Childhood games increase violence, study shows

TOPEKA, KANSAS (AP) - Childhood games may increase violence and violent activities in children, a study at the University of Kansas reveals. Observing play in a sample of over 500 children, almost every single child showed an increase in violent or anti-social behavior such as hitting, name calling and "threatening to tell on" other children, which sociologists link to childhood games.


In almost 96% of the sample, games such as Kick the Can, Tag, Stickball and Race You to the Store led to antagonistic behavior. The control group, which did not indulge in idle play, saw little or no change at all in violent behaviors, but developed a healthy sense of the fear of God.


"It's upsetting to know," Dr. Mary Fields of the University of Kansas sociology department said in an interview. "Parents have had a nagging feeling for a while now that play can lead down dangerous paths, but now we have conclusive evidence."


"We observed that almost every game devolved into some kind of antagonistic or anti-social behavior. Accusations of cheating were common, and some games actually dissolved into fist fights," another researcher noted. "We thought these were isolated incidences, but kids will be very cruel to each other, and we can safely assume it's because of games."


Parents are clamoring for something to be done, and various parenting groups such as Mothers against Gaming and the Association Against Game Related Violence have pushed Congress to do something. President Coolidge has refused to comment on the situation, but the opposition party has declared their support in legislation against violent games. While some sociologists have opposed this study saying, as one put it, "its skews the numbers and has no real scientific basis," they have been denounced as having the Devil in them.


Mark Kelly, advocate of anti-gaming laws and editor of the Topeka Star recently wrote in his editorial, "And what do we see as a result of these violent games unchecked? Why, the degradation of family and gender values. Look at these female tramps trapezing about outside with their bob haircuts and revealing outfits! These vamps, along with those ruffians who run the speakeasies and are fond of their drink are surely a product of violent and corrupting games such as that infernal outdoor activity where you push the hoop around town with a stick. How far will our society let this destructive path go?"