In a speech on Wednesday meant to address gun violence, U.S. President Barack Obama called on Congress to fund research exploring the link, if any, between video games, media images, and violence. The research would be conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and would likely start in 2014.
"We don't benefit from ignorance. We don't benefit from not knowing the science of this epidemic of violence," said Obama. "Congress should fund research into the effects violent video games have on young minds."
The bid for more research doesn't end there, however. The President is also directing the CDC to investigate the causes of gun violence as well as possible means of prevention in the future. The CDC had previously been barred from conducting research that may in any way "advocate or promote gun control," but Obama is now asking Congress to provide $10 million for a full federal examination of the topic.
A separate Presidential Memorandum released Wednesday also claimed that "public health research on gun violence is not advocacy."
Studies into the effects of video games are but a small part of Obama's initiative, though. The President offered a full suite of recommendations: reinstating the assault weapons ban, limiting ammunition magazines to 10 rounds, eliminating the sale of armor-piercing bullets, establishing a federal gun trafficking statute, offering better mental health services in schools, and adding more police officers. The entire plan is expected to cost about $500 million, with some initiatives supported by pre-existing funds.
In addition to recommendations for Congress, Obama outlined 23 executive actions effective immediately. These included giving officials better training for active shooting situations as well as requiring federal agencies to turn in important information for a background check system.
"If there's even one thing we can do to reduce this violence, if there's even one life that can be saved, then we have an obligation to try it," Obama said. "I will put everything I've got into this, and so will Joe [Biden], but I tell you the only way we can change is if the American people demand it."
For its part, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) told Polygon it "will embrace a constructive role in the important national dialogue around gun violence in the United States." While the organization agreed that the entertainment industry has a responsibility to give parents the tools and choices they need to make informed decisions about the media their children consume, the ESA also noted that recurring gun violence is a problem unique to the United States.
"The same entertainment is enjoyed across all cultures and nations, but tragic levels of gun violence remain unique to our country," said the ESA. "Scientific research and international and domestic crime data all point toward the same conclusion: entertainment does not cause violent behavior in the real world."
Many studies have reinforced the ESA's position on the matter, pointing to either shaky links between violence and video games or finding none.
While Obama is calling for research about video games, he has stopped well short of blaming the media for violence. Vice President Joe Biden recently met with video game industry representatives to address violence, saying he entered the meeting with an open mind and "no judgement."
You can read the President's entire plan over here.
