In the debate surrounding violence in the United States, video games are often the odd-man out. They have been declared Constitutionally protected free speech only in the last year, and the relative youth of the medium has meant a slow embrace by the wider culture.
After tragedies like the Sandy Hook school shooting, bringing negative attention to games has been an easy way for politicians and gun rights advocates to turn the conversation away from gun control.
On Sunday, though, video games finally found a high-profile defender.
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi parried questions by anchor Chris Wallace as he tried to get Pelosi to pin some of the blame on game developers and other entertainment creators. He questioned the need for more research into the relationship between violence and violent media such as video games, saying it's time to tell Hollywood to back off.
"As part of your plan, you call for more scientific research on the connection between popular culture and violence. We don't need another study, respectfully," said Wallace. "I mean, we know that these video games, where people have their heads splattered, these movies, these TV shows -- why don't you go to your friends in Hollywood and challenge them? Shame them, and say, 'Knock it off?'"
Pelosi responded by saying in order to craft efficient legislation, Congress needs to have all the data. Pushed by Wallace, though, she defended video games.
"I understand what you are saying," Pelosi said. "I'm a mother, I'm a grandmother. But, they -- not Hollywood, but the evidence -- says that, in Japan, for example, they have the most violent games and the lowest death -- mortality -- from guns. I don't know what the explanation is for that except they may have good gun laws."
Now, whether or not Japan really has "the most violent games" is a question up for debate, but the rest of her statement rings true. In December, the Washington Post found that "countries where video game consumption is highest tend to be some of the safest countries in the world, likely a product of the fact that developed or rich countries, where consumers can afford expensive games, have on average much less violent crime."
