities of video games. The research conducted by the authors and their advice for parents will hopefully give them perspective and allow them to make better informed decisions about video games in their household.

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Oct 03, 2010 Tobin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-non-fiction

This is a wonderful, reasonable and nuanced look at the state of video games (as the current manifestation of new media) and the relationship they have to aggressive behavior. I highly recommend this book to any parent who doesn't have grown children for we will need to know how to address video games and other enjoyable activities that can been taken to the extreme.

-tpl

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Jun 22, 2008 scott cunningham is currently reading it

Written by two Harvard psychiatrists in the medical school (I think), it's about their research into the effects of violent video games on kids. Much of their findings contradicts media theories that it's harmful.

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Apr 30, 2008 edh rated it 4 of 5 stars

A bonus: the authors do a great job of explaining social science research in plain terminology, and what could skew data one way or the other. A very fair-handed look at gaming & youth!

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May 28, 2008 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars

A really interesting look at a controversial topic. I didn't really like the writing style, but the study was very interesting and gave me a lot to think about.

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Sep 11, 2008 Jeanette rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-other

My son Tyler (18 years old) read this for a research paper and recommended it to me.

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Feb 23, 2012 Ken marked it as sold

Given to the WPI Gordon Library in June 2011.

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May 01, 2008 Emily marked it as to-read

@ Davis.
I really hate video games.

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