Do violent video games cause violence?

Controversial: That's a tough question to answer. Certainly playing violent games seems to be associated with violence, though that doesn't mean the games actually caused the violence in the real world. I would say that in my judgement, children who are already vulnerable may be more easily influenced, and that kids who play these kids of games constantly are more likely to be affected.

More than 1 factor: The level of violence in all forms of media probably has desensitized all of us to violence to some degree. For children with weak coping skills and immature values, and history of maltreatment, excessive use of violent video games is likely harmful. It takes many risk factors together to cause violence. Excessive use of violent media by vulnerable persons is an important risk factor.