Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris, Adam Lanza, Steven Phillip Kazmierczak and Seung-Hui Cho all have a few things in common, they are all school shooters who have killed and injured a total of 149 humans and are or are believed to have been avid players of violent video games, who also committed suicide immediately after carrying out their attacks. To the public, school shooters appear to share a direct connection with the use of violent video games and that playing them leads to violent behavior. Violent video games have become a focal point in the media and national debate for this reason, but there is no scientific evidence to support the existence of a causal connection between participants in violent video games exhibiting violent behavior. The media provides distorted information that leads citizens to believe that this connection is well established and accepted. I argue that parents should make responsible and well-informed decisions about their children's gaming activities, despite the lack of scientific research. In the cases of school shootings at Columbine High School, Sandy Hook Elementary, Virginia Tech University, and Northern University of Illinois, the media widely publicized the fact that the perpetrators were avid gamers, but why does this matter ? The media wants your attention and is more than willing to say anything to get it. They reported that the authors were avid gamers, implying that there is a well-established connection between the two when there is none. They exploit the fear of parents and concerned citizens by not including relevant corresponding information in order to leave you more interested...... middle of paper...... or easily purchase them without serious consideration for the well-being and health of the their young people evaluate for themselves whether some video games, including violent ones, are useful for their children. Take for example “the case of the eight-year-old boy from Slaughter, Louisiana, who took a gun and killed his elderly caregiver after playing Grand Theft Auto IV over the summer.” At first glance it seems like the video game might be the catalyst here, but upon closer inspection we can see that the big problem here is that the eight-year-old had unmonitored access to violent media aimed at kids 17 and up. and unmonitored access to a loaded firearm. Adequate parenting, despite the lack of scientifically supported research applied to this situation, would have more than likely resulted in the survival of the boy's elderly caregiver.