Interesting, because I worked with a couple of the people who did research on the psychological and cognitive effects of FPS games, and I've never seen data that could justifiably be interpreted that way.
Everyone who behaved outside of social norms after gaming.... also behaved outside of social norms before gaming, though very slightly less so. The most alarmist thing you can take from that is that certain types of games might exacerbate a previously existing condition. Anything bigger than that is a huge and unfounded leap from what the data actually shows.
In the meantime, the act of playing an FPS game is actually very good for various motor and cognitive skills, in some ways similar to playing a musical instrument, in that the training actually generalizes to other tasks.
This is from the UK's Byron Report a couple of years ago. There's more on both sides since but . . .
Conclusions on issues of content
6.41 Most researchers consulted during the Review would say that they believe there is some
kind of effect of inappropriate content on some children in some contexts and
circumstances. But the right studies are lacking due to the nature and complexity of the
problem and because a truly robust longitudinal research approach to this question would
simply be unethical (i.e. to let children play violent games over time and assess the effects
on their attitudes, beliefs and behaviour). However, there is also a strong view held by
some academics, many of whom are based in the United States, that there is clear evidence
of (short-term) harmful effects of video game violence on children and young people which
has been published in a number of prestigious academic journals. There is little middle
152
Byron Review – Children and New Technology
ground to be found in this debate. It is difficult to base policy responses on such polarised
research evidence.
6.42 It would not be accurate to say that there is no evidence of harm but equally it is not
appropriate to conclude that there is evidence of no harm. Relatively small and short-term
effects of playing violent video games on young children‘s behaviour and attitudes have
been demonstrated, but many questions remain about how to interpret this at an
individual level or it’s meaning for behaviour and attitudes in the real world. Research has
not taken a strong developmental perspective and I believe this is a key factor, as children
of different ages have different levels of skill and understanding about the world (e.g.
critical evaluation, ability to make judgments) which will impact.
Videogames can make doctors into better surgeons amongst other things but, sadly, a very high proportion of the child and adult populations spend some part of life in mentally vulnerable conditions. The media they're exposed to may have more effect on them than others. Put clearly - I wouldn't let a kid play MW2.