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This subject is a fascinating one as it has roots in both objective fact and popular hysteria.
There is ample proof that we are affected by what we see and hear via music, television and games. Advertising agencies make billions of dollars because of this, and if there wasn't a hard correlation between the advertising and the revenue generated from it, this wouldn't be such a lucrative business. Burn patients at Harborview Burn center here in Seattle use virtual reality for pain management during burn treatments, and it's showing a significant reduction in the amount of pain they experience during the ablation procedures.
There is no question that we are affected by our experiences, but there is a lot of question as to the magnitude of the effects, and what the correlation is...
A significant amount of noise is generated by people who have a high level of concern coupled with a low level of understanding, and these are most often the people that get the press. There are disturbed people who play video games and commit crimes. These same people watch television, listen to the radio, read the paper, and have myriad other interactions that have an effect on their state of mind.
It would be refreshing to see an in-depth study of the cause and effect associated with this particular media, especially on those who are previously unbalanced.
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