Perhaps I was being too harsh, but I've always hated how the media thrusts spotlight on these people. It just shows troubled people that they have an easy outlet to get attention. I guess because I have little faith in the US media reporting on non-sensational topics  or actually taking responsibility for being part of the problem, I'd rather them just stay quiet instead.

They might as well throw the money into a fire.

Absolutely ridiculous. Our government at its spending habits again, which is NOT surprising at all.

If manipulation of data is so commonplace for the government and these studies have been done before, why doesn't the government just manipulate the existing data? Or why didn't they manipulate it to begin with when it was first collected?

I stand by my comment. Our community and this industry have nothing to hide. We have nothing to fear from the results of this study. Maybe -- and I know this sounds completely insane but bear with me for a moment -- maybe the President is simply trying to find a way to actually decrease violent crime and not just looking for a scapegoat. Seeing how blaming a scapegoat and thereby NOT reducing violent crime will not reflect well upon his actions.

I have no problem with this at all. Let the research be done so we can move on and stop having hack "celebrity" psychiatrists who know nothing about the situation telling us that videogames are the cause of violence on cable new networks. As long as the research is performed without an agenda, I welcome this.

Studies have been done and their results are published and freely available to read over. It's too late to manipulate the data. Again, no reason to fund more studies concerning this.

If you want to have the government spend your money on something that's already been done before, okay. I don't. 

If the president wanted to decrease violent crime he could start with the economic conditions instead of allowing taxes to increase. 

Violence is most prevalent with impoverishment and mental deficiency.

I agree there is nothing to hide, but this is a superfluous endeavor. 

I think the ESA's response is right. This is a good thing rather than a bad thing.

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"ESA appreciates President Obama's and Vice President Biden's leadership and the thoughtful, comprehensive process of the White House Gun Violence Commission. We concur with President Obama's call today for all Americans to do their part, and agree with the report's conclusion that the entertainment and video game industries have a responsibility to give parents tools and choices about the movies and programs their children watch and the games their children play.

"The same entertainment is enjoyed across all cultures and nations, but tragic levels of gun violence remain unique to our country. Scientific research and international and domestic crime data all point toward the same conclusion: entertainment does not cause violent behavior in the real world.

"We will embrace a constructive role in the important national dialogue around gun violence in the United States, and continue to collaborate with the Administration and Congress as they examine the facts that inform meaningful solutions." http://www.joystiq.com/2013/01/16/obama-signs-executive-orders-to-curtail-research-gun-violence/
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Hello. Mr. President. I'm a video game researcher. As you can tell from my cool looking business cards. I'd be more than willing to do the research you are looking to fund.


What's the White House's address?